Watch Reviews 4U The Longines Spirit Chronograph L3.820.4.93.0 42mm in Blue

 

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:

www.lifestylewatches.co.uk

Watch Reviews 4U - Pagani PD2770 Watch 43mm in Sun Ray Blue dial finish - Seiko Presage homage on a budget?

 

Watch Reviews 4U presents a review of a

Pagani PD2770 Blue Dial Automatic Watch 43mm

A very nicely made and finished watch that looks good on the wrist

The Pagani PD2770 is a Chinese made automatic watch with a 43mm width stainless steel case. Owing a few visual influences to the Seiko Presage, this watch in its own right is a nice piece of design. Some might call it a homage to the Seiko, others a good piece of individual modern watch design . 

A Seiko Presage - at about ten times the price of a Pagani, new

Unboxing the Pagani, you are hit by a very nice looking sun-ray blue dial, which has a textured finish. The dial has applied hour markers and is nicely finished.

A black dial version is also available

First impressions out of the box are the watch is a very nicely finished piece of work, bearing in mind that it cost around £70.00 new, it is in a good place for value for money, finish, style and design. At 43mm it is a nice size and is not heavy in weight to wear.

The  Seagull 2813 movement has a very nicely finished rotor

The PD2770 movement is a Seagull 2813 and is visible through the glass exhibition back. The rotor is very nicely engraved for this price level watch, I have seen Miyota movements with quite basic skeleton rotors in comparison that look frankly a bit cheap.

On a black leather strap with Pagani Logo Buckle

Out of the box, the watch kept good time, you will notice that the sweep seconds hand does not fully reach the end of the index markers. The movement has a slightly noticeable staccato motion in use however, this does not affect the timekeeping. The motion is only really noticeable if you look hard at it.

The watch looks better in real life to the eye than in the photographs

The watch has a synthetic crystal with a bevel edge, it is nicely finished but not anti-reflective. The case is Stainless Steel which is faultless and the winding Crown has the Pagani logo on it.

Overall this watch is great value for money, it is a cheap watch to buy but with a quality about it that is far in excess of the ticket price. 

It is a smart watch that you can afford to wear and not worry about, Seagull movements are known for their reliability and as such, parts should be available, new movements are a few pounds which is good news if required.

Alternatively you might want to spend a bit more and go for a PD 1722 at 41mm which is more in the style of an IWC watch.

Pagani PD 1722 IWC style watch 41mm

An alternative watch with Power Reserve dial

Pagani PD 1722 IWC style watch 41mm

Impressive for £89.00 - with a style nod to the IWC Portuguese style watch

Pagani PD 1722 41mm

Great styling and looks more expensive than it really is!

Verdict: These Pagani watches are good value for money, they are inexpensive, but look good and have great finish. 

There is no shortage of Chinese made watches in the homage or unique design market - you basically get what you pay for and in some cases the movements are not sold outside of China but are available. Some are nicely made and finished watches, some less so.

If you are looking for an inexpensive but stylish and well finished watch, this could be the answer.

Watch Reviews 4U - Longines 44mm Chronograph Silver Dial L2.859.4

                                       

Watch Reviews 4U presents a review of a used

Longines Master Collection L2.859.4 44mm Silver Dial 

Chronograph watch from Lifestyle Watches in Bathgate-

I highly recommend this seller for their superb customer service - see below

Longines L2.859.4 Silver Barleycorn Dial 44mm Tri-Compax 

Chronograph - on a Stainless Steel Bracelet as purchased used

Of the Longines watches sold per year, the majority are surprisingly enough plain dial with date watches, Chronograph watches seemingly are a smaller proportion of their annual sales.

The Leather Strap option of the 44mm watch

From a collecting point, this makes Longines Chronographs rarer on the used market in proportion to the standard fare date only. Additionally, due to the complexity of the movement, the Chronograph can often be thicker in case depth to accommodate the extra workings. 

 44mm Longines Chronograph - As pictured by Lifestyle Watches

Compared for size with a 40mm Bi-Compax (L) and a 44mm Sun-ray Blue version (R)

The 44mm appeals to me as I prefer larger dials as they are often easier to read over the smaller dials. I tend to go for 40mm and larger watches as these sit well on my wrist and are not too heavy to wear generally.

As standard, in the quality Longines Presentation box with paperwork

The watch reviewed here is a great balance of size and weight on the wrist, it is a perfect size for me and also the weight is not too great, given that the case is fairly thin in depth and elegantly designed so that case weight is saved through the economy of the design. The movement is also quite compact, given its complication and this helps keep the case depth thinner.

The Barleycorn patterned dial face - in Silver, but looks whiter in this picture

The dial face is patterned and the texture works well on the surface, the arabic numerals are paint finished onto the dial and are very crisply finished. The chapter ring is bevel angled to the dial face and shows the seconds markings track for the long Chronograph Seconds hand.

A Longines 40mm Chronograph with Silver face from the Longines site -

shows off the blued hands and silver dial finish nicely

The Stainless Bracelet is superbly finished

The Sub Dials feature concentric ring patterning and have chromed bezel outer rings which are a great finishing touch to define the dials. The hands are attractively blue finished and contrast well with the silver dial. 

A nicely sized Crown and easy to use Chrono. Pushers

The Bracelet is Stainless Steel on this particular example - a Leather Strap version watch is also available or can be fitted  later if desired, in place of the Stainless Bracelet. Aftermarket straps are available from Longines on their website for this watch. 

On a larger size watch like this, the all-metal Bracelet does add weight over the Leather Strap option. I did change over to a Leather Strap on this watch as it was lighter, saves wear to the Stainless Bracelet and I tend to prefer the Leather version. This watch looking as new, the leather strap was a preferable wearing option for me.

Sub dials are: Running Seconds (left), Hour (centre) & Minutes (right)

The Crown is a decent size and features the Longines name and logo present which looks crisp and denotes quality in that it is made for the watch and is not just an off the shelf made button. The pushers are a good size and easy to use. 

The Stainless Steel case is faultlessly finished

The watch is powered by an L688 ETA movement which keeps great time as you would expect from this level of watch. The exhibition back with glass window allows you to see the beautifully finished movement which is a nice feature.

Showing the rear exhibition case cover with window -

The L688 Movement is shown off nicely here

Side quick-set date button set at 10 o'clock position

The Stainless Steel case is nicely designed and superbly finished, watches of this case size can be heavy due to the size of the case, but this design is thin in depth for what is contained in the case and the lugs are of a swept design with an economy of form and size that helps reduce weight. 

Seconds Sub Dial detail

I have a Longines Grande Vitesse by comparison in 42mm and that has a proportionately thicker case and is more noticeable on the wrist when worn, as it is also deeper and more full in proportion. 

The 44mm Master Collection one reviewed here I find easy to wear, even given the size and the weight - it is lighter than the Vitesse.

Overall, this watch is a very nice watch to wear for either dress or leisure, the look is stylish, the finish is superb and the value for money is very good, especially in a used example. Longines has hit a great stride in watch design and manufacture in recent years. 

I find the Longines brand great value for money, attractive design and have good case sizes and often size options. I choose them over many other more expensive brands because Longines just delivers what I am looking for in a watch.

The 44mm L2.859.4 watch is retailing at around £3000 new, used examples can be typically picked up at around the £1600 mark currently.

This watch was purchased from Lifestyle Watches in Bathgate and is the second 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 at:

www.lifestylewatches.co.uk

Watch Reviews 4U - Longines Master Collection L2.733.4 Black Dial 40mm Column Wheel Chronograph review

Watch Reviews 4U presents a review of a used

Longines Master Collection L2.733.4 40mm Black Dial 

40mm Chronograph watch from Michael Jones Jewellers  of Northampton -

I highly recommend this seller for their superb customer service - see below

40mm Longines L2.733.4 compared with an 1832 Heritage collection Watch

I found this very nice used Longines L2.733.4 Column Wheel Chronograph on Ebay recently for around £1200. I had in the past seen a couple of these on sale in Japan in used condition. 

Personally, 40mm case sizes are about the smallest I tend to go for just out of personal choice and this L2 at 39mm seemed a compromise but I found that the longer length lugs as also featured on the 1832 Heritage, actually made this fit very well for me. On the wrist the slight 1mm difference wasn't an issue.

The Longines Column Wheel L2.733.4 Chronograph 

at Michael Jones Jewellers

The Longines Column Wheel 40mm Chronograph - an L2.749.4.52.0 version

The L2 Column Wheel Chronograph echoes the styling of the 1832 Heritage watches and is available in a similar version with a different model number and also a white dial version. 

The L2 is a 1950's inspired 'Moderne' styling exercise with a stark black or white dial option and silvered metal dial furniture that gives this watch a classy look that is not out of date.

It features blade hands and there is a lame strip on the main hands and at the 5 minute interval markers around the dial. Whilst the light from these is minimal, they do work and is a nice touch as many of their dress watches feature solid metal hands.

Whether worn for business or as a dress watch, this L2 model is just pure style. As a Bauhaus design ethos admirer, this watch just appeals to me - being smart, classy, uncomplicated and wearable. Whilst it is also very functional and thus suits the design brief perfectly.

The sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating really makes the dial look pin sharp without reflections. The clarity of the glass on Longines watches I find really helps define the dial clarity and sharpness to the eye.

A Longines L2.749 40mm case size watch in similar style

Most of us won't have the need for a chronograph on what looks like a dress watch, so you might just choose the ordinary 1832 to fill that dressy watch requirement, but the small 3 dial chronograph gets away with it by not being overlarge, or over thick in the case depth.

In fact in comparison to the 1832 non-chronograph model, it is similar in case thickness. 

Easy to operate side buttons for the Chronograph

The Crown has Longines logo and wording present

My 1832 was new and remains unworn - this L2 styled version had been pre-owned so I was not too worried about wearing it. The case is slightly different to the 1832 Heritage in the bezel shape and the lugs are straight and long unlike the other L2.749 variation shown here, which has a slightly differently styled lug set.

Both long lug versions on the L2.733 and the 1832 Heritage although not appealing to all due to the gap between strap and case body, actually works well. The longer lug length puts the strap slightly further outboard and I find this means on a smaller 40mm size watch that the strap tends to drop away vertically from the spring bar, rather than allowing the strap to curve around the wrist, for hot weather perhaps an advantage. This also helps to make the watch look larger.

The date set push button

As you would expect from Longines, the case is superbly finished in polished 316L Stainless Steel. As with many of the Longines canon, it features an exhibition back allowing you to see the superbly finished movement through the crystal window. 

20mm strap with simple buckle closure in the Heritage style

The strap is an unfussy 'old school' strap and buckle style, again much in the style of the 1950's originals, tending to be less expensive than the Master Collection deployment type. The strap is a comfortable 20mm width and worn all day I found the watch was comfortable to wear and easy to read.

The exhibition back shows the movement off superbly 

on these column wheel chronographs - the blued column wheel

ratchet wheel mechanism is shown at the top of the image here

A white dial version I saw on sale with Ramsdens Financial at £1499.

I went for the black dial one as it ideally partnered my 1832 Heritage in black.

Ramsdens listing of their L2.733.4 Longines -

Check out their used watches pages as there are some good deals there

This example features a deployment type strap which some prefer.

Comparison of 40mm Heritage collection Conquest, Chronograph and 1832 Heritage

So what do we have in the L2.733.4? A nice and easy to wear watch, stylish, attractive timepiece that is not heavy on the wrist. Mine being a used example was in a very clean condition and pretty much like new. It is supplied with the nice wooden Longines box, booklet, pointer for date changing and an outer white Longines card box.

Essentially a £2k as new priced watch and on sale at around £1200. A good buy in my opinion, fairly priced and in great condition. Purchased from Michael Jones jewellers in Northamptonshire and thanks to Gareth who offered a superb customer service experience and was extremely helpful with the purchasing process and communication. So I would highly recommend them based on my purchase.