Collection: Longines Spirit

Longines introduced the Spirit collection in 2020 to celebrate the brand's genuine, century-long connection to aviation exploration. Named the official supplier to the International Aeronautical Federation in 1919, Longines outfitted pioneering aviators with precision instrument watches, most famously Charles Lindbergh, who wore a Longines wristwatch during his historic solo transatlantic flight in 1927 and later worked with the brand to develop the Hour Angle Watch for celestial navigation. Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and polar explorer Paul-Émile Victor round out the roster of explorers Longines equipped for record-setting expeditions across air, land, and sea.

The Spirit collection channels that pioneering spirit into a modern pilot's watch built around genuine mechanical performance. Every Spirit model runs on a COSC-certified chronometer movement developed exclusively for Longines by ETA, featuring a silicon balance spring for improved shock and magnetic resistance and up to 72 hours of power reserve. The lineup spans clean three-hand time-and-date models in 37mm and 40mm, flyback chronographs with tri-compax subdials, and the aviation-focused Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback references, which lean further into vintage cockpit-instrument styling with a rotating bezel and Longines' signature interchangeable strap system for easily swapping between leather, rubber, and steel bracelet.

King Jewelers is an authorized Longines retailer, carrying the Longines Spirit collection including the Spirit 37mm, Spirit Chronograph 42mm, and Spirit Pilot Flyback, backed by Longines' 24-month warranty. Every Longines watch purchase includes free shipping, and our team can help you compare Spirit models in person at our Green Hills showroom in Nashville or online at kingjewelers.com.

A Century of Real Aviation Instruments
The Longines Spirit collection, launched in 2020, draws on one of the most genuine and well-documented aviation heritages in Swiss watchmaking. In 1919, Longines was named the official supplier to the International Aeronautical Federation, and over the following decades the brand built the actual navigational instruments pioneering aviators relied on, not marketing partnerships, but functional tools used in real record-setting flights.

Three specific innovations define that legacy. In 1925, Longines built the first wristwatch to display a second time zone, the original Longines Zulu Time, marked with a "Z" flag on its dial referencing the aviation and military term for Greenwich Mean Time. In 1929, Longines partnered with U.S. Navy Captain Philip Van Horn Weems, an early pioneer of celestial navigation, to create the Weems Second-Setting Watch, letting pilots precisely synchronize their timepiece with radio time signals mid-flight. That relationship led to Weems introducing Longines to his protégé, Charles Lindbergh, and the pair worked together to create the Hour Angle Watch, which Lindbergh used for celestial dead-reckoning navigation on his historic solo transatlantic flight in 1927, a flight Longines also officially timed. Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and polar explorer Paul-Émile Victor rounded out the roster of aviation pioneers who relied on Longines instruments for their own record-setting expeditions.

2020: Channeling a Century of History Into One Collection
Rather than reissuing any single vintage reference, Longines built the Spirit collection to channel this broader pioneering spirit into a modern pilot's watch. Every Spirit model runs on a COSC-certified chronometer movement developed exclusively for Longines, featuring a silicon balance spring for improved shock and magnetic resistance.

2022: The Zulu Time Joins the Family
Two years after Spirit's debut, Longines added a dedicated GMT model directly named for its 1925 ancestor: the Spirit Zulu Time. Rather than a simple GMT, it's a genuine jumping-hour GMT (allowing the local hour hand to be set independently of the home-time GMT hand), powered by the in-house Calibre L844.4 with a 72-hour power reserve, paired with a 24-hour bidirectional bezel and ceramic insert. Longines positioned it as the collection's flagship travel watch, and it quickly became one of the most talked-about GMT releases in its price category.

Key Milestones

1919 — Longines named official supplier to the International Aeronautical Federation

1925 — First Longines Zulu Time wristwatch introduces dual time zone display

1927 — Charles Lindbergh flies the Hour Angle Watch on his solo transatlantic crossing

1929 — Weems Second-Setting Watch developed with Captain Philip Van Horn Weems

2020 — Spirit collection launches with three-hand and chronograph models

2022 — Spirit Zulu Time GMT debuts at 42mm, named for the 1925 original

2025 — Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback join the lineup with a more stripped-back, vintage cockpit-instrument aesthetic

What Defines Spirit Today
Every Spirit model runs a COSC-certified movement with a silicon balance spring, offering up to 72 hours of power reserve. The lineup spans clean three-hand time-and-date models, flyback chronographs with tri-compax subdials, the GMT-focused Zulu Time, and the more vintage-styled Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback, all sharing Longines' interchangeable strap system for easily switching between leather, rubber, and steel bracelet.

At King Jewelers
King Jewelers is an authorized Longines retailer, carrying the Longines Spirit collection including the Spirit 37mm, Spirit Chronograph 42mm, and Spirit Pilot Flyback, backed by Longines' 24-month warranty. Every Longines watch purchase includes free shipping, and our team can help you compare Spirit models in person at our Green Hills showroom in Nashville or online at kingjewelers.com.

The Longines Spirit collection spans three-hand models, chronographs, and the GMT-focused Spirit Zulu Time, available in 37mm to 42mm cases with leather, rubber, or steel bracelet options. King Jewelers carries a wide selection of this aviation-inspired lineup for collectors and everyday wearers alike.

Spirit 37mm/40mm (three-hand) — COSC-certified L888.4 movement, 64-72hr power reserve, date function.

Spirit Chronograph 42mm — Column-wheel L688.4 movement, flyback function, tri-compax dial.

Spirit Pilot / Spirit Pilot Flyback — 2025 additions with a stripped-back, more vintage cockpit-instrument dial.

Spirit Zulu Time — 42mm, jumping-hour GMT, ceramic 24-hour bezel, named for the original 1925 Longines Zulu Time.