Even as technology advances smartwatches provide quick ways to track multiple time zones some people claim that wristwatches are becoming obsolete, however, traditional timekeeping accessories remain stubbornly popular.
In large part, that’s because wristwatches are so versatile and adaptable. New features and functionalities ensure that watches still serve a purpose for millions of people.
One type of watch that is favored by pilots, businesspeople, and frequent travelers is the GMT watch. It’s not a new type of watch – GMT watches have been around for generations – but they serve such an essential need that they have never gone out of fashion.
So, what are GMT watches, and are they easy to use?
What Does GMT mean?
First things first: GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time.
For centuries, as the known world expanded, governments and scientific bodies were attempting to unite around a base global time. Up until recent human history, time zones were different around the world, and even within the same country, you couldn’t count on a consistent time from town to town.
With the scientifically prominent Royal Observatory set inside Greenwich, a park in London, England, it became common to use that specific location as the prime meridian for time measurements. In 1884, GMT was officially adopted as the international time standard. At that time, the International Meridian Conference established 24 time zones around GMT.
Like so many historical artifacts of science, GMT is Western-centric, but it nonetheless was adopted globally. In modern times, with the greater accuracy that atomic clocks allow, GMT has been replaced by Universal Time Coordinated (UTC; also known as atomic time). However, the prime meridian that was established through Greenwich for GMT remains the base of UTC, so GMT is still a reliable timescale.
What Are GMT watches?
To understand what a GMT watch is, it’s important to establish what a GMT watch is not. Watches that have a 24-hour face or both 12-hour and 24-hour functionality are not inherently GMT watches. A watch that shows “military time” is not the same as a GMT watch.
What distinguishes a GMT watch is its extra hand. Most analog watches have three hands: hour, minute, and second. The fourth hand on a GMT watch rotates separately from those other hands, rotating once around the face every 24 hours.
In addition to the extra hand, the other important facet of a GMT watch is the rotating bezel. The bezel is the ring that surrounds the crystal of the watch face. All watches have bezels, but not all of them rotate. In the case of a GMT watch, the bezel rotates so that you can set it to different time zones.🏆 #1 Best Overall
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Stuhrling Original Men's Stainless Steel Jubilee Bracelet GMT Watch Quartz, Dual Time, Quickset Date with Screw Down Crown, Water Resistant up to 10 ATM
- A crown jewel of the aquadiver collection, the Meridian GMT Diver features a Swiss Quartz movement for ultra-precision while staying water-resistant up to 330 feet.
- Classic diver case with screw-down crown
- Commanding 42mm case
- Featuring A Swiss Quartz movement for total accuracy
- Water-resistant up to 330 feet, keeping time ticking as you dive deeper
How do you read a GMT watch?
Now that you know about the extra hand and the rotating bezel, we’ll give you a brief primer on how to use a GMT watch. The first thing you need to know is that using GMT (or UTC) requires basic arithmetic (breath easy, we really mean basic).
With Greenwich representing the zero hour, knowing the time in any given time zone requires adding or subtracting the number of hours that time zone is removed from London (assuming it isn’t during Daylight Savings Time; Iceland is always on GMT). If it is noon in England and you want to know the time in New York City, just subtract five – the number of time zones-New York is behind London.
A GMT watch does this basic math for you. Wherever you are, you rotate the bezel so that the fourth hand shows the same time as the hour hand (if it’s 2 p.m., the fourth hand will be pointing to 14). Then, to know the hour in another time zone, you rotate as many clicks as is necessary. For instance, if you are in New York City and want to know the time in Los Angeles, turn the bezel three clicks (the number of time zones separating the cities) and voila!
Sure, it might seem like it would be easy to do the math in your head, but for frequent travelers who are constantly changing time zones, it’s nice to have a reliable tool to keep track. Who wants to do math when they’re jetlagged?
Who needs a GMT watch?
As we just said, people who change time zones often will find GMT watches especially helpful. Pilots and flight attendants are in this category, as are frequent fliers like business and salespeople who are constantly on the road.
Similarly, even for people who don’t travel much, if your job requires interacting with people around the world, a GMT watch can be helpful. The last thing you want to do is accidentally call a client in Hong Kong while they’re asleep because you lost track of the time differences.
With most people owning mobile phones, GMT watches are not strictly necessary. That could be said of wristwatches in general, though, and yet people still love them. The appeal of a GMT watch is both in its functionality and in the style and design.
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- 39mmmm stainless steel case
- 8 inch black two- piece
- black dial
- mineral glass lens
- water resistant up to 100 meters
What is a good GMT watch?
Rolex GMT-Master II
One of the most well-respected is the Rolex GMT-Master (and the newer GMT-Master II ) is still one of the most easily recognizable watches on the planet. In spite of its high price tag, this watch is still in high demand by enthusiasts and globe trotters, the iconic timepiece truly embodies the essence of a modern watch. But, don’t let the Rolex pricing keep you away from this style of watch. A number of brands have models that are similar to the GMT-Master that are great affordable alternatives.
Apart from the iconic look of the Rolex, there are many other options on the market that have the GMT functionality, here are just a few.
Victorinox FieldForce GMT Quartz Blue Dial Watch 241896
For those who like something simple but elegant, the stainless-steel Victorinox FieldForce GMT is a good match. With Swizz-Quartz movement and a rotating bezel, you can reliably know the exact time around the world with a simple twist of your wrist.
The Hamilton Jazzmaster GMT watch is one of the more uniquely designed GMT watches on the market. With the names of major world cities printed on its black-and-white rotating bezel and a brown leather strap, this Swiss-Made watch exudes effortless cool.
Japanese watchmaker Seiko makes numerous GMT watches, like the Seiko Men’s Watch (SUN057) With a nylon and leather strap and stainless steel case, this sporty looking watch also includes a compass and calendar. And being a Kinetic watch you won’t have to worry about it losing battery power as long as you wear it on a regular basis.
There are countless GMT wristwatches available, so no matter your style or your favorite travel destination, there is a timepiece built to be your perfect companion.
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- GMT Hour Hand: This GMT watch is a great solution to the problem of jet lag. Decorate the hand of the second time zone with bright color
- Features: 515-24H quartz movement,316L solid stainless steel band,KI mineral bubble conves glass.It is an ideal present for all men, your father, boyfriend, husband and son for the holidays and festivals etc
- Size: 39 mm case diameter, 48.5 mm lug to lug length, 20 mm lugs width,12.8 mm case thickness(including glass and case bottom), watch net weight is around 130 g. The whole length of the watch is 220 mm
- Waterproof: Water resistant up to 20 ATM / 200 meters / 656 feet
- Packaging standard: Professional waterproof plastic box packaging
Related Video Review: Other Top GMT Watches
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- BLACK DIAL: this handsome men’s watch features a striking black dial with luminous dial indicator hands and markers and date calendar to keep you organized
- BLACK & GRAY BEZEL: with a 24-hour bezel and easy-to-read fourth hand, this GMT watch helps you keep time as you travel
- DURABLE UTILITY: these versatile men’s wrist watches feature a stainless steel watch case and bracelet, for a classic, timeless look
- WATER-RESISTANT: this rugged sports watch is water-resistant up to 100 meters
- 4R34 CALIBER: equipped with the reliable 4R34 caliber, these automatic watches for men ensure the most accurate in self winding timekeeping, with 41 hours of reserve power and manual winding option