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Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. L38024506
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
Longines has been making dual-time instruments since 1925, and the Spirit Zulu Time takes its name and visual grammar directly from that history — the original carried a Zulu flag on its dial as a reference point for Greenwich Mean Time. This is not revival for its own sake: the collection exists to solve a specific problem, and the L844.4 at its heart is built around it. COSC-certified and fitted with a silicon hairspring for antimagnetic resistance, the movement allows the local hour hand to be jumped forward or back in one-hour steps without touching the running seconds — the arrangement a pilot or frequent traveller actually needs, rather than a GMT that demands resetting the whole time. At 39mm with a lug-to-lug of 46.8mm, it sits closer to the wrist than most GMT watches, and the proportions make it genuinely unisex in the way that claim usually is not. The matte black dial with sandblasted finishing reads differently under direct light and angled light, and the applied Arabic numerals carry enough Super-LumiNova to be useful in a darkened cabin rather than merely decorative. The black ceramic bezel insert resists scratching in a way that an anodised aluminium ring will not hold over years of use. The bracelet releases without tools, which matters more than it sounds once you are in the habit of swapping to a strap for a long flight and back again at the other end.
- Reference
- L38024506
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Spirit
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 13.5mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- L844.4
- Functions
- GMT, Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46.8mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
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 5 collections
This watch appears in the Longines Spirit range (34), Back in Stock (5,018), Stainless Steel Watches (3,307), Automatic Watches (1,811) and GMT Watches (257).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
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 | L38024506 | 103382 | TN38-ND-SS-PK-B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,950 | £2,980 | £3,000 |
| Case size | 39mm | 40mm | 38mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 42 hours | 38 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46.8mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs 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
Both Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb list it at £2,950, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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