Is This New Travel Watch the Best GMT You Can Buy for the Money?

Longines sure makes a compelling case with its latest Spirit Zulu Time.

Published August 16, 2024

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Ever since 2018 when Rolex and Tudor simultaneously launched new stainless steel GMT watches at Baselworld, the market for travel watches has been insatiable.

With each passing year, compelling new GMT models are released with overloaded spec sheets at increasingly competitive price points. Last year, Longines was the talk of the town thanks to its shrunken-down Spirit Zulu Time 39, which matched the specs of Tudor’s Black Bay GMT and Black Bay Pro while coming in considerably slimmer and more wearable (and slightly cheaper).

Then at this year’s Watches and Wonders show back in April, Tudor retook the crown with its new Black Bay Fifty-Eight GMT, which upped the ante by sporting a new manufacture movement that allowed it to be more than 2mm thinner than the other Tudor GMTs while also boasting a Master Chronometer certification from METAS and adding the adjustable T-Fit clasp to both bracelet and strap options.

Now, Longines is striking back with a new version of the Zulu Time 39 in lightweight, high-end Grade 5 titanium in place of stainless steel. So is this now pound-for-pound the GMT to beat?

Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium

$4,275 at Longines

The Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium

As the Spirit Zulu Time 39 in stainless steel was already a spectacular watch, there was no reason for Longines to throw the baby out with the bathwater for the titanium version. And I’m happy to report that they did not do that at all.

The new Longines GMT has the exact same crowd-pleasing dimensions as the non-titanium version. The case is 39mm across, 13.5mm thick and 46.8mm lug to lug with a lug width of 21mm. The only difference in terms of specs is the weight, as the titanium version weighs just 95.5 grams on the bracelet, down around 50 percent from the 147-gram steel version.

longines watch on a mans wrist — The new Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium is awfully hard to argue with.

The other difference between the new Zulu Time Titanium and the steel version can be found on the bezel. The new version sticks with a ceramic insert for the bidirectional 24-hour bezel, but for the first time, it boasts two different finishes instead of a single uniform color. The top of the bezel is glossy black, while the bottom is a matte black, which appears gray in some light.

It’s a subtle effect akin to the Rolex GMT-Master II “Bruce Wayne” released earlier this year at Watches and Wonders (or the Seiko 5KX GMT released before that), and it looks especially slick here matched with the darker gray titanium metal and the gilt finish on the watch’s hands and bezels.

Inside the watch is the same movement as before: ETA’s exclusive-to-Longines Cal. L844.4 automatic. It’s a “true” GMT with an independently adjustable hour hand and it’s a COSC-certified chronometer with an impressive runtime of 72 hours.

longines watch — Black and gray is the new Pepsi.

One Minor Gripe

The watch’s bracelet is the same design as before, and there’s no strap option at launch. (You can always buy an additional strap, but it won’t have a matching titanium clasp.) And while the bracelet is nice, it is my only gripe with the watch.

While Longines does utilize a quick-change system on the bracelet to make strap changes easier, the clasp’s micro-adjustment feature still requires a tool to use.

longines watch bracelet — I would like to see those holes on the side of the clasp gone in the next version of the watch.

With Tudor adding its T-Fit toolless micro-adjustment system to the clasp on the Black Bay Fifty-Eight GMT, I was hoping Longines would update the Zulu Time’s clasp for this new release. After all, the brand already has a tool-free micro-adjustment clasp design in use on its HydroConquest GMT dive watch that launched last year.

But that’s not what happened. Maybe next year.

The Best GMT for the Money?

When you’re looking at the best pound-for-pound GMTs on the market, the Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium and Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight GMT have to be at the top of your list.

The two are almost exactly the same size, with the Tudor coming in 0.7mm thinner and the Longines 1mm shorter from lug to lug. The Longines bests the Tudor when it comes to premium materials thanks to its Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet and ceramic bezel insert (the Tudor uses stainless steel and aluminum, respectively), while the Tudor movement’s METAS certification goes further than the Longines’ COSC certification.

tudor watch on the wrist of a man wearing a suit — The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight GMT is certainly the closest competitor on the market to the Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium.

The Longines has a seven-hour advantage in power reserve, while the Tudor has twice the water resistance and better resistance to magnetic fields. The Tudor has the quick-adjust clasp, while the Longines gets the quick-change bracelet.

It’s a damn close race, one which will probably come down to two factors for most buyers: Looks and price. Both watches are gorgeous, with the Tudor heavily leaning into vintage territory and the Longines appearing more modern. The Longines is cheaper, with an SRP of $4,275. The Tudor costs $4,400 on a rubber strap and $4,600 on the bracelet.

Frankly, it’s too close to call. I love them both and can’t wait to see who takes the next swing in this budding rivalry.