Watch Reviews 4U presents a review of a used
Longines Spirit L3.820.93.0 42mm Sunray Blue Dial
Chronograph watch from Lifestyle Watches in Bathgate-
I highly recommend this seller for their superb customer service - see below
Longines Spirit L3.820.93.0 42mm Sunray Blue Dial
A Chronometer Chronograph at a very keen price!
The Longines L3.820.93 Spirit 42mm Chronograph arrived on the market around 2020. The chronograph follows in concert with the 3 hand watch versions made in 37mm, 30mm and 42mm sizes that came to the market around that time.
Here I am reviewing the 42mm Blue dial version of the watch purchased used and less than a year old from Lifestyle Watches of Bathgate, Scotland. Nice people to deal with and they have a wide range of quality timepieces on their website.
Longines Spirit 42mm and St Imier 42mm comparison
The 42mm Spirit Chronograph is not an old watch design revived by Longines, it is a newly designed watch with echoes of the aviator watches from the late WW2 era and onwards.
It is in the Aviator style, or some might say has design features one might associate with classic watches from that era.
I saw the Spirit watches originally around 2022 and I must say I wasn't immediately drawn to them, they weren't available used very often then and at that time I bought a used Spirit 41mm watch of a completely different 'retro' design which is a very nice looking piece.
Having seen reviews of the watch, I happened to come across a nearly new, used example from Lifestyle Watches and decided to go for it.
What struck me was that the Spirit new series chronograph had a similarity in look to the St Imier Chronograph which I had found in 2023 and I have photographed them side by side for comparison in the picture above.
The Spirit watches all feature the Chronometer title and 5 stars rating -
all these watches' movements are COSC Certified for their superb accuracy
With a new RRP of around £3000 for the Chronograph version, you are getting a COSC certified timepiece with a choice of dial colour and strap options presented in a fantastic wooden presentation box.
In terms of value for money, you are assured of receiving a very desirable watch that you could easily pay four or five times more for, from a comparable Swiss brand.
Longines Spirit 42mm 3 hand watch comparison -
Some find the cut away 3 character on the 42mm version of this model an issue.
On the 40mm dial, the date window sits differently losing the '3' character.
The 42mm Chronograph is as you would expect a superbly finished watch from Longines. Available with stainless steel bracelet, leather strap or an option with a set of 3 quick change straps - leather, Stainless steel and NATO leather type. Straps are 22mm width.
Longines Spirit 42mm Sunray Blue Dial option with blue leather
clasp strap and engraved buckle. The strap is beige faced inside.
As with the 3 hand watch version, the 42mm Chronograph is available with dial colour options, a grainy white/cream, matt black or Sunray Blue versions.
Of these dial colours, the blue and the black are my favourite options, the black looks quite stark which I like and the blue has a variance in colour depending on how the light strikes it.
The date window at 4.30 position on the Chronograph -
this placing on the Chronograph does not interfere with any of the hour markers
You can see the variance in the blue shades in the above picture. The dial has 3 smaller sub dials, the 9 o'clock position is for the running seconds, the 6 o'clock is for the chronograph hours and the 3 o'clock is for the chronograph minutes.
The Chronograph hands all feature red tips for ease of identification and as a feature associated with Aviation for ease of recognition.
The external Date pusher 'jump' adjuster at the 10pm position
A nice quirky touch on the Chronograph is the Date Adjuster button at the 10 o'clock position. It features a screw down Crown which you unscrew to quick-set the date and then screw back in. This prevents any inadvertent date advancement if the button is pressed accidentally.
The dial has individually placed hour markers and logos
The main hands are broad and feature an effective lume coating.
The dial features hand applied hour markers which frame pressed in recesses containing Lume coating. The Longines logo and the 5 stars are also hand applied which really stand out on the blue and black dial versions thanks to the colour contrasts.
The watch features a screw down winding crown -
The chronograph pushers are a decent size and easy to operate
The seconds marker chapter ring is applied and is located onto the dial face. This ring features cut outs for the diamond shaped lume markers at the hour positions, that stand above the seconds figures.
The sub dials are rimmed with silvered metal inserts and have a ribbed pattern surface, the sub dial positioning echoes the cockpit dashboard of an aeroplane in my view!
At around 15mm thickness, some might find the case deep
the 3 hand version is slimmer and lighter to wear
The stainless steel case is brushed in some places and polished in others, contains a bespoke ETA movement which due to the functions of the watch, means it is a deeper case than on the 3 hand versions.
This deeper case also raises the weight of the watch, however this isn't an issue for most wearers, but it would be worth trying on before purchase if you are in doubt. It is slightly heavier than a Master Collection 44m Chronograph.
The quality, smooth leather 'easy remove' strap
The strap is a 22mm width calf leather strap with a beige colour leather liner on the inside. Straps are colour matched to the dial, you may also choose the stainless bracelet option, but these do tend to add to the weight of the watch, especially at this larger size of case.
The watch case is nicely tapered downwards
The strap on this particular example features an 'easy remove' toggle pin so that you can change the strap over in seconds without having to use a removal tool. This feature is available on many after market straps.
A satisfying watch in every way
the Crown is a sure down type for extra water resistance
The Longines strap pin removal pin tool is available from Longines for around £10 and is a useful tool to have if you own a collection, as it is designed for the pins and has a long shaft length. Using this tool you are less likely to slip and damage the watch case.
I have used it on Longines watches and found it works better than most after market shorter ones. For the little cost involved, it can save you damaging the watch case.
Longines Spirit 42mm dial and strap view
The dial colour in the blue version has been used on many Longines watches including those from the Master Collection range and is a personal favourite of mine. You can see in the above and below pictures how the light catches the dial and produces variances of blue from light to dark shade.
The blue 'ray' effect can be seen perfectly here
The larger applied hour markers really stand out nicely in contrast and are easier to see in poor light as opposed to the 'bar' type markers on some Longines dials, that are not so easy to see in poor light where the dial has no lume applied.
Longines Spirit solid case back detail
The case back is solid, with 6 hold down screws and no exhibition window. Whilst some might want to see the movement as you can on many other models, the Spirit does not feature this for two reasons, firstly the solid back aids water resistance and secondly, the original aviator watches had solid case backs.
The Spirit series has proved popular with collectors
This watch was purchased from Lifestyle Watches in Bathgate and is the third Longines I have purchased from this retailer. The transaction was easy and the customer service outstanding. I would highly recommend this retailer who sell a wide range of watch brands and are very nice people to deal with.
Take look at their watches selection at:
