Sunday Morning Showdown: Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium Vs. Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for a coffee and another installment of Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, we chose two newer versions of watches that we pitted against each other back in 2022 and 2023. The Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT came out last year and is the smaller and slimmer version of the Black Bay GMT. As such, it is our favorite over its 41mm counterpart. Today, it takes on the 39mm version of the Longines Spirit Zulu Time, the brand’s popular travel watch. Specifically, we picked the titanium model, which is closer in price to the Black Bay 58 GMT and adds the wearing comfort of a lightweight watch. Let’s find out which of these two comes out on top.
The recent introduction of the two-tone Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 sparked the idea for this matchup. With Henry Cavill as the face of this release, it was good to see a new addition to the Zulu Time lineup. But instead of putting that one up against the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT that Mike picked, Jorg picked the 39mm titanium version. At €4,500, it’s close to the Tudor, which costs €4,880. For the money, the lightweight titanium material could be considered a bonus. But let’s find out if that assumption is true by allowing you, the Fratelli, to have the final say in today’s matchup.
Previously, on Sunday Morning Showdown…
Last week, in a battle of purple-dial daily wearers, the Grand Seiko “Kiri” SBGW323 took 59% of the votes for a confident win over the 36mm Rolex Oyster Perpetual, with just 41%. While the general outcome is perhaps not so surprising, the comfortable 19% margin of victory is. The comments gave a more balanced impression, but the numbers don’t lie. They clearly showed a win for the charming manual-winding Kiri. With that settled, it’s over to Mike and Jorg to make their arguments this week.
Jorg: Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium
I expect my contender to be the underdog in this week’s showdown. Having said that, in the two previous times we put the 41mm Spirit Zulu Time up against the Black Bay GMT, the Longines beat the Tudor comfortably. So who knows? Maybe it can win a third time. But this is a different matchup than the previous ones. The Black Bay 58 GMT is the smaller and slimmer version of the Black Bay GMT, and it has a METAS-certified movement to boot.
It’s a tempting offering from Tudor that I like quite a bit. However, it’s not the Tudor travel watch for me. As some of you know, the Black Bay Pro is my favorite Tudor GMT, and I still hope the brand will update that watch with a slimmer case and the upgraded movement. Until then, I’ll carry the battle flag for the 39mm Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium.
Ever since the Longines Spirit Zulu Time came out, I have been a fan of the watch. After my initial excitement for the 42mm debut model, the 39mm version released a year later hit the sweet spot for me. I first preferred the black-dial version with the green ceramic bezel insert and gold-tone details. That watch has a certain charm that I greatly enjoy. Recently, Longines added a similar model to its collection that swaps the green bezel insert for a blue one. The result is another great-looking watch.
The Spirit Zulu Time Titanium is the one for me
The one model we saw widely introduced a couple of weeks ago, with actor Henry Cavill as the new face, is the two-tone Spirit Zulu Time 1925 with a rose-gold-capped bezel insert. At first, I wasn’t the biggest fan, but the aesthetic started growing on me slowly. But could this “Cavillian” version of the Spirit Zulu Time bring me the win? At €1,000 more than the regular steel one, I had my doubts.
Longines Spirit Zulu Time Limited Edition for Hodinkee — Image: Hodinkee
It got me thinking about which one to pick for today’s matchup. That’s when I was reminded of the titanium versions of the Spirit Zulu Time. It all started with the sold-out limited edition that Longines released in collaboration with Hodinkee. With its solid titanium bezel, the aesthetic is more in line with the Black Bay Pro (you will understand why I like it so much), but it also shows the great potential of a titanium Spirit Zulu Time.
The great comfort of a lightweight travel watch
It didn’t take Longines long to follow that up with a regular titanium version of the watch. The way the brand did it was rather clever and made it my favorite of the series. First, the watch features a 39mm Grade 5 titanium case with a 13.5mm thickness, a 47mm lug-to-lug, and a 100m water resistance rating. It is 0.7mm thicker than Mike’s Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, but at 0.8mm shorter from tip to tip, the Spirit Zulu Time Titanium is a very comfortable watch to wear.
I particularly like the titanium’s slightly darker, stylish hue compared to stainless steel. On top of that, the Longines designers created a bezel insert that nicely matches the anthracite dial. At first glance, it just looks like a black ceramic insert. But the little visual trick they applied is a split finish, so the nighttime portion is glossy black, and the daytime portion is matte gray. It looks refined and subtle, and I love that.
Dialing down the vintage cues of the Spirit Zulu Time Titanium
I also appreciate that Longines used fewer gilt details on this version. My favorite stainless steel Zulu Time with the green bezel sports far heavier vintage-inspired looks. You can see that the titanium version’s dial still has them, but making the numerals on the bezel white was a great choice. With the little red accents of the 24-hour GMT hand and the “Zulu Time” text, the design is attractive and balanced rather than over the top.
The caliber inside is still the L844.4 we know from the steel models. This automatic flyer-style GMT movement operates at 25,200vph and offers 72 hours of power reserve. Additionally, it is a certified chronometer, resulting in an accuracy of between +6 and -4 seconds per day. While not on par with the Black Bay 58 GMT’s MT5450-U movement, the L844.4 would surely do the job perfectly for me.
Longines Spirit Zulu Time Titanium — the clear winner in my book
Besides this watch’s handsome looks, the biggest appeal of the Spirit Zulu Time is the use of lightweight titanium. The combination of the refined, almost understated look with the subtle but clever details and great comfort makes this the winner for me in today’s matchup. Additionally, it offers a great alternative to the standard GMT aesthetic, which is also praiseworthy.
Add the €4,500 retail price, which is still lower than the €4,830 price of the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, and I know what my pick will be every time. After the initial buzz surrounding the release of the Longines Spirit Zulu Time, it became somewhat quiet. With the release of the Spirit Zulu Time 1925 and this 39mm titanium version, Longines reminds us of the brilliance of this series. I hope it is also enough for you to give the Spirit Zulu Time its third win over a Tudor Black Bay GMT model. But first, it’s over to Mike.
Mike: Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
The fact that Longines now regularly competes with Tudor is telling. This Swatch Group brand has drastically upped its game over the past several years with compelling new releases. The Spirit Zulu Time is probably the best example of this renaissance, and it deserves all the kudos it receives. Tudor, on the other hand, had a relatively free run of the mid-tier market before Longines decided to get serious. People seem to love Tudor. There’s the undeniable Rolex link, the serious value-for-money proposition, and the good-looking watches. However, one bugaboo has been plaguing some of the pieces — thickness.
When the original Black Bay GMT came out in 2018, the market went nuts! Many won’t recall that the watch was unobtainable for more than a year at ADs. Once the hype subsided, though, comments about its slab-sided, chunky nature began surfacing. The 41mm watch has a 14.6mm profile and vertical flanks. It is still in production in various colorways, and it does satisfy folks with larger wrists. However, in 2024, Tudor finally gave many people what they wanted with the Black Bay 58 GMT — a 39mm stainless steel case with a mere 12.8mm thickness. Rejoice!
Loaded to the gills with specs
Like the Zulu Time, the Black Bay 58 GMT carries a chronometer certification. The Tudor, though, has the highly desirable METAS version. It’s also a flyer-style GMT and uses the automatic Kenissi MT5450-U with an impressive 65 hours of power reserve. It also has a frequency of 28,800vph, a slight upgrade over Longines’s ramped-down caliber. Plus, a 200m depth rating makes it more than ready to dive.
An attractive color choice
The Black Bay is inspired by vintage Rolex GMT-Master models. Its red and black rotating bezel is a dead giveaway. The black dial features luminous indexes with gold-tone surrounds. It’s attractive, and while many would like a more modern Pepsi version with silver details, this loose take on a “Coke” GMT-Master is an eye-catcher.
A great bracelet
While the Zulu Time makes do with a push-button-style clasp on its bracelet, the Tudor has a more serious T-fit clasp with a safety catch (this is also on the optional rubber strap model). Toolless micro-adjustment is also part of the package. I completely understand if the faux rivets are a turn-off, but dismissing the bracelet altogether means missing out on a wonderfully comfortable accompaniment to an already great watch. With Tudor, I think the bracelets are 95% as good as a Rolex equivalent, which means they’re already better than the majority of the competition. Here, Longines has made improvements, but it’s still not up to snuff with the Black Bay 58 GMT.
A word about titanium versus stainless steel
It’s not the worst argument that the Zulu Time represents a nice deal at a slight discount to the Black Bay 58 GMT because of the case material. The former is titanium, and the latter is stainless steel. However, the democratization of titanium means it’s now available at all prices. Plus, and it’s admittedly odd, I don’t think that titanium is always a lasting material. I feel it lacks the warmth of steel, and I find myself switching to something heavier after a short period. Your mileage may vary.
It’s time to vote
As Jorg mentioned, Longines has come out the victor against Tudor in previous battles. However, the slimmer, comfier Black Bay 58 GMT is now in the ring and ready to contend. I think it’s the more classic-looking watch that would sit on my wrist more often. Then again, I own a non-GMT Black Bay 58 and am used to the fit. So, what do you think? Cast your vote, and let us know why you chose the way you did in the comments section.
