A century ago, Longines created a watch bearing the Zulu flag on its dial. What set this timepiece apart wasn’t just the flag—it was its groundbreaking ability to display two time zones simultaneously.
In 1925, Longines introduced the Spirit Zulu, the first wristwatch capable of showing two time zones at once. But the roots of this innovation stretch even further back. In 1908, Longines designed the first pocket watch with dual time zone functionality for the Ottoman Empire, filing a patent for the mechanism in 1911. So what made these watches—able to display two different time zones on a single dial—so revolutionary? To understand that, we need to revisit a pivotal moment in timekeeping history.
Since antiquity, measuring time has challenged humanity. But with the Industrial Revolution came a surge in global trade and intercontinental travel, creating the need for a universal time standard. In 1884, representatives from 25 countries convened in Washington for the International Meridian Conference. The result: Greenwich, England, was established as the Prime Meridian, giving rise to what we now call GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or UTC. Among aviators, this universal time became known as “Z Time” or “Zulu.” This is the origin of the “Zulu” name in the Longines Spirit Zulu collection, created for the pioneering pilots of the early 20th century.
A Longines Classic: Spirit Zulu
The Wright brothers’ maiden flights in 1903 heralded the dawn of modern aviation. The early decades of the 20th century were filled with sky-bound firsts. Longines was there for many of them, timing landmark flights and accompanying aviation legends like Walter Mittelholzer, Charles Kingsford Smith, and Amelia Earhart. During this exhilarating era, in 1925, Longines launched the model that would later inspire the Spirit Zulu collection. It bore the Zulu flag on its dial and featured a GMT function—allowing simultaneous display of two time zones. With a rectangular case, yellow-boxed GMT hand, and a sub-dial at 6 o’clock, the original Spirit Zulu was both technically and aesthetically distinctive. Arabic numerals near the dial’s center indicated the second time zone.
Fast forward to 2022: Longines revived this icon with the Spirit Zulu Time GMT. The updated version featured a 42 mm stainless steel case and paid homage to the 1925 original—albeit with a round rather than rectangular case. In spring 2023, the collection expanded with new 39 mm models, available in black, anthracite, or blue dials. A standout feature was the two-tone ceramic bezel accented with yellow gold, which captured attention throughout the year.
