Case #744 — Longines Spirit Zulu Time Green GMT Ref. L3.812.4.63.6

Case #744 — Longines Spirit Zulu Time GMT "Green Bezel"

Ref. L3.812.4.63.6

Status: Available

Condition: Very Good Pre-Owned

Scope: Watch Only and Presentation Box

🔎 Case Notes

The clue here is the bezel. Against a fully brushed steel case, the green ceramic 24-hour insert does the quiet work of turning a serious travel instrument into something with genuine personality — dark enough to read as near-black in low light, unmistakably green once the sun finds it. Paired with the sandblasted dial Longines catalogues as anthracite, which presents with a deep black-brown warmth on the wrist, and gilt-toned hands and applied Arabic numerals, this is one of the more characterful configurations in the Spirit Zulu Time line.

Beneath the surface, this is a properly specified traveller's watch rather than a GMT-hand afterthought. The Longines calibre L844.4 is a true GMT movement, with a local hour hand that jumps independently for easy use during travel — allowing you to change the hour hand and date without stopping the watch. The calibre carries a silicon balance-spring, resists magnetic fields, and is chronometer-certified by the COSC. COSC certification guarantees performance within -4/+6 seconds per day.

Our example is graded Very Good Pre-Owned. It arrives on its stainless steel three-link bracelet with the brand's folding clasp, presently sized to fit an approximately 7¼-inch wrist. Year of manufacture is not recorded, and the watch is offered Watch Only — no box, papers or warranty card accompany it.

🕰️ The Evidence

• Reference: L3.812.4.63.6
• Model / Collection: Longines Spirit Zulu Time
• Year: Unknown
• Case: Stainless steel, fully brushed with polished accents
• Case Diameter: 42 mm
• Thickness: 13.90 mm
• Lug-to-Lug: Approximately 49 mm
• Lug Width: 22 mm
• Dial: Anthracite, sandblasted, presenting black with warm brown undertones; applied Arabic numerals, gold polished hands, Swiss Super-LumiNova
• Crystal: Sapphire with several layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides
• Bezel: Green ceramic insert, bi-directional rotating 24-hour scale
• Crown: Screw-in
• Caseback: Solid
• Movement: Longines Calibre L844.4
• Movement Type: Self-winding, beating at 25,200 vibrations per hour, with silicon balance-spring
• Certification: COSC chronometer
• Power Reserve: Approximately 72 hours
• Functions: Central seconds, date, 24-hour display, second time zone; independently adjustable hour hand; date window centred at 6 o'clock
• Water Resistance: 10 bar / 100 metres
• Bracelet: Stainless steel three-link bracelet
• Clasp: Double safety folding clasp with push-piece opening mechanism
• Bracelet Fit: Approximately 7¼-inch wrist
• Condition: Very Good Pre-Owned
• Included: Watch only

🌟 Collector Provenance

The Spirit line is a recent chapter in Longines' catalogue but a deliberately backward-looking one. The collection was introduced in 2020 as a set of sports watches inspired by aeronautics, with the Zulu Time GMT models arriving as a trio the following year. What made them land so firmly with enthusiasts was not the styling alone but the movement: a genuine flyer-style GMT at a price point where the category had long been dominated by caller-GMT calibres.

Technically, the L844.4 sits in interesting company. It is based on the ETA A31.L01, with the rarely seen beat rate of 25,200 vibrations per hour and a 72-hour power reserve, and in this execution adds a silicon hairspring and chronometer certification. For collectors who track movement development rather than brand names, this is one of the more consequential mainstream Swiss GMT calibres of the last decade.

Within the reference family, the green ceramic bezel is the differentiator. Longines has issued the 42 mm Zulu Time in several insert colours and dial treatments, and the green-and-anthracite pairing is the one most often singled out for its tonal shift under changing light. It is a configuration that reads sober in an office and distinctly more interesting in daylight.

🌟 Historical Provenance

The name is not decoration. Longines introduced its first dual-time zone pocket watch in 1908, and in 1925 unveiled its inaugural dual-time wristwatch — the Zulu Time, powered by calibre 10.68N and carrying a Zulu flag on its dial. The Z signal flag stands for world time, and "Zulu time" remains the military shorthand for Coordinated Universal Time, the reference without seasonal adjustment.

That lineage is printed on the dial itself. Beneath the winged hourglass sit the five stars denoting movement quality, with the words "Zulu Time" honouring the 1925 original and the chronometer designation attesting to the calibre's certification. The broader Spirit collection pays homage to the aviators and armed-forces personnel with whom Longines has a long-standing relationship — a connection the brand earned through its instrument and navigation work rather than retrospective marketing.

🧾 From the Case File

On the wrist, the numbers matter less than the proportions. The 42 mm case is tamed by a restrained 49 mm lug-to-lug length and 13.9 mm thickness, which keeps it within reach of wrists that normally avoid 42 mm sports watches. Our example is currently fitted for an approximately 7¼-inch wrist, so most buyers in that range will be ready to wear immediately; the bracelet can be adjusted by any competent watchmaker.

Functionally, this is the version of a GMT you actually want to travel with. The jumping local hour hand means landing, pulling the crown, and advancing the hour — no stopping the movement, no resetting the minutes. The 24-hour hand holds home time, and the bi-directional rotating 24-hour bezel allows a third time zone to be tracked simultaneously. The 100-metre rating covers swimming, snorkelling and most other aquatic activity, and the double-sided anti-reflective sapphire keeps the sandblasted dial legible rather than mirror-like.

The 72-hour power reserve is the quiet convenience here: set it down Friday evening and it is still running correctly on Monday morning. And the bracelet uses a quick-release interchangeable system, so a leather or textile strap can be swapped in without tools when the occasion calls for a different character.

Offered Watch Only, this example suits the buyer who cares about what is on their wrist rather than what is in the cupboard. No service records or warranty documentation accompany it, and we make no claims regarding timing performance or service history beyond what is stated here.

🗝️ BST Verdict

A true-GMT chronometer with a silicon balance spring, a three-day reserve and a green ceramic bezel, wrapped in a case that carries 42 mm more gracefully than most. The Zulu Time earned its reputation on substance, and this is the configuration that gives that substance some colour.

Very Good Pre-Owned, sized for an approximately 7¼-inch wrist, and sold without box or papers — a straightforward proposition for someone who wants the watch itself.

👉 Every case deserves a closer look.