Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm

The Longines Spirit Zulu Time GMT.
Straight off the bat, let me warn you that this incredible wristwatch was brought to me by the goddess Fortuna herself. I’d like to think that is because she has a crush on me and would like to take my pants off, but what is certain is that I did not buy this watch. In fact, I didn’t even dream about owning this watch, as it was never on my radar and never within my budget, but I own it anyway, because life can be very weird sometimes—meaning that every once in a while, it stops being a joy-sucking bitch of a vampire and instead gives you something you never even dreamed to dream about.

Long story short, I won this watch at a giveaway. In fact, the giveaway was organized by the lovely people who created and own this website, on which you are reading my weird review while debating whether or not you should close the screen and do something useful, instead of reading some moron’s never-ending introduction to his personal relationship with this watch, which no one asked for.

Now that that is out of the way, let me create the picture of what you can expect from this review. I will (in a very conventional manner) start by stating the positives of this product, and give you reasons why you should look forward to owning it. In the second part, I will state the negatives, and tell you why you may not want to look forward to owning this watch. None of this really matters, of course, because you already made your mind up about buying (that is obvious from the fact that you’re still reading, even though there has yet to appear any useful information from my part), so you’re just trying to justify your concrete-hard conviction that you indeed are in need of this gorgeous Longines.

Let us begin the justification!

THE POSITIVES
Alright. Let’s start at the obvious point: this watch is beautiful. If you’ve only seen images and videos of the watch and you already think it’s good-looking, let me tell you, you are in for a treat. Because if I had to make a stupid comparison for the shocking difference in the appearance of this watch in real life and in video, I would probably try to emphasize it by mentioning those YouTube videos where random barber dudes take homeless people off the street and do a full makeover on them—for views and clicks, of course. The contrast is about as strong as the contrast between a 6-foot-long beard-wearing, wild bush-hair-having, 4-month-old stench-rocking unfortunate homeless soul and a freshly groomed golden child from a rich family wearing a full tuxedo for one of those tacky rich-people parties. That a clear enough explanation?

The deep green bezel, gorgeous golden indices and hands, the small but noticeable details on the dial, the big and beautiful unprotected crown, and the case finish are all incredible and wonderful. Not like Mr. Wonderful, of course. That man is a wanker.

So, the watch looks awesome. What else? Well, the proportions. They are perfect. I could end this bit here, but you and I both know that I am incapable of ending something with so few characters, so let me elaborate.

The 39 mm case is a true 39, because the whole case profile is thin. There is no fat crown guard or outward-stretching lugs. The whole case is sized just well, and it’s executed in a very elegant way.

The thickness of 13.5 mm is a big ol’ lie, because the midcase is very thin, the case back is very flat, and the crystal is pretty domed, so the watch wears a lot more like a 12 mm piece.

The lug-to-lug at 46.7 may sound scary to the smaller-wristed out there, but I believe it is fine, and the relatively long lugs add a ton of charm to the design of this watch.

Okay, so it looks awesome, it wears great, what else? Well, it works great also!
Inside the case is a Longines L844.4 movement, and I have no idea if it’s in-house or not, and honestly I don’t really care. What I care about, though, is that it is a chronometer-certified movement, meaning its tolerances are -4 to +6 seconds a day. Furthermore, it is a self-winding mechanical movement beating at 25,200 vibrations per hour, with a monocrystalline silicon balance spring and power reserve up to 72 hours. Now that is the good stuff right there.

THE NEGATIVES
I’m afraid we’ve reached the part where I have to crap on the watch a little bit, but that is okay as nothing is or can be perfect. I must state, though, that because this watch came to me like a dream or a sudden idea comes to people (meaning it cost me nada), the following negatives don’t bother me as much. But if I try to put myself in the shoes of the poor bastard who actually has to pay money to own a really great watch, I feel like the negatives may distract me a little bit—perhaps even set me on a new course, looking for a new watch.

First of all, the bracelet. Now, I feel really strongly that this watch does not belong on a bracelet, and as a result, it looks weird on one—but that’s subjective. What is not subjective, however, is the fact that the 21 mm lug width is stupid and annoying and unnecessary, and getting straps is hard as a consequence. Also, the male end links are a very bad idea on an otherwise very well-proportioned and elegant watch, especially when the already long lug-to-lug length is taken into consideration. The quick-release mechanism, activated by the push of a button, is cool and all, but that doesn’t mean that Longines can be forgiven for cheaping out and offering this watch without on-the-fly adjustability on the bracelet. The tapering and the quality feel of the bracelet is otherwise pretty good.

Besides the bracelet, that really feels like an afterthought, there is another (and last) issue, and that is the shocking fact that, on my watch at least, the bezel is painfully misaligned. And I’m serious about this one. This is not the OCD talking out of some weird watch-nerd junkie that demands perfect alignment even viewed under a microscope. This is some proper F-ing up on Longines’ part. There is almost a whole millimeter between the triangle at 12 and where it should be (exactly at the 12 marker on the chapter ring), and that is pretty close to being outrageous even with a 400 EUR Seiko—let alone an over-3-grand Longines.

I was really surprised by this, because I thought that Longines’ competing advantage is their attention to detail besides value for money, so I did not expect a misaligned bezel. My advice is: if you’re looking to buy this watch (either new or pre-owned), make sure to check it out personally before purchase, so you can avoid misaligned mishaps. Unless you are not bothered by misaligned bezels on watches, of course, in which case you are probably a psychopath and not to be messed around with.

And there we go, my two-page-long review of the Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39 (in green) is finally over! I hope you managed to convince yourself, because I want you to experience this awesome watch too. I would definitely recommend it! Just keep in mind, the bracelet is not that good. The watch looks better on NATO anyway, so it's no biggie.

This to me is one of the most attractive GMT watches. It gives off some tool watch vibes, it also gives off some luxurious vibes in a perfect mix.

Despite its 39mm case size, it's still a bit of a chunky watch that wears a bit larger than you might expect. Part of it is the case that has almost no curvature to the ends and also the male end links that extend the effective lug to lug a bit. On my 6.5-inch wrist, I think I can pull it off.

This is a “true” GMT so you get a quick set on the local hour hand and it also means you don’t get a quick set for the date. So setting the date means going through the days one by one with the hour hand.

The dial is great, has applied numerals, the logo, and some stars that I don’t know what they represent but look cool. I know some people dislike them, but I don’t. They give off a military vibe to the watch.

There is also a raised minute track around the edge of the dial that gives it another layer of depth with a very nicely polished beveled edge to it.

The bracelet is good but nothing special. It has a quick release but no on-the-fly micro-adjustment. I would expect it to have it since it's starting to become a standard. Maybe they will update the bracelet in the coming years.

The bracelet also uses split pins and some people might dislike that for a watch in this price range. Personally, I still prefer them to pin and collar because they are easier to deal with but would prefer screws over any other option.