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Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. L38024632
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Spirit Zulu Time began as a 42mm pilot's GMT — a category where size has often been treated as part of the specification rather than a choice. This 39mm version keeps the same dial layout and movement intact, simply pulling the lug-to-lug distance below 47mm and curving the lugs downward so the watch follows the wrist rather than bridging it. For anyone who found the original compelling but awkward to wear, that compression changes the proposition considerably. The L844.4 is a COSC-certified movement built on an ETA base but modified specifically for Longines, with a monocrystalline silicon balance-spring that makes it effectively immune to everyday magnetic fields — phone clasps, bag clasps, laptop speakers — without the owner needing to think about it. The silicon spring also contributes to the 72-hour reserve, which means a watch taken off Friday evening is still running Monday morning. The polished green ceramic bezel against a sandblasted anthracite dial is not an obvious pairing, but the gilt hands and indices hold the whole thing together, and the Super-LumiNova on numerals and hands means the GMT hand — which is the point of wearing this rather than a straightforward three-hander — reads cleanly at a glance in low light. The deployant clasp includes a micro-adjustment system that requires no tools, which on a leather strap in changing temperatures is more useful than it sounds.
- Reference
- L38024632
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Spirit
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 13.5mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Anthracite
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- L844.4
- Functions
- GMT, Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Beige
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
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 6 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,425), Automatic Watches (1,204), Leather Strap Watches (767), Dress Watches (349), Grey Dial Watches (202) and GMT Watches (154).
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
Worth knowing
- Leather does not suit regular contact with water
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L38024632 |  01 771 7791 4054-07 8 20 18 |  SLA087J1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,900 | £2,840 | £2,900 |
| Case size | 39mm | 40mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 48 hours | 72 hours |
| This watch | 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.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How 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.
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.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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