Multi-time-zone watches for the long-haul era. From the 1955 Pan Am commission that produced the Rolex GMT-Master to modern world-time complications with all 24 reference cities on the dial.
Photo: Two Broke Watch Snobs · Jul 28, 2026
A GMT watch shows two time zones simultaneously: home time on the standard 12-hour dial, plus a second 24-hour hand reading off a 24-hour graduated bezel. The genre opens with the Rolex GMT-Master (1955, ref. 6542), commissioned by Pan American Airways for trans-oceanic pilots. The world-time complication, distinct from GMT, shows all 24 zones at once via a rotating 24-hour disc with reference cities; it was patented by Louis Cottier in 1937 and licensed to Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
The GMT-Master is one of the few sports-watch icons commissioned by an airline rather than a government. Pan American Airways approached Rolex in 1953 for a watch that could display Greenwich Mean Time alongside local time, supporting the new trans-Atlantic Boeing 707 routes. The 1955 ref. 6542 launch carried the now-canonical red-and-blue "Pepsi" bezel; the 1959 ref. 1675 became the volume reference and remained in production with cosmetic updates until 1980.
The modern GMT category divides into caller GMTs (the 24-hour hand jumps in 1-hour increments via the crown, leaving local time alone) and traveler GMTs (the local hour hand jumps independently of the 24-hour reference, the format Rolex uses on modern Cal. 3285 references). The Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT, Tudor Black Bay GMT, and Omega Aqua Terra GMT are the volume modern alternatives.
Louis Cottier's 1937 world-time patent uses a fixed 12-hour dial, an inner 24-hour ring, and a city ring graduated for all 24 reference time zones. The mechanism is more elegant than GMT but has half the readability. Patek Philippe ref. 1415 (1939) and Vacheron Constantin Cottier-licensed pieces are the canonical heritage references; modern Patek 5230 and the Vacheron Overseas World Time are the volume modern equivalents.
Monochrome
With such a name, it was just a matter of time before seeing travellers’ watches coming back to the Escale collection of Louis Vuitton – remember that escale is French for stopover. The inaugural version of this watch, first released in 2014 as a worldtimer featuring a highly distinctive dial with micro-painted flags, caused quite […]
WatchRider
Orient has given its long-running Mako sports watch a GMT function for the first time. Five references have appeared for the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, comprising four regular models and one 4,000-piece limited edition. The watches were listed as in stock by an authorised UK retailer on 20 August 2026. Orient’s own global catalogue and press archive had not yet added them at the time of writing, so broader regional availability remains unconfirmed. A Larger Mako With Familiar Equipment The Mako GMT uses a 42.8 mm case made from brushed and polished 316L stainless steel. It measures 49.5 mm from lug to lug and 13.4 mm thick, making this a substantial watch rather than a compact travel companion. Each version has a sapphire crystal, a solid caseback and 20 bar, or 200 metres, of water resistance. The three-link steel bracelet has solid end pieces and a deployant clasp. Around the dial is a 120-notch unidirectional bezel carrying a 24-hour scale instead of the usual elapsed-time markings. The New F6P22 Automatic GMT Calibre Inside is Orient’s F6P22 automatic GMT movement. The current listings state a power reserve of approximately 40 hours, hacking seconds and an accuracy range of +25 to -15 seconds per day. The movement drives the normal hour, minute and seconds hands, the date at 3 o’clock and a fourth central hand that completes one turn every 24 hours. There is an important limitation. The GMT hand cannot be adjusted independently on this first version. To show ...
Hodinkee
I've always had a certain fascination with world timers—for one, it's a practical complication, but mostly because I love watching brands solve the problem of presenting a lot of information—text, numbers, data—and condensing it into a dial that actually works. When it works, it really works. So when I heard Frederique Constant was updating their Classic Worldtimer at Watches and Wonders this year, I was intrigued. The broader market is fascinated with world timers too. If the upper end is any indicator that world timers are trending, look at what the ref. 2523 "South America Map" Patek sold for a few months ago. Couple that with brands exploring different ways into the complication—our own Ben Clymer spent time in Geneva last fall and came back with lavish praise for a world timer from Andersen Genève, calling it the favorite thing he saw on the entire trip. But the big hiccup for me with world timers has always been simple: they're often quite expensive. World time, generally, was historically reserved for a brand's most exclusive references, in precious metals, running mid-five-figure to low-six-figure—only in recent years have brands like Nomos, Omega, Breitling, and IWC started offering steel versions, which dragged the entry point down to the mid-four-figure range. Frederique Constant has been chipping away at that problem for well over a decade now, and with the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture release at Watches and Wonders this year, I think they've crack...
Fratello
Ask me about my current favorite Citizen models, and I’ll quickly point to the brand’s Series 8 watches. It’s Citizens’ collection of modern mechanical watches that falls somewhere between the high-end “The Citizen” line and the brand’s affordable offerings. The Series 8 collection was unveiled in 2021, and two years later, the brand added the […] Visit The Citizen Series 8 880 GMT Turns You Into a Local, Twice Over to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Baltic’s Heures du Monde “Horizon Line” Time+Tide Studio Edition pairs a forged carbon dial with a worldtimer complication.
Monochrome
Unlike the noise generated by the release of the Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimers in 2025, Nomos Glashütte’s novelties at Watches & Wonders this year focused more on refined versions of its core collection. Among these refinements was the Tangente Neomatik 38 Update, featuring the brand’s patented peripheral ring date complication, which returned in a more […]
SJX Watches
Sometime around 1949, in a workshop above a stationer’s shop in Carouge, Louis Cottier built a worldtime watch out of a piece of cardboard. Movado had asked him to fit their famous Ermeto — a small purse-watch that was wound by opening and closing its case — with a device to read the hour in any country. What Cottier delivered was a piece of card: two columns listing the 12 antipodal city pairs, with a sliding paper scale of hours. Open the case, slide the scale, read New York against Rome. It was ingenious to a fault. Movado’s verdict was blunt, and fair: it ignored the running of the watch entirely and “…could just as well be made on an address-book or a diary,” they wrote on February 4, 1950. The brand concluded that “Nobody would want to carry such a piece.” The 1949 World Time cardboard maquette proposed to Movado. Image – SJX composite/Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève The cardboard maquette survives, in an archive of some 260 items — letters, patents, notebooks, photographs, a school exercise book, a golf-scoring mechanism — that comprise the most complete record we have of the man the watch world calls the father of the worldtimer. But the story revealed by this evidence is more nuanced than Cottier’s reputation suggests. The legend, briefly The received Louis Cottier is easy to summarise, because everyone summarises him the same way. He was born in Carouge in 1894, and trained in Geneva. After losing his job in the aftermath of th...
Time+Tide
The GMT Transit brings Lima's design language to the popular multi-timezone category and has clearly been a success for the brand.
Fratello
There’s a particular kind of tunnel vision that sets in around steel sports Rolexes. You picture a Submariner, and the mental image arrives fully assembled: black bezel, black dial, and, welded to it, as if it were cast in one piece, an Oyster bracelet. It’s the same with a GMT-Master, Datejust, Sea-Dweller… In fact, it’s […] Visit Dressing Down Your Rolex: Why Taking It Off The Bracelet Can Be A Good Idea to read the full article.
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Hodinkee
Another Hodinkee Happy Hour, another evening well spent. Last week, we returned to the Watches of Switzerland boutique in SoHo for our monthly community meetup. Some attendees were meeting for the first time, while others picked up right where they left off. Before long, the room was buzzing with conversation over local beers from our friends at Grotta and slices from Nolita's Upside Pizza. As the night unfolded, attendees passed their personal watches around the room while sharing fond stories about them. From vintage gems to new releases like the DOXA SUB Army 200T for Hodinkee Limited Edition, there were more than enough interesting watches to get your hands on and talk about. Scroll through the photos below for a recap of the night and watches that made the rounds. If you joined us, thank you for coming. If not, we're hosting the next one at the end of August. Be the first to know when RSVPs open by following the Hodinkee Instagram! DOXA SUB Army 200T for Hodinkee Limited Edition. Right, Deputy Editor Tim Jeffreys wearing the DOXA SUB Army 200T. A first-generation A. Lange & Söhne Datograph, on Wellendorf bracelet, and an A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph. A Grand Seiko Elegance Collection "Skyflake" and a Christopher Ward C60 Trident GMT 300. The CWC x The Grey Nato Limited Edition. A vintage Rolex GMT Master "Pepsi." Movado Calendograf with a 14k yellow gold case. Head of Video David Aujero test driving the platinum A. Lange & Söhne Datograph. A Rolex GMT-...
WatchRider
Seiko’s 145th-anniversary Edo Purple collection is not one watch in a new colour. It is five very different watches using the same dark violet palette and gold-coloured details: the Astron HAB011, Alpinist HBC006, Speedtimer HBJ005, Presage HCB006 and Seiko 5 Sports HDB003. All are limited editions scheduled for October 2026. Edo purple, five ways Edo purple is a traditional Japanese colour associated with historic Tokyo, once called Edo. Here, Seiko uses it with more restraint than the name “purple anniversary” might suggest. Dials shift between violet and near-black, while the gold-coloured accents give every model some warmth without making them look like birthday decorations. Astron HAB011: the technical flagship The HAB011J1 is the high-tech member of the Edo Purple collection. Image: Seiko. The HAB011 is the outlier because its 5X83 GPS Solar calibre receives time and time-zone information from satellites. It combines dual time, a 1/20-second chronograph, a perpetual calendar and 38-city world time in a 43.3mm titanium case. The ceramic-and-titanium bezel and dual-curved sapphire crystal help it look properly finished rather than merely busy. It is limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide. Seiko has confirmed Japanese pricing, but no U.S. price yet. The graduated purple dial and ceramic centre bracelet links set the Astron apart. Image: Seiko. Alpinist HBC006: compact and capable The HBC006J brings Edo Purple to the Alpinist’s compact case and leather strap. Image: ...
Fratello
Norqain delivers its latest feel-good hit of the summer with the new Freedom GMT Enjoy Life “Holiday” Limited Edition. Part of the brand’s Enjoy Life series, this travel-themed release embraces the relaxed mindset that accompanies the Northern Hemisphere’s warmest months. A colorful world map spans the dial, rendered in the familiar pastel shades seen on […] Visit Introducing: The Norqain Freedom GMT Enjoy Life “Holiday” Limited Edition to read the full article.
SJX Watches
To mark the completion of the Habring² x SJX Chrono-Felix “Medicus”, we have reserved one of the watches from the final batch for a member of the SJX newsletter community. The 50-piece limited edition is now sold out, but we set aside one example with a silver dial for this giveaway. This is intended both as a thank-you to our existing readers (who will get bonus entries) and an invitation for new readers to join the newsletter. How to enter All eligible, confirmed SJX newsletter subscribers at 11:59 PM GMT on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, will be entered into the draw automatically. Readers who were confirmed newsletter subscribers before the publication of the giveaway announcement will each receive three entries in recognition of their existing support — no action is necessary to participate. Readers who subscribe after the announcement and before the giveaway closes on August 12th will receive one entry each. Selecting and contacting the winner The winner will be selected at random from the eligible weighted entry pool and contacted by Wednesday, August 19, 2026. The winner will be contacted at the email address used for their newsletter subscription and must respond within 7 days. If the winner does not respond, declines the prize, or cannot provide the information reasonably required for delivery, tax, or customs purposes, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner selected. The prize The prize is one silver-dial Habring² x SJX Chrono-Felix “Medicus,...
Monochrome
Following the black, white and sky blue editions, Bell & Ross expands its urban-inspired BR-05 collection with the new BR-05 GMT Green Steel. The latest model introduces a new sage green colourway while retaining the same architecture, dimensions and movement as the existing GMT, with a focus on a fresh aesthetic. Like every BR-05, the […]
WatchRider
Timex has given the Deepwater Meridian 200 a new job. The 42mm diver-style watch is now an automatic GMT, with a fourth hand and a bidirectional 24-hour ceramic bezel instead of a conventional elapsed-time scale. The colour references are black TW2Y63900, blue TW2Y64000 and green TW2Y64100. Black is the most restrained choice, blue has a cooler nautical character, and green brings the most personality without turning the watch into a novelty. Each version pairs its dial with a coordinating bezel, so the colour feels deliberate rather than decorative. Announced on 31 July 2026, this is genuinely new rather than a model that has quietly lived on retailers’ shelves for months. The personality is familiar, but the specification changes are enough to make this more than a new colourway. Black TW2Y63900. Image: Timex. Blue TW2Y64000. Image: Timex. Green TW2Y64100. Image: Timex. A diver for someone who avoids deep water I am afraid of deep water but rather fond of diver-style watches, which is a little like loving hiking while avoiding cliffs. I like their neat engineering, their tough appearance, and the fact that I can admire a 200-metre rating without personally testing it anywhere below the shallow end. Timex specifies 200 metres of water resistance, a screw-down crown, screw-on case back and a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. The black dial has luminous hands and markers, a magnified date, and a red GMT hand. The steel case is 42mm across, 14.5mm thick and 48...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The new Deepwater Meridian 200 Automatic GMT brings sapphire, a ceramic bezel, and 200m of water resistance to a $549 Timex. A closer look.
WatchRider
Bell & Ross has introduced the BR-05 GMT Green Steel, bringing a layered sage-green dial to its square travel watch. Announced on 29 July 2026, the new model keeps the familiar 41mm steel case, automatic GMT movement and choice of integrated bracelet or rubber strap. The colour and dial finishing are the real news. This is not a limited edition. It joins the regular BR-05 GMT range and is identified by the reference BR05G-GN-ST, with the usual SST and SRB endings used for the steel-bracelet and rubber-strap versions. All images are courtesy of Bell & Ross. A new green for the BR-05 GMT Bell & Ross introduced the BR-05 collection in 2019 as the Urban branch of its range. It kept the brand’s well-known “circle within a square” design but softened the case and connected it directly to an integrated bracelet. The GMT model followed in 2021, adding a second time zone without changing the basic shape. The BR-05 GMT Green Steel on its matching green rubber strap. Image: Bell & Ross. The 2026 Green Steel is the first BR-05 GMT to use this sage colour. It is not a simple layer of green paint. Bell & Ross starts with a metal dial plate, gives it a sunray-brushed finish, applies a tinted green varnish and then adds a clear glossy varnish. The final layer protects the surface and adds depth. The result changes noticeably with the light. Some angles produce a brighter green, while others reveal softer grey and silver tones. It is more restrained than a bright emerald dial and wor...
Deployant
Bell & Ross extends the BR-05 collection with a new model in a sage green dial. Available in their now iconic steel bracelet or a rubber strap.
Deployant
Perrelet releases an 50 piece limited edition to their Weekend GMT collection with the new Weekend GMT Atlas with a hand painted dial.
Hodinkee
Chopard came out of Watches and Wonders this year swinging by simply introducing a new colored dial in the L.U.C. 1860, and perhaps it was a great indicator that sometimes, a show-stealer need not be a new mechanical innovation, but rather a refinement of an already great watch. But I would be remiss not to also talk about another release I loved seeing from the brand this year—also really just a new colorway in a limited run of 250 pieces—that I think has not gotten nearly enough love. The Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One ref. 168574-3013, in ceramicized titanium with a khaki green dial, marks a decade since the Time Traveler One's original introduction back in 2016. While the overall design of the worldtimer hasn't really changed, the brand hasn't held back in its use of different colors and metal variations for the model, leading to a varied back catalog for this single watch. This new version, with its combination of matte grey, green, and yellow, stands out quite a bit in Chopard's L.U.C lineup. It's the only L.U.C currently in production with a travel complication, and its understated, slightly rugged look literally contrasts with the generally polished, dressy executions of the other L.U.C models. That industrial vibe is thanks to the all-matte, sandblasted dark grey look of the ceramicized grade 5 titanium used for the 42mm by 12.09mm case, including both crowns—the one at 2 o'clock sets the local time and the date, while the crown at 4 o'clock adjusts the cit...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
See how the automatic Steinhart Ocean 39 GMT compares with the quartz Vaer G2 Meridian and which affordable Pepsi GMT we would choose.
SJX Watches
Having made its name with auto-racing central chronographs, Singer Reimagined recently debuted its first-ever GMT, the DualTrack. Retaining the aesthetic established by Singer’s chronographs, the DualTrack is a straightforward “caller” dual-time watch with a local time display and independent 24-hour ring. On the back, however, the DualTrack reveals its party trick: a manual wind movement with four visible barrels that combine for six days of power reserve. Developed by an unnamed specialist (that is probably Chronode), the ST5001 has four mainsprings spread out across the movement with the balance hoisted above them, making for an unusual construction and layout. Initial thoughts I like Singer’s original proposition of racing-inspired central chronographs, which are true to the brand’s origins as an offshoot of the cult Porsche 911 mod specialist, Singer Vehicle Design. The Track 1 chronograph was a good debut concept backed by an innovative movement. The DualTrack is similar, but simpler, more affordable, and also more practical. The DualTrack still has the retro-inspired, cushion-shaped case that’s approximately the same as that on the chronograph, making it a little chunky, but the size feels appropriate for a sports watch. It also feels good on the wrist; in contrast, the smaller Caballero with the same base movement feels too small. But instead of a central chronograph, the DualTrack has a pair of useful features: a second time zone and a long power reser...
Monochrome
Parmigiani Fleurier marks its thirty years of independent watchmaking with a platinum trilogy of mechanically sophisticated models that offer on-demand complications. Reflecting the collection’s spirit of understated elegance, the complications appear almost magically when required and then disappear to restore the dial’s visual purity. Crafted from head to toe in luxurious 950 platinum, the trilogy […]
Fratello
It’s summer, and many of us are getting away for a well-deserved break from work. If you are looking for a special timepiece to accompany you during your travels, IFL Watches and Perrelet present the Weekend GMT Atlas. This special collaborative effort transforms Perrelet’s Weekend GMT into a colorful travel watch that will be produced […] Visit Traveling All Corners Of The Globe With The IFL Watches × Perrelet Weekend GMT Atlas to read the full article.
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