Converting Zulu Time to Local Time — A How-To Guide

Once you learn to use a dual-time watch, you can enjoy converting Zulu time wherever you are in the world.

Zulu time sounds complicated, right? You also sound a little like a fighter pilot when you say it. 

In this article, we’ll examine the history of Zulu time and where it originated. We’ll also examine an example of a watch with this complication.

Converting Zulu Time to GMT 

Here’s the thing. You don’t need to convert Zulu time to GMT in a watch because they’re the same thing! They just have different names.

Today, there are many travel watches on offer. Those made by industry experts combine user-friendliness with superior materials and exceptional legibility. They make for great tools to take away on business or vacation.  

When shopping for a watch with a Zulu time function, it is easier to look for a GMT watch. There’s a great selection out there on the market, including many GMT watches for small wrists. Most go by this name or “UTC”.

I’ll touch on these terms in more detail shortly. Watches that show multiple time zones are handy complications to build into your collection.

Use the function to determine when to call friends or family overseas. You can also use it to organize a business meeting in a different state.

Some travel watches offer a third time zone afforded by a rotating bezel. Others are world-time watches. This complication features the 24 world cities, allowing you to see all the different times across the globe.  

A GMT and a Zulu time complication do the same thing: They track home time and an additional time zone simultaneously.  

What Is Zulu Time? 

To answer the question, “What is Zulu time?” we need to understand where the term came from.  

Zulu time comes from GMT or Greenwich Mean Time. Greenwich in London became the official point of 0 degrees longitude (otherwise known as “the prime meridian”) back in 1884. 

GMT is the point at which the various time zones start and finish. From here, 24 time zones divide the earth. Since the United States is -5 GMT, it will always be 5 hours behind London time (0 GMT). 

The advent of rail, automotive, and air travel highlighted the need for one standard time measurement. This marked the point when Zulu clocks became an official piece of kit for pilots in 1960.  

Zulu time uses the same concept as GMT and is a handy feature in a watch. This way of timekeeping and its rules are always the same, no matter where you are in the world. The difference in time refers to where you are in the world in relation to Greenwich Mean Time.   

The beauty of a Zulu time watch is that there is no am or pm to worry about.  

Why Is It Called Zulu Time?

Are you wondering why it is called Zulu time? I was, too! Based on Coordinated Universal Time, military and aviation personnel implemented the name Zulu time in 1967.

Otherwise known as UTC, this is the 0 longitude reference at the Greenwich Meridian. The word Zulu originates from GMT, which stands for Greenwich Mean Time (where the 0 point of reference sits).  

The US military assigns a letter code to different global time zones. The UTC zone carries the letter “Z”, an abbreviation of Zulu. The NATO alphabet uses the word to represent the letter “Z” when communicating.

Traffic controllers and meteorologists also use Zulu time. If you’ve ever seen weather reports with codes ending in the letter Z, that too refers to Zulu Time. It relates to the day and time a unique piece of equipment takes a weather report in a 24-hour format.  

How Is Zulu Time Calculated?

So, we know what it is, but how is Zulu time calculated? You can use a Zulu time chart to work that bit out. The concept is pretty simple once you know the time difference you’re working with.  

Zulu time is always the same. It’s the zero reference point to which all other countries adhere. A country can either be ahead or behind Zulu time. 

To calculate this special universal time, you will need to know two things: your local time and its time zone offset. For example, you know that Dallas, USA, is -6 hours, and the current time there is 2 pm (14:00). If Dallas is -6, Zulu time must be 6 hours ahead. Therefore, Greenwich Mean Time is 8 pm (20:00). 

The Best Example of a Zulu Time Watch  

Most dual-time watches feature “GMT” in their name. These watches feature a 24-hour scale on the periphery of the dial or bezel. Zulu watches are similar. Take the Longines Spirit Zulu Time as an example. Predominantly, it’s a pilot’s watch, but it’s great as a daily bete.

The Zulu name in this watch represents the brand’s first dual-time complication in the Spirit collection. It’s available in a 42mm size and a more compact 39mm, as well as an 18k yellow gold bi-metal option.

The design nods to the brand’s early aviation heritage and its historical Zulu Time watch, developed in 1925. Longines has been a master in crafting pilot’s watches for over a century. However, the first Zulu Time model showed exceptional craftsmanship for its time.  

The design is available in anthracite, black, and blue dial options with a legible GMT bezel insert. This watch works the same as the GMT, with central hands representing the local time of your current destination.

The GMT hand shows time back home, which coordinates with a 24-hour track on the bezel.  

The Longines Spirit Zulu Time features an in-house chronometer-certified movement, which bumps the watch’s warranty up to five years. You can also choose to wear it on a steel bracelet or a classic leather band.  

Zulu Time Chart 

As mentioned, you can use a Zulu time chart to convert Zulu time to home time or vice versa.  

A good example is the Federal Aviation Administration tool. Here’s how you can use it.  

How To Calculate Zulu Time   

To calculate Zulu time: 

1. Check your local time.  
2. Search for the location you’re in using the drop-down tool. 
3. Find your correct location and reference the bit followed by +/- “UTC”. This is your time zone in comparison to Zulu time.  
4. To figure out Zulu Time, add or subtract the required hours according to the information supplied in the last step. 

You can use this as a universal reference point to tell someone your arrival time in Zulu anywhere in the world. 

Finishing Up  

It’s great to have a feature that allows you to enjoy converting Zulu time wherever you are in the world. Although you can set this time as a reference point on your watch, you can do the same for any time zone.  

Zulu Time watches work in the same way as GMT watches. The feature minimizes confusion when making business appointments or travel plans.  

Apply a quick correction to your GMT hand and bezel, and away you go!  

What do you use a dual-time watch for? Let us know here at The Slender Wrist.