Whether you’re a frequent business traveller, a polyamorist with families on two continents, or simply a sports watch fan, a GMT watch should be on your radar. Among a host of somewhat-justifiable-but-mostly-not-that-useful watch complications (we’re looking at you, moonphase), the GMT complication is both applicable to modern day life and more accessible than complications like the world timer or chronograph. The simplest travel watch of them all, the GMT does away with the need to whip out your phone (or perform some—albeit basic—mental arithmetic) to work out the time back home.
Plus, the idiosyncratic characteristics present in GMT watches (think a rotating bezel and extra hand) often result in funky, sporty designs. Here, we unpack everything you need to know about GMT watches, including how they came about, what they actually do, and the best ones to buy.
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What is a GMT watch and how does it work?
A GMT watch allows wearers to tell the time in two (or even three) different locations. In addition to the standard hour, minute, and seconds hands, it features a fourth ‘GMT’ hand (often in a different colour or shape) and a 24-hour scale on the bezel or periphery of the dial. The GMT hand indicates the time in the second time zone on the 24-hour scale, making it the ideal watch complication for frequent fliers. Due to it using a 24-hour scale, the GMT hand runs half as fast as the standard hour hand — this is because the standard hour hand needs to make two revolutions a day while the GMT hand only needs to make one.
Often, GMT watches will have a rotating bezel with a 24-hour scale. Older GMT watches (such as the 1954 Rolex GMT-Master) did not have independently adjustable hour and GMT hands; both were linked, so the bezel had to be rotated for the second time zone to correspond with the GMT hand. As contemporary GMT watches allow for the standard hour and GMT hands to be set independently, the rotating bezel allows the wearer to set the GMT watch to tell the time in a third location.
To set a third time zone, the bezel can be rotated until the GMT hand is pointing at the current time in the third time zone. Thus, the standard hour hand will correspond to the local time, and the GMT hand will point to the second time zone on the 12-hour scale and the third time zone on the 24-hour scale.
Why do some GMT watches have two-tone bezels?
The two-tone bezel pioneered by Rolex was not only an aesthetic flex, but served to act as a day/night indicator. The most popular colourway is undoubtedly the red-and-blue bezel seen on the ‘Pepsi’ Rolex GMT-Master II.
The best GMT watches in 2024
Need to keep track of multiple time zones? These are our favourite purpose-built GMT watches.
1. Glycine Airman
A criminally underrated watch, the Glycine Airman boasts retro charm and offers a unique aesthetic that stands out in the often same-same (read: Rolex-inspired) timepieces within the GMT watch category. Its 24-hour dial display and bezel scale make it easy to tell the time in up to three time zones, while its brushed stainless steel case and bezel offer a refined alternative to the wave of colourful styles.
Price: $2150CHF (approx. $3750AUD)
Model: Airman
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Size: 36mm (also available in 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46mm)
2. Rolex GMT-Master II
The blueprint. Released in 1954, the Rolex GMT-Master was found on the wrists of Pan Am pilots during the Jet Age and set the tone for many travel watches to follow. Its contemporary successor, the Rolex GMT-Master II, allows for the GMT hand to be independently adjusted, making it easier to set the time and allowing for three time zones to be viewed simultaneously. Naturally, the two-tone bezel remains; while the red-and-blue ‘Pepsi’ is one of the most coveted sports watches in the world, we’re partial to the elegant black-and-brown gradient iteration.
Price: from $15,900AUD
Model: GMT-Master II
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 10ATM
Case Size: 40mm
3. Seiko 5 Sports GMT
Rolex dreams on a Seiko budget? The democratisation and sheer ubiquity of GMT complications mean it can indeed be done. And well, at that. In 2022, Seiko released its Seiko 5 Sports GMT, powered by the automatic in-house 4R34. An unbeatable value proposition, it’s the best affordable automatic GMT on the market. Housed in a robust 42.5mm stainless steel case and presented on a jubilee-style bracelet, it features a legible dial layout and 24-hour bezel.
Price: $875AUD
Model: 5 Sports GMT
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 100ATM
Case Size: 42.5mm
4. Timex Q Timex GMT
The Q Timex line has hit its stride of late, with the nostalgic collection serving up style in spades. The Timex Q Timex GMT has all the hallmarks of the original GMT watches of the Jet Age, proudly powered by a reliable, fuss-free quartz movement. Opt for the blacked-out iteration, which brings something unique to the table rather than riffing off Rolly’s tried-and-tested red-and-blue colour scheme.
Price: $375AUD
Model: Q Timex GMT
Movement: Quartz
Water Resistance: 5ATM
Case Size: 38mm
5. Baltic Aquascaphe GMT
A decidedly handsome timepiece, the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT draws upon the design cues of vintage GMT watches while offering its own unique flair. The GMT hand is able to be independently adjusted, so that—coupled with the bidirectional rotating bezel—the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT is able to display three time zones. Its 39mm case diameter and slim 12mm profile wears well on the wrist, with its lightweight nature (and 100 metres of water resistance) making it the ideal do-it-all sports watch.
Price: €920 (approx. $1490AUD)
Model: Aquascaphe GMT
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 10ATM
Case Size: 39mm
Related: Dive In; The 17 Best Dive Watches To Buy In 2024
6. Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante deviates from the sporty design cues (think large bezels, vibrant colours) often employed by GMT watches, instead opting for a dressier take on the style. It also marks the introduction of a new complication; featuring a ‘jumping’ GMT hand that effortlessly flits between two time zones. The stainless steel case houses a blue hand-guilloché dial with the manufacture’s signature barleycorn motif that plays host to two hour hands, one in white gold for the local time and the other in rose gold for home time. Depressing the pusher at 8 o’clock advances the white gold local time hand forward in one-hour increments, while a press of the rose gold button on the crown snaps it backwards (such as in a split-second—or rattrapante—chronograph) to sit atop the home time hand. A useful way to readjust your watch upon arrival home. The innovative complication comes in Parmigiani Fleurier’s typically elegant package; an integrated bracelet style with brushed and polished links that complements the fluted bezel. It’s also available in a rose gold version, should that be more your style.
Price: $27,000CHF (approx. $47,130AUD)
Model: Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 6ATM
Case Size: 40mm
7. Chopard L.U.C GMT One Black
A technical take on a dressy style, the Chopard L.U.C GMT One Black is crafted from ceramised titanium, a material used in aerospace and automotive applications thanks to its extreme hardness and corrosion resistance. It’s the ideal complement to the galvanised grey dial and black-and-white 24-hour scale on the periphery of the dial. Both the hour and GMT hands can be adjusted independently; the former with the crown at 2 o’clock and the latter with the crown at 4 o’clock. A monochromatic stunner.
Price: $12,600USD (approx. $18500AUD)
Model: L.U.C GMT One Black
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 5ATM
Case Size: 42mm
8. Bremont Supermarine Descent II
Sitting within the British manufacture’s dive watch category, the GMT complication is a mere accoutrement to the function laden Bremont Supermarine Descent II. The highly robust timepiece is crafted from bronze and titanium and is equipped with 500 metres of water resistance, with the dual-time functionality indicated by a light blue GMT hand. As is standard for dive watches, it has a unidirectional bezel and is operated by the automatic in-house BE-93-2AV movement. Impressively for a timepiece with such a high water resistance, the Bremont Supermarine Descent II features an exhibition caseback to watch the movement at work.
Price: $8700AUD
Model: Supermarine Descent II
Movement: Automatic
Water Resistance: 50ATM
Case Size: 43mm
9. Blancpain Villeret GMT Date
One of the most refined takes on the GMT complication, the Blancpain Villeret GMT Date fuses sophistication with practicality. Here, the 24-hour scale is printed in Arabic numerals on the inside of the standard rose gold appliqué Roman numeral hour markers. Elegant leaf-shaped hands indicate the local time while a slender red-tipped GMT hand points to the second time zone. For the less rugged traveller.
Price: from $18,900AUD
Model: Villeret GMT Date
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Size: 40.5mm
10. Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT
The green watch dial trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Here, it takes on a rugged yet minimalist approach in the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT, which sees a gradient hunter green dial play host to luminescent indices and an eye-catching orange GMT hand that pops against the dial. Looking to early GMT watches designed for cave explorers, the C63 Sealander GMT features a fixed stainless steel bezel house the 24-hour scale. Designed to traverse land, sea, and sky, it’s water resistant to 150 metres.
Price: $1710AUD
Model: C63 Sealander GMT
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 15ATM
Case Size: 39mm
11. H. Moser & Cie. Heritage Dual Time
While H. Moser & Cie. is often cited for its more iconoclastic pieces, the Schaffhausen-based manufactures knows how to do a good classic piece too. Looking to early pilot’s watches, the H. Moser & Cie. Heritage Dual Time features Art Deco-style Arabic numerals, a railroad minute track, slimline lugs, and an oversized onion crown. The sword-shaped hour and minute hands are joined by a skeletonised GMT hand, which indicates the second time zone. Moser displays its flair for fumé, with a stunning burgundy dial.
Price: $19,900CHF (approx. $34,700AUD)
Model: Heritage Dual Time
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 3ATM
Case Size: 42mm
12. Farer Lander IV
British microbrand Farer is in no shortage of solid GMT watches, however the Lander IV is our pick of the lot for its coalescence of sporty yet elegant aesthetics. The 24-hour scale encircles the periphery of the dial rather than sitting on the bezel, resulting in a timepiece that’s equally at home at cocktail hour as it is in the cockpit. That’s not to say it’s not functional — atop the sea green sunbrushed dial sit legible luminescent-coated Arabic hour numerals as well as a British pillarbox red GMT hand which complements the brand’s signature extended sweeping seconds hand in orange.
Price: £1255 (approx. $2030AUD)
Model: Lander IV
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 10ATM
Case Size: 39.5mm
Related: The Best British Watch Brands Are Doing Things Differently
13. Longines Spirit Zulu Time
Leaning into its prestigious heritage in the sky, the Longines Spirit Zulu Time looks to the brand’s archival dual time watches. It takes on an aesthetic akin to a field watch, with a black dial emblazoned with creamy luminescent-coated Arabic numerals housed within a stainless steel case (in either 39mm or 42mm). It’s powered by a proprietary automatic movement that allows for independent adjustment of both the standard hour hand and GMT hand, meaning that along with the bidirectional bezel it can display up to three time zones.
Price: from $5025AUD
Model: Spirit Zulu Time
Movement: automatic
Water Resistance: 10ATM
Case Size: 39mm or 42mm
What does GMT mean?
GMT refers to Greenwich Mean Time, which is the yearly average (or ‘mean’) of the time each day when the sun crosses the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Our 24 time zones are based on GMT time. For example, Sydney, Australia is either GMT+10 or GMT+11 depending on whether or not it is daylight savings time, while New York City is GMT-4 or GMT-5 depending on the time of year.
The necessity for Greenwich Mean Time arose in the 1840s with the introduction of the British railway system. When train journeys began to link the entirety of the country, timetables needed to be composed using a single standard time zone rather than a host of local time zones. Greenwich Mean Time (then known as ‘railway time’) began to be adopted across the country. However the standardised time wasn’t widely embraced and it wasn’t until 1855 that most public clocks in Britain used Greenwich Mean Time. In 1880, the Statutes (Definition of Time) Act made Greenwich Mean Time legal throughout Great Britain.
History of the GMT watch
The GMT watch is a product of The Jet Age, signalled by a De Havilland Comet jet owned by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) that flew nonstop from London to Johannesburg on the 2nd of May, 1952. It was the first commercial jet service and heralded the dawn of a new era; one in which people were able to cross oceans and continents in mere hours.
Pilots flying these routes needed a method to keep track of both local time and the time in the location from which they departed. The Glycine Airman (not the one you were expecting, right?!) was the first GMT watch. Debuting in 1953, it featured a 24-hour dial display teamed with a 24-hour bidirectional rotating bezel with a 24-hour scale. This allowed pilots to easily view the time in two time zones (and potentially even three) at once. Despite its early entry into the market, the Glycine Airman isn’t the GMT watch that came to define the category.
The following year, Rolex was approached by Pan American Airways who requested the Swiss manufacture design a watch for its long haul pilots. In 1954, the Rolex GMT-Master made its debut. It featured a dial with a 12-hour display and a two-tone bidirectional rotating bezel with a 24-hour display. This design became the blueprint for many of the multi-time zone watches as we know them today.
You may be wondering why it’s called the GMT Master if it can technically track any two (to three) time zones. As is standard protocol, pilots operate on GMT (or UTC) time to eliminate confusion in the air. Hence, the Pan Am pilots using those early Rolex GMT-Masters would always have the GMT hand set to GMT time, regardless of their actual home time zone.
FAQ
A dual time watch displays two time zones on one watch. This is often in the form of a second subdial with a 12-hour display and an AM-PM indicator to discern whether it’s day or night in the second time zone.
Meanwhile, a GMT watch sees both time zones displayed on the one dial. The hour hand corresponds to the standard 12-hour dial display while the longer (often in a unique colour and design) GMT hand indicates the second time zone on the 24-hour bezel or the periphery of the dial. The minute and seconds hands correspond to both time zones.
Enjoyed this article? Why not check out our Ultimate Guide To Watches here; covering everything from the anatomy of a watch to watch styles and complications.
Words by Theo Rosen
