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Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 39mm Mens Watch Black 18ct Rose Gold
Ref. L38035536
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 278 Longines watches in stock.The Spirit Zulu Time traces its name and purpose directly to a Longines wristwatch made in 1925 — the brand's first dual time zone piece, which carried the Zulu flag on its dial as a reference to the letter Z that designates universal time in aviation. A century later this is still the watch's subject: second time zones, pilot discipline, the discipline of reading two places at once without confusion. At 39mm it sits at the smaller end of the GMT category, which keeps it versatile in a way that 42mm pilot watches rarely are, and the black matt dial absorbs rather than reflects, so the hands and indices read cleanly in the kind of flat, variable light that cockpits and offices share. The ceramic bezel insert resists the scratching that a steel or aluminium ring accumulates with daily use, and the movement beneath — COSC-certified and fitted with a silicon balance spring — is resistant to magnetic fields in a way that matters if you spend time near screens, speakers or security equipment. The 72-hour power reserve means a watch set down Friday evening is still running Monday morning, which is a practical consideration for a GMT worn across weekends when the time zone being tracked changes and a stopped watch is more trouble than one that drifted slightly.
- Reference
- L38035536
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Spirit
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- GMT, Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Gem set
- Yes
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 (3,460), Stainless Steel Watches (2,531), Automatic Watches (1,573) and GMT Watches (202).
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
- Second time zone for travelling
Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L38035536 | ALT39-DT-SS-SI-L-S | M0A10770 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,750 | £3,700 | £3,600 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| 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.
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
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £3,750, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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