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Longines is crushing it lately. At least that’s how I feel. People familiar with my taste know I’m the Omega fanboy. When it comes to watches, the online nerds can passionately argue about features, specs and historical legacy til they’re blue in the face—but I say to you that the only thing that matters at the end of the day is whether a watch connects with you emotionally.
So while I definitely recognize the appeal or quality or value of many other brands, including Rolex or Breitling or whoever else, to me the emotional appeal of Omega watches wins out every time.
But Longines has come in hot with some watches that speak to me. Chief among them is the Spirit Zulu Time, and when they created the 39mm variant, it was the first non-Omega I was excited about. The Zulu Time has functionality that would come in handy when I’m traveling: the ability to track time in more than one time zone. Other brands call it a GMT functionality, while Longines uses the term Zulu time, harking back 100 years to their first such watch. From their website: “Its origins and its name come from the first Longines dual-time zone wristwatch manufactured in 1925, which featured the Zulu flag on its dial – Zulu referring to the letter ‘Z’ which designates universal time for aviators and members of the armed forces.”
Longines held an event a few months ago in Nashville, co-organized by my friend Emmanuele Legrair, at the Soho House there. I met the regional sales rep for my region and their head of PR in North America. Through that meeting, I was able to borrow a 39mm Zulu Time while I was at Pitti.
Here are my thoughts and a brief primer on how it works.
[Buy the 39mm Longines Spirit Zulu Time.]
It was genuinely useful for me, to be able to quickly and easily tell the time back home while I was away. It pairs well with the types of clothes I wear—dressed up, or dressed down.
The design, quality and functionality are all excellent. It could be the one nice watch you buy and wear everyday for the rest of your life. The bracelet is very easy to swap on account of the quick-release push-button end links. The lug spacing is 21mm across, which is somewhat unusual but not terribly hard to find straps for. It looks great on a leather strap. (I’d get it on the bracelet, and buy a strap elsewhere).
After wearing it, I determined that I would buy the green-bezel version. I have multiple other watches with a black dial and black bezel. I also like that the green bezel colorway has gilt details on the dial—the numerals and handset.
I’d encourage you to find a local dealer and try one of these on. Find out if it connects with you emotionally—and if so, it’s a phenomenal piece that could very well be on your wrist for decades to come.
Thank you Carmen at Longines for lending it to me!
[Buy the 39mm Longines Spirit Zulu Time.]
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.My introduction to Zulu time came when I was a pilot. The flight plans, weather reports, Notices to Airmen all were issued with Zulu times,. At first I wore two watches – my everyday watch, and another digital watch, displaying 24-hours time set for Zulu. Then in 1983 came the greatest advance in timekeeping in the mid-20th century… the G-Shock. You can replace the day window with a second timezone from anywhere in the world. Mine was set for Zulu; and I never wore two watches again.
Today, I have two GMT watches; a Seiko Prospex and a blue face Citizen Promaster which I wear with blue OCBDs.
Of course, my G-Shocks are all set with Zulu time in the day window.
San Martin makes a near-perfect homage to this with an NH34 movement inside. ~$270.