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Longines Spirit 42mm Mens Watch
Ref. L38204732
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Spirit collection was Longines' answer to a question the brand has lived with since the 1920s: what should an aviator's watch look like when the technology has moved on but the intent has not. The stepped bezel, legible silver dial, and prominent crown are all drawn from that period of cockpit instrumentation, updated with the kind of finishing a modern manufacture can bring to them. The five applied stars on the dial are not decoration — they mark a COSC chronometer certification, which means the L688.4 inside has been independently tested for rate accuracy before leaving Switzerland. That movement is worth understanding. It was developed with ETA specifically for Longines, runs a column-wheel chronograph mechanism with a silicon hairspring, and stores 66 hours of power reserve — enough that a watch left on the nightstand Friday evening is still running Monday morning. It is a serious calibre in a watch that wears accordingly: at 16.5mm thick and 51.4mm lug to lug, this sits high on the wrist and asks for a broader arm to carry it well. The quick-release spring bars on the brown leather strap are a small but useful feature, making it straightforward to swap straps as the occasion demands.
- Reference
- L38204732
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Spirit
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 16.5mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA A08.L01
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 51.4mm
- Power reserve
- 66 hours
- Strap
- Interchangeable
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 (2,366), Automatic Watches (1,159), Chronograph Watches (992) and Leather Strap Watches (743).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 66-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 16.5mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
- 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 | L38204732 |  129766 |  SLA087J1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,000 | £3,035 | £2,900 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Rubber strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 66 hours | — | 72 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 66 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. 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 51.4mm, which suits wrists from roughly 17.5cm (7 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.
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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