THE NEW YORK TIMES, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020 N A
Commemorating the very first aviators and explorers
sharing their heritage with Longines.
HowardHughes,the inventive pioneerin aviation,flewin a record
time around theworld.To navigate overland and sea he trusted in aviation
chronometers and chronographs made byLongines.
In 1935Howard Hugheswas the fastest
flyer in the world. He set the airspeed
record of 352mph (566km/h). But what
makes Hughes’ story so especially impres-
sive, is that the plane he flew in, was of his
own design. Hughes was no ordinary
record-breaking pilot—he was also an
aeronautical engineer, business magnate
and successful Hollywood movie producer.
Yet it was his fighting spirit and courage
in the face of the unknown, that compelled
him to keep pushing forward. Just a few
years later, Hughes circumnavigated
the globe.His journey took him only 3 days,
19 hours and 14 minutes... and of course,
he was the fastest man to do so. Hughes
always trusted his Longines astronaviga-
tion chronometer to determine the exact
position of his airplane at night, in total
darkness and over the many vast oceans
he crossed.How we face the fall is what separates
the pioneer spirit from the rest. Falling
with elegance, when all the odds are
stacked against you. Trying, failing, fight-
ing and triumphing with elegance. This
is what’s remembered, what remains
—when all else has been stripped away.The Longines Spirit Collection was
crafted to embody precisely this. A careful
blend of elegance, tradition and perfor-
mance—with the same distinct features
that were tailored to assist the very first
aviators: from the proofed accuracy to the
oversized winding crown, to be adjusted
easily while wearing gloves; prominent
high-contrast numerals; and hands with
luminescent coating, for night time flying.A powerful reminder that the pioneer
spiritliveson.