Newsflash: GMT watches were not created solely in honour of the Greenwich Observatory. Shocking, I know. A lot of watches have fancy, mythical names that get bandied around a lot despite not appearing to make much sense. Case in point who has ever seen a Nautilus in the pressurised hull of a submarine?
Named after one iconic Rolex, GMTs do have two very useful functions – the GMT hand can either indicate the time in another city or country so you can effectively be on two time zones on one watch, or you can endure its on local time so you know if it's AM or PM where you are.
Granted Rolex has a sixty-year-old head start on most when it comes to GMT watches, but smaller brands have caught up to the travel icon, and are now offering big value. Here are our faves, kicking off with the OG.
Rolex GMT-Master
Rolex GMT-Master – the watch that named the genre – was the first watch to have a separately adjustable hand to accompany you on your travels. Set within a tough case echoing the deep-diving Submariner, it evokes world travel. Its aura is so strong that the entire sub-category of easy-setting travel watches is known by its nome de plume. While hundreds of watches are inspired by the duo-coloured bezel and arrow pointer, the Batman ref 116710BLNR (Ben Affleck has one) is still the daddy. Originally commissioned for God-tier logoed airline Pan-Am and its pilots, it's done pretty well considering its nothing more than a trusty tool watch – one popular with the likes of Jack Harlow, Raheem Stirling and Tom Cruise, mind. £9,150. At rolex.com
Grand Seiko SBGJ273
Dial art with a distinctly Japanese twist makes this Grand Seiko stand out a mile – potentially a mile and half actually. The scalpel-sharp sword dauphine hands reflect the tiniest twinkle of the evening sun, while the deep red lacquer dial aint messing around – if red isn’t for you, neither is this. A 39.5mm case in hand-polished steel only highlights this rather glamorous take on a GMT from Japan’s best craftsmen. £6,600. At grand-seiko.com
Farer Maze GMT
Few do fresh AF British watchmaking like Farer. Case in point, we are head over heals with the crisp graphic dial of the Maze II. As if sketched on an engineer’s jotting pad to prove a point (its legibility is legit), the clean and function-packed dial says a lot about Farer’s singular focus on enjoying a wealth of colours and curated style. With its massive orange pointer and unmistakable day-night 24-hour bezel, your LA jetlag will be easily tracked – at 2am when you’re lying wide awake. £1,275. At farer.com
Christopher Ward Sealander GMT
With a British twist to travel-time wrist pop, the Sealander GMT from Christopher Ward is a feast of colour – how many Dragonfly blue dials and satsuma-pink GMT hands do you see out there? The 24-hour steel bezel allows the watch’s sharp details on the fresh sunburst dial to pop – not least the date-window at 6 o’clock, which is nigh-on perfectly coloured matched. A debatable comparison but there's a bit of Rolex Milgauss in this one for us. £1,060. At christopherward.com
Tudor Black Bay GMT
Once again, we have zero qualms touting Tudor as the Coronet family winner when conversation turns to this silky opaline dial Black Bay GMT. Its Pepsi bezel is giving off big-dog vibes, and mechanically it’ll out-travel the best of other GMTs, not least because it’s available to buy and slightly less obvious than Post Malone’s glittering sapphire-set Rolex travel jewel. The fact that there’s the option of rocking one with a soft fabric NATO with a natty red stripe gives it yet more X-factor appeal. £3,500. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Longines Master Collection GMT
Longines gifted us the aviation-inspired Spirit series and deep-diving Hydroconquest but what about when we’ve off on our travels? The assurance of a second time zone at a glance on a Rollie is one of life’s subtle luxuries, but Longines has a different take on the sports watch feature. This dressy, limited yellow gold Master Collection GMT will up your flying game, whether you’re wearing a blazer or velvet tracksuit. $14,200. At longines.com
Seiko Prospex SPB385 Glacier Blue Limited Edition
Seiko’s diver watch brawn plus its Japanese sorcery equals a 42mm watch that feel as comfortable as a 39mm piece of slim retro skin diver. Offering a Swiss-beating 72 hours of power reserve, the case is as broad-shouldered and muscular as we like our Seiko tool watches, but the arctic ice of the deeply striated dial is mesmerising. £1,600. At seikoboutique.co.uk
Tudor Black Bay Pro
Once again, the Tudor cousin is Rolex-baiting, with huge success in the form of the Black Bay Pro from last year. The softly brushed pure steel emanates a tough-guy vibe, nothing pops like yellow against matte black, and the 39mm case is more comfortable than its Batman cousin while not attracting unwanted attention to that glitzy bezel. We're calling the ‘60s rivet-look steel bracelet retro-tastic, and we’re fine with that. £3,460. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Bell & Ross BR05 GMT
The cheeky French design team behind Bell & Ross knows how to titillate our senses with the right clues. On a smoothly integrated bracelet, the squircle shape of the slim 41mm BR05 GMT looks razor sharp with an opaline white dial. Just like the Rolex Explorer II, a red arrow-tipped hand makes your home time nice and legible (and avoids any 5am wake-up phone calls to your mate whenever that might happen). £5,000. At bellross.com & jurawatches.co.uk
Louis Vuitton Tambour Dual Time
Few brands straddle the categories of fashion and wristwear like Louis Vuitton. The pebble-round Tambour line wears as sublimely as you’d expect with a slim 39.5mm case. In contrast to a casual fit like Bradley Cooper's, this one wears larger than life thanks to an icy silver dial and intrinsic details. The LV flower motif marks the second time zone to ensure all-out travel inspo. Vintage LV leather trunk, optional. £3,235. At louisvuitton.com
Baltic Aquascaphe GMT
Still known as the number one French microbrand, Etienne & co has built a success on the perfectly-timed launch of vintage-cool watches like the goldilocks-sized Aquascaphe. You can emulate the OG batman, or go for our choice of mandarin fresh orange and blue with period-perfect charm and a large dollop of je ne sais quoi. The tough nugget combo of a 39mm case with a hardy 100m depth rating makes it a great value proposition. €920. At baltic-watches.com
Raymond Weil Tango
With a fresh Pepsi look to its 24-hour bezel, Swiss brand Raymond Weil has the right jet-setting clues in its name. So book those tickets and set your hands back three hours, we’re going to party in Argentina. Dancing aside, it’s a solid, 300m depth rated GMT diver at 42mm, and will frankly work with everything on that smooth steel three-link bracelet. £1,195. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Unimatic Modello Quattro Henry Singer Edition
Once again limited, damn you Unimatic, its first GMT version of the U4 is an achingly cool with that monochrome calm, Italian sartorial timepiece. Modern AF, while still exhibiting the retro touches of split-design sword hands and diver markings, this rubber-strapped silky nugget of titanium is simply inspiring. And nothing but Unimatic in its language. $1,995. At unimaticwatches.com
Farer Lander IV
Powered by a custom version of the Sellita SW330-2 movement, Farer puts its usual British twist on the art of travel. A short-lugged 39.5mm brushed case spells comfort, and not much will beat the sea green multi-stepped dial for fresh pops of colour. The seconds hand is a vivid orange with a quirky Farer logo, while the classic lume-filled arrow 24-hour pointer is a fiery red. It shouldn’t work, but of course it does, and with its brass-logoed onion crown is a great travel buddy. £1,225. At farer.com
Christopher Ward C60 Anthropocene
The C60 Anthropocene might have had us googling its name, but with a small contribution going to preserve Wildlife, this is a modern GMT with a fresh twist. A clean-cut 42mm case holds a ceramic bezel with a small touch of orange that sets the tone of this modern piece. We feel reinvigorated by the sharp contrast of black, polar white sapphire dial and satsuma, and it’s liberatingly homage-less. A dead serious 600m depth rating makes it a massive bang for your buck. £1,100. At christopherward.com
Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time
There are plenty of big-value choices out there too – the Batman hasn’t got the market entirely cornered when it comes to grail-status travel GMT watches. Patek Philippe has a lesser-known fave of ours with a great 37.5mm case size. It boasts one of the easiest ways to set and read the time difference between your spectacular destination and Blighty. With superimposed lumed numerals and function-first giant time-zone pushers, this Patek has a retro-tool watch flex, and we love it. POA. At patek.com
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time
Once the integrated-bracelet stepchild, people get the charm of the Overseas range in 2023, so even here you might have to wait for that dealer phone call after a year or so. But with the eloquent slim style of the deep blue Vacheron Constantin, it’s so worth it. Undisturbed by a busy bezel, the sunburst blue dial has a simple AM/PM indicator so you’ll remember not to wake up your entire household with that guilty-travel-conscience call to your partner. £26,200. At vacheron-constantin.com
