Which Longines Spirit to buy: Spirit, Zulu Time, Pilot or Flyback (2026)

The best Longines Spirit for most people is the 40mm with a blue sunray dial on a steel bracelet: a chronometer-certified automatic movement, 100 metres of water resistance, and one of the least expensive ways into the collection. For a slimmer wrist, the same watch in 37mm; for travel, the Zulu Time with a second time zone.

Every watch here is sold new by Goldsmiths, a UK authorised retailer, at Goldsmiths' own price on the date shown.

How we chose

We went through every Spirit watch Goldsmiths sells and compared the sizes, movements and features from Goldsmiths' own product pages. Where a listing contradicted itself (a different dial colour in different places, for example), we left that watch out rather than guess. We earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never changes the price you pay.

The Spirit range, in short

Goldsmiths describes the Spirit as "a pilot watch with contemporary sophistication", a tribute to the pioneers who relied on Longines instruments. Every model in this guide is automatic and water resistant to 100 metres. The range now has four kinds:

The best Spirit overall: 40mm blue

A blue sunray dial with applied Arabic numerals filled with Super-LumiNova, in a 40mm stainless steel case on a matching bracelet with a triple safety folding clasp, according to Goldsmiths. It runs on Longines' L888.4 automatic movement, certified as a chronometer by COSC, with a power reserve of up to 72 hours, and it's water resistant to 100 metres: a watch you can wear every day, in the office or the sea.

Best overallLongines Spirit L38104936 · 40mm · Automatic · 100 metres (10 bar) water resistant £2,150Price at Goldsmiths, 29 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

37mm or 40mm?

Goldsmiths sells the same blue Spirit in both sizes, with the same chronometer movement.

• 40mm suits most men's wrists, and has the presence a pilot-style watch is known for.
• 37mm suits a slimmer wrist, and Goldsmiths lists it as unisex.

Best smaller sizeLongines Spirit L34104936 · 37mm · Automatic · 100 metres (10 bar) water resistant £2,350Price at Goldsmiths, 30 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The best for travel: Spirit Zulu Time 39mm

A second time zone on a 24-hour hand, so you can keep home time while the main hands show where you are. This 39mm Zulu Time has a stainless steel case, a blue ceramic bezel, a sunray blue dial with a date at 6 o'clock, and a blue leather strap, powered by Longines' L844.4 automatic movement and water resistant to 100 metres, according to Goldsmiths. Goldsmiths also sells the Zulu Time in 42mm, and on a steel bracelet.

Best for travelLongines Spirit Zulu Time L38024932 · 39mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £2,900Price at Goldsmiths, 31 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The best Spirit Pilot: 39mm blue

The cleanest, most practical Spirit: a matt blue dial with Super-LumiNova, a screw-in crown and a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, in a 39mm steel case on a bracelet. Goldsmiths lists a self-winding movement with a silicon balance spring (which resists magnetism), chronometer certification from COSC and a power reserve of up to 72 hours.

Best Spirit PilotLongines Spirit Pilot L38094936 · 39mm · Automatic · 100 metres (10 bar) water resistant £2,600Price at Goldsmiths, 31 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The best chronograph: Spirit Flyback 42mm

A flyback chronograph: one press of the button sets the stopwatch back to zero and starts it again, without stopping it first: handy for timing one thing straight after another. This 42mm steel model has a blue sunray dial, a two-way rotating bezel with a blue ceramic insert, and an interchangeable steel bracelet, powered by Longines' L791 automatic movement with a 68-hour power reserve, certified by COSC, according to Goldsmiths.

Best chronographLongines Spirit Flyback L38214936 · 42mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £4,350Price at Goldsmiths, 31 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Which Spirit should you buy?

• One watch for everything: the 40mm Spirit, or the 37mm for a slimmer wrist.
• You travel or work across time zones: the Zulu Time.
• You want the most robust everyday watch: the Spirit Pilot, with its screw-in crown.
• You want a chronograph: the Flyback, at about twice the price of the plain Spirit.

Still deciding between Longines' sports watches? See Spirit vs Conquest, or our best Longines watches.