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Longines Spirit Avigation 39mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. L38024936
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Spirit collection takes its name seriously — Longines built it around the navigational instruments and pilot watches the brand supplied in the early and mid twentieth century, and the Zulu Time variant restores the GMT complication that made those tools genuinely useful to aviators tracking two time zones at once. The 39mm case arrived specifically because the original 42mm version excluded a portion of the wrists best suited to wearing it; at 46.8mm lug to lug, this one sits flush on a wider range of wrists without the overhang that compromises a smaller wrist's comfort. The L844.4 is the detail that separates this from a decorative GMT. It is a true flyer: the local hour hand jumps independently in one-hour increments, leaving the running seconds, minutes and 24-hour hand undisturbed — which is how a pilot actually wants to adjust for a new time zone, on the ground or in the air. The silicon balance spring gives it meaningful resistance to magnetic fields, and COSC certification backs the rate claim. At 13.5mm the case is not thin, a consequence of the movement architecture and the slightly domed crystal, but the bidirectional ceramic bezel and the brushed flanks with polished chamfers carry that depth tidily. The quick-release bracelet system is the detail that earns its place at the end. Swapping to a strap requires no tools and no fiddling — relevant on a watch this capable of going on leather for dinner and back to steel the next morning.
- Reference
- L38024936
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Spirit
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 13.5mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- 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
- Luminous
- 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 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,425), Automatic Watches (1,204), Blue Dial Watches (640) 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
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L38024936 |  01 400 7778 7150-07 7 20 01TLC |  2795-BKC-20000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,000 | £3,320 | £3,195 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Titanium bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 72 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.
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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