Longines Celebrates 100 Years of Dual Time Zone Watches with the Spirit Zulu Time 1925

Longines continues to expand their Zulu Time collection with the new Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925. Never one to shy away from an anniversary, the latest version of the Longines travel watch celebrates the 100th anniversary of the brand’s first watch to display dual time zones. These early dual time zone watches featured colorful representations of maritime flags referencing the letter “Z”, a nod to the time at the zero meridian in Greenwich. The “Z” designation ultimately led to pilots referencing “Zulu time” when referring to time at the zero meridian, an important concept when traveling across time zones. The modern renditions of the Zulu Time watches are completely distinct from their historical counterparts in terms of their design and aesthetics, but for Longines their intent seems to be to recreate the adventurous spirit of those watches in a modern package. All of the Zulu Time watches to this point have straddled the line between a clear vintage inspiration and contemporary design tropes, resulting in watches that have a classic everyday appeal. 

Last year, I reviewed the Spirit Zulu Time Titanium, which simply by virtue of the material used felt like the most contemporary iteration of the Zulu Time yet. I really enjoyed my time with that watch and felt that Longines really nailed the proportions, with a case just under 40mm that was also not too long from lug to lug. The new 1925 version of the Zulu Time is perhaps best thought of as the inverse of the titanium version. While last year’s model was forward thinking and modern, the 1925 is, unsurprisingly, relying on decades old design cues that conjure very different ideas. The standout feature here is the 18 carat rose cold capped bezel insert matched to the stainless steel case. The two tone execution here is very well executed, and definitely imbues the watch with a certain old-world charm. The dial is further accented with rose gold details, all a tribute, according to Longines, to the copper strip that marks the Prime Meridian at Greenwich’s Royal Observatory. 

The dial is matte black, with the aforementioned rose gold accents found at the Arabic numerals, outer minute track, and an inner decorative ring that visually connects each numeral. The Longines wordmark at 12:00 and text above the date window at 6:00 are also rendered in a rose gold color. Like other watches in the Spirit collection, you’ll find five stars in that cluster of dial text as well, as well as indication of the watch’s chronometer rating. 

The movement is a caliber made exclusively for Longines, the L844.4, an automatic movement with 72 hours of power reserve at a full wind. It’s a flyer style GMT, which means the hour hand is independently adjustable, and designed to be moved as the wearer traverses time zones, making adjustments without the need to hack the movement. The 24 hour hand tracks home time, and the bezel can be used to further track a third time zone. 

The case remains 39mm in diameter, and is 13.5mm thick. It’s water resistant to 100 meters and uses a screw down crown as well as a sapphire crystal, all features you’d expect on any modern sports or travel watch. The bracelet is a three link Oyster-style design with a foldover clasp, and the watch ships with an additional black textile strap. 

For years, Longines has excelled at raiding the archives, and reintroducing models that are historically important to the brand in clever ways. The Spirit Collection is a little different, as it’s not based on any particular watch from the brand’s past, but conceived as a modern counterpart to the “spirit” (see what I did there?) of those watches. Longines doesn’t, in my opinion, get enough credit for this, but the Spirit Collection watches, which are now clearly anchored by these Zulu Time releases, are really beginning to form a modern core collection for Longines that does the tricky job of standing apart from the purely historical pieces. 

The new Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 is available now at a retail price of $4,350. Longines