GMT WATCHES Time for travellers
BEING an hour behind the rest of the Continent is probably rather proudly lodged in the British psyche – as is the fact that it’s actually they who are out from us, or rather from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), from where the world is divided into its 24 time zones. For a Brit, the fact that wristwatches with the function of a second time zone display are generally known as GMT watches is a nice reminder of Blighty’s one time-time primacy.
For a traveller, or anyone having to deal with markets on the other side of the world, these watches are exceptionally useful. At their most simple, a second hour hand – or GMT hand – can be adjusted to point to the hour in a different time zone, with a 24-hour display round the dial to help you determine whether it’s day or night “over there”. Here are four of the best.
Montblanc
Rieussec Chronograph Open Hometime
£21,400 www.montblanc.com
Patek Philippe
Aquanaut TravelTime
Reference 5164
£24,610 www.patek.com
Grand Seiko
Mechanical GMT
£4,000 www.jurawatches.co.uk
Zenith
Captain Dual Time
£3,600 www.zenith-watches.co.uk