A watch that doesn’t just tell the time, but reminds us how far we’ve come travelling through it
Longines is marking a century of dual-time zone mastery with the Spirit Zulu Time 1925—a sleek nod to its trailblazing wristwatch from, you guessed it, 1925. That original “Zulu Time” was the first dual-time wristwatch ever made, and this 2025 edition celebrates that legacy with both historical depth and modern finesse.
The Zulu Time name comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet for “Z”, which refers to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), aka Universal Time (UTC+0). It’s the global reference point pilots and navigators still use today. Zulu Time cuts through time zone confusion, no AM or PM needed.
This centennial edition packs all that aviation and travel DNA into a 39mm stainless-steel case, featuring a rose-gold-capped, bidirectional rotating bezel, an elegant first for the Zulu Time collection. The 24-hour scale allows tracking of a third time zone, a subtle flex for serious globetrotters. The rose gold isn’t just a colour choice either; it’s a smart nod to the copper strip that marks the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.
The matte black dial pops with rose-gold-coloured hands and indices, all Super-LumiNova treated for round-the-clock legibility. Above six o’clock, five stars (a Longines hallmark of top-tier movements) sit above a quiet date window and an engraved “1925 – 2025” reminder of this watch’s commemorative status.
Flip the case and you’ll spot another first for the Zulu line: a transparent caseback revealing a rose-gold-coloured rotor, laser-engraved with a planisphere traversed by the Prime Meridian. Powering it all is the COSC-certified L844.4 calibre, a true GMT movement with a 72-hour power reserve and anti-magnetic components for today’s tech-heavy world.
Collectors will appreciate the two-strap option: a steel bracelet with a folding clasp and a black NATO strap for a more rugged vibe. Each piece comes in a special-edition box, underscoring its place in the brand’s storied timeline.
Alongside this release, Longines is also growing the Spirit Zulu Time family with new 39mm and 42mm models featuring ceramic bezels and bold black-on-black day/night scales.
