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Keep track of time – anytime, anywhere: world time watches and GMT models are ideal companions for watch lovers who travel. They don't just show your own time zone, they display the time in at least two places around the world. But what actually sets the two types apart? We explain how watches with a second time zone differ from world time models and present the most exciting timepieces in every price range.
Two Time Zones on One Dial
Whether it's the Rolex GMT-Master II, the Breitling Navitimer World or the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean: some of the most famous masterpieces of our time fall into the GMT watch category. The abbreviation stands for "Greenwich Mean Time" and traces back to the division of the globe into 24 whole-hour time zones in 1884.
The London suburb of Greenwich was designated the prime meridian, carrying standard time or "time zone 0." This made it possible to express every other time zone relative to standard time. Modern watches with a second time zone date back to the first half of the 20th century, when long-distance flights first made it possible to cross several time zones in quick succession. Pilots needed to read the time at their point of departure and their destination at a glance.
For this reason, the dial of a GMT watch featured not only hour and minute hands for local time but also a second hour hand showing the time at any chosen location on Earth. This principle remains the basis of the complication to this day. To distinguish between times such as 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. (23:00), watches of this type have a bezel marked in 24-hour format.
World Time: The Whole World at a Glance
World time watches don't just display two time zones – they tell the wearer the time in all 24 of the Earth's time zones. This requires both a city disc and a 24-hour display. While the city ring represents each of the 24 time zones with one of its best-known metropolises, the 24-hour display ensures you can correctly tell day from night.
Operation and layout vary widely from one world time watch to the next. On some models the city disc rotates, on others only the 24-hour display moves.
Some models have a separate pusher, while others are set entirely via the crown. And if you're lucky enough to own a particularly luxurious piece, you may even find up to 37 time zones, including the half-hour and quarter-hour offsets used in certain countries (such as India, Nepal or Afghanistan).
Getting Started with World Time
If you want to step into the world of dual time and world time watches at a moderate price, you'll find what you're looking for in the Swiss brand's Tissot T-Classic and T-Sport collections.
Powered by modern quartz movements, these premium watches impress with high-quality craftsmanship and timeless design. Fans of "true" world time watches should take a look at the new Tissot Heritage Navigator, launched to mark the company's 160th anniversary. It offers an entirely new design with a centrally positioned city disc.
Exciting and Distinctive – the Variety of the Mid-Range
Unlike other watch types such as chronographs, which are plentiful in every price range, the number of available GMT and world time watches rises dramatically once you decide to make a bigger investment. The Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer from Oris is one of the most popular GMT models, combining typical Swiss manufacture quality with fair value for money. What makes it special: the second time zone has its own subdial with hour and minute hands.
Much like Oris, the Geneva-based brand Frederique Constant focuses on classic, timeless designs. While the Classics collection includes a range of very elegant GMT models, the Frederique Constant Manufacture Worldtimer is without doubt one of the most beautiful world time watches in its class. Its centrally placed world map and the raised date display at 6 o'clock create a luxurious, distinctive look.
If you prefer something a little more modern, the German manufacture Nomos Glashütte is the place to go. Not only the Tangomat GMT but also the world time watches of the Zürich collection follow a clean, pared-down design.
Their precise automatic movements, visible through a display caseback, their moderate diameters of just under 40 mm and the highest standards of finishing and materials give the world time watches from Nomos Glashütte a special standing in the watch world.
Traveling in Luxury Through Every Time Zone
We're staying in Saxony: with the Senator Cosmopolite, Glashütte Original presented one of the most impressive high-end world time watches in 2015. Although its two time displays give the impression of a simple dual time watch, it supports no fewer than 36 time zones, selected via two displays at the 8 o'clock position. Simply choose a city's IATA code, and the hands move as if by magic to the corresponding time.
If you prefer a conventional GMT model, the Glashütte Original Sport Evolution GMT is the better choice. Back in Switzerland, Breitling offers a whole range of functional models: not only the Avenger and Chronomat collections but also the ultra-modern Aerospace and Exospace models can display two time zones.
If you prefer world time watches, take a look at the established Breitling Navitimer World and the new Navitimer 8 Unitime. For aviation enthusiasts, as well as anyone who values everyday practicality, these models are an excellent choice.
As with all luxury watches, there's no limit to the exclusivity of world time and GMT watches. With the L.U.C Time Traveler One and L.U.C GMT One, introduced in 2016, Chopard demonstrates what the finest watchmaking looks like in travel-ready masterpieces.
Available in stainless steel, gold and platinum, the Chopard models impress with an excellent feel, elegantly textured dials and high-precision, COSC-certified automatic movements. Given the five-figure prices of the entry-level steel models, however, these qualities come as little surprise.
