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Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. L38021536
Sits in Longines’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Longines watches we list, which start at £900.
Price range £900 to £22,850 across 249 Longines watches in stock.The Spirit collection was Longines' return to its aviation roots — field watches built to the proportions and legibility that pilots actually required. The Zulu Time extends that thinking into GMT territory, and the move to Grade 5 titanium makes a particular case for itself: at 39mm the watch was already sized to disappear under a sleeve, and titanium takes enough weight off the bracelet that a full-metal pilot's watch stops feeling like one. The L844.4 is a local-jumping GMT, which matters more than COSC certification to anyone who actually crosses time zones regularly. Adjusting the hour hand does not stop the seconds or disturb the GMT hand — you unscrew the crown and quick-set it forward or back as you would a date, then get on with things. The 72-hour reserve means a weekend away without it on your wrist does not require resetting on Monday. The anthracite dial carries gold-tipped hands and applied Arabic numerals, which reads warmer than the case material might suggest; the black GMT hand with its red tip cuts cleanly across both.
- Reference
- L38021536
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Spirit
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 13.5mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Titanium
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Anthracite
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA A31.L411
- Functions
- Chronograph, GMT, Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Titanium bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
Learn more about Longines
Auguste Agassiz began trading watches in Saint-Imier in 1832, but the modern company dates from 1860, when his nephew Ernest Francillon built a factory in the meadows beside the Suze — the longines of the local dialect — and consolidated the scattered outworkers of the region under one roof.
Longines registered its winged hourglass in 1889. It is the oldest watch trademark still in continuous use.
The company's identity was built on precision and on timing things in public. It supplied chronographs for the first modern Olympic events it timed in 1896, timed the 1912 Federal Gymnastics Festival with a broken-wire mechanism accurate to a hundredth of a second, and developed the photo-finish camera and the quartz timing devices used across twentieth-century athletics.
Its aviation associations are equally deep. Longines instruments were carried by Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic in 1927, and the Hour Angle watch, designed to Lindbergh's own specification to simplify longitude calculation, remains in the catalogue. Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes both navigated by Longines.
The house was among the most decorated at nineteenth-century observatory trials, holding numerous precision records. Since joining the Swatch Group in 1983 it has occupied the accessible-heritage position: exclusive ETA-based movements, archive-driven designs through the Heritage line, and volume that makes it one of the group's most important brands.
- 1860
- Ernest Francillon builds the factory at Les Longines.
- 1889
- The winged hourglass is registered — the oldest watch trademark in use.
- 1912
- Broken-wire timing achieves hundredth-second accuracy.
- 1927
- Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic with Longines instruments.
- 1983
- Becomes part of the Swatch Group.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Longines Spirit range (34), Back in Stock (4,361), Automatic Watches (1,554), Chronograph Watches (1,144), Grey Dial Watches (227), GMT Watches (220) and Limited Edition Watches (180).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 39mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Longines Spirit Zulu Time alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L38021536 | ALT39-DT-SS-BK-B | BMM0A10720 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,900 | £3,950 | £3,950 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Titanium bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 68 hours | 120 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 39mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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