For those who love to indulge their wanderlust or the expats who have made their home in faraway lands, the guaranteed question posed whenever there is a digital catch-up with friends and family is; ‘What time is it there?’ While the limits of travel seem to be boundless today, the fascination with different time zones goes as far back to the 19th century, when global adventures were undertaken by the few, not the many.
Connecting the world through the measurement of time throughout the centuries is Longines. Offering precise solutions for those navigating multiple time zones as early as the late 19th century, the Swiss watchmaker’s first notable dual time-zoned timepieces were the famed Turkish Watches. Ordered by the Ottoman Empire in 1908, these pocket watches allowed for the simultaneous reading of Turkish and Western times. Continuing the heritage, Longines then introduced the first ever dual-time zone wristwatch in 1925 known as the Zulu Time. The dial was marked with a colourful maritime flag representing the letter ‘Z’, which signified the time at zero meridian in Greenwich, London. Today, this is termed as Universal Time (UTC +0) and is used by pilots and navigators to ensure clear communication during radio contact.
Paying homage to the centenary of this ground-breaking timepiece, Longines has unveiled the Spirit Zulu Time 1925. Bestowed with a matt black dial, the hands and indexes are coloured rose gold for exceptional legibility as well as a striking contrast. The hand and hour-markers enjoy Super-LumiNova treatment, adding to the timepiece’s readability in all lighting conditions. There are five stars elegantly placed above the six o’clock marker, accompanied by a discreet date window and the engraving ‘1925-2025’; a subtle nod to the centennial celebration.
Sporting a 39mm stainless steel case with a bidirectional rotating bezel, adorned by a 18K rose gold cap and 24-hour graduations to track a third time zone, the watch features landmark firsts for the Longines Spirit Time collection. A circular-brushed insert has been introduced alongside a transparent case back that reveals a rose gold-coloured PVD rotor, which spotlights a special engraving of a planisphere, with the Prime Meridian running through its heart. Completing the look of the timepiece is the stainless-steel bracelet featuring a double-folding safety clasp and a black NATO strap with a pin buckle.
To capture true precision across all time zones, the timepiece is powered by Longines’ signature calibre L844.4. Enjoying a power reserve of up to 72 hours and chronometer certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), the calibre’s self-winding mechanical movement is complemented by a silicon balance spring and other innovative components that make the watch up to 10 times more resistant to magnetic fields than the ISO 764 standard requires.
Highlighting the significance of the new release, the watch is presented in a special-edition box, perfect for presenting as a gift to a loved one or a collector’s item for horologists.
