Be it a GMT watch or world timer, travel watches are gaining popularity once again with the resumption of leisure travel.
While dual-time watches were rendered a tad immaterial given the circumstances we lived in the past couple of years, their functionality is reverted to the forefront as travel is back on people’s agenda once again. Put simply, a dual-time complication displays two time zones (home and local) simultaneously that can be set independently. Of course, horology never settles for simplicity and so there are competing visions. Berner’s Illustrated Dictionary of Horology shows this perfectly, with two definitions for the dual-time complication:
1. A device permitting display of the time of day in time zones of several selected locations.
2. A device makes it possible to move the hour hand in jumps of one whole hour without interfering with the display of minutes and seconds.
The distinctions here are subtle for travel watches, but they are quite real. Nevertheless, the multi-time zone watch is highly practical and purposeful for globetrotters and frequent travellers alike. However, it would be most unwise to think of the dual-time complication solely as a tool for them. There are, after all, many reasons one might want to know the time in another time zone at a glance.
Business remains global, and we have all seen how the supply chain is impacted by how interconnected we are. This is especially true in Singapore, a nation that traffics in global trade. Wherever you are though, you must be able to liaise effectively with your foreign counterparts. On the more casual side of things, Asian sports fans probably want to know (precisely) the broadcast times of say, the NBA Championships or UEFA Champions League in their home time zones.
This brings us to another detail that adds unnecessary complexity to dual-time watches: the concept of home time and local time. To clarify, home time is your own time zone, while local time is the time in your current location. With that said, the two time zones can be whatever you wish to be.
One might argue, and we do acknowledge, that the smartphone has made this task a breeze. Unfortunately, a certain gentleman named Sandford Fleming did not have the luxury of such technology during his travels, nor did he live in an era of standardised time zones.
Sir Fleming had to spend an uncomfortable night in Ireland after missing the train in 1876. His frustration was compounded by having to adjust his watch as he travelled to towns which were separated by several miles at most. It spurred him to write a treatise on the need for a standardised global time which culminated with the 1884 International Meridian Conference discussion held in Washington DC and attended by 26 nations.
Sir Fleming’s proposal was dismissed but it served as the framework for standardised time zones, which was finalised in the mid-1920s. Twenty-four time zones with one hour intervals (each 15° wide) are drawn with Greenwich London chosen as Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as the world’s time standard. Why these 24 zones were selected, and why Greenwich holds this position is beyond this story, but having a GMT indicator always reminds us how world powers come and go.
Anyway, with a GMT indicator, tracking a second-time zone is easier with information about the hour differences on hand. This is true unless you live in a country with 30 or 45 minutes differences such as Afghanistan and Nepal. With all said, here’s a selection of travel-ready watches the next time you hit the runway tarmac.
Hermès Arceau Le temps Yoyageur
Hermès gives new definitions and expressions to the spirit of travel with the Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur and its exclusive “travelling time” mechanism. Set against a dial imagined by Jérôme Colliard as seen on the Hermès Planisphère d’un monde équestre silk scarf, Earth’s map makes way for a fantasy equestrian world befitting of Hermès’ latest haute creation. A series of dial treatments including laser engraving and lacquering are used in combination to bring depth and texture to the continents, oceans, meridians, and parallels.
Set above the dial is a mobile “travelling time” satellite disc positioned against a flange depicting different cities representing 24 time zones of the world. Actuating a pusher concealed at nine o’clock advances the satellite disc to the next city and the time by one-hour increments, allowing globetrotters fuss-free adjustments while travelling. A 24-hour disc indication at 12 o’clock serves as the home time and the point of reference for the “travelling time” mechanism. Upon synchronisation, the 122-components module set on the automatic Manufacture Hermès H1837 movement calculates the hour differences across the different cities.
Two iterations of the Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur are made, the first in a 41mm platinum case with matte black DLC Grade 5 titanium bezel and black dial while the other is a 38mm stainless steel case with blue dial.
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic
It is hard not to coin ultra-thin when mentioning Bvlgari as the watchmaker’s efforts in the specialised realm of Haute horology have seen them break multiple world records in ultra-thin watchmaking. In total, eight world records were set over the past 10 years as Bvlgari reworked the major complications of watchmaking into wafer-thin dimensions.
The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic combines perhaps two of the most popular complications into a singular expression of contemporary watchmaking. Measuring 8.75 mm thick, the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic houses the 3.3mm thick automatic calibre BVL 318 within. Both the GMT and chronograph pushers are harmoniously integrated into the case construction as they are designed to match the signature multi-facet outlook and integrated bracelet design of the Octo Finissimo collection.
On the dial side, the layout of the complications is mapped out for optimal readability. The GMT subdial on the right features a 24-hour layout with a greyed semi-circle ring acting as a day/night indicator. Advancing the GMT hand is a breeze as the pusher at nine o’clock controls the complication in one-hour increments.
Panerai Submersible S BRABUS Blue Shadow Edition PAM01241
The 200-piece exclusive release continues the narration of its predecessor — a dive watch embodying the best of Panerai and Brabus through Swiss watchmaking tradition, bold design and functionality. A 47mm Direct Metal Laser Sintering
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante
While on its quest for purity combined with innovation, Parmigiani Fleurier gives a new definition to a GMT watch as it unveils an elegant timepiece fit for an equally sophisticated traveller. The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante features a world premiere take on the GMT complication, defined by its minimalist yet highly complex nature. Utilising the idea of a traditional rattrapante (split chronograph), Parmigiani Fleurier incorporates the concept into the hour hands, creating a unique GMT complication as part of its fleet of travel watches in the process.
A pair of hour hands are superimposed on each other: a rhodium-plated gold hand sitting on top of an 18k rose gold hand with a pusher at eight o’clock that activates the “split”. Upon crossing time zones, the owner simply engages the pusher to advance the rhodium-plated hour hand forward in one-hour increments. In doing so, the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante tracks the home and local time zones.
Actuating the “back-home” 18k rose gold pusher on the crown at the end of travel resets the hour hands as the rhodium-plated hand snaps back to the current position of the 18k rose gold hour hand. A stainless steel case with a knurled platinum bezel houses the Parmigiani Fleurier automatic calibre PF051 responsible for the ingenious complication as the Swiss watchmaker lives up to its pedigree in Haute creations.
Norqain Neverest GMT 41mm Steel & Gold Limited Edition
Independent watch manufacture Norqain’s two-tone take on the GMT watch coincides with the release of the Norqain Neverest collection and the Neverest GMT 41mm Steel & Gold Limited Edition. Presented as a subcollection of the Norqain Adventure family, the Neverest marks the brand’s charitable partnership with the Butterfly Help Project. 10% of sales from Neverest watches will benefit families of Sherpas who lost their lives in the Himalayan mountains and give their children access to education.
The 100-piece Neverest GMT 41mm Steel & Gold Limited Edition features accents of 18k 5N red gold along with the bezel, flange, watch indexes, and hands. A generous amount of black elements as seen in Norqain’s hallmark weave patterned dial and ceramic bezel lends the sports watch a touch of contemporary elegance when combined with the warmth of red gold. A secondary time zone can be tracked with the red-pipped GMT hand when used in tandem with the 24-hour flange.
Disruptions to accuracy are negated with the independent jumping hour hand that allows both local time and date to be set forwards and backwards. The high-performance COSC-certified calibre NN20/1 by movement maker Kenissi features sturdy construction to protect the movement against high-impact sports.
Once you’re done with this story about travel watches, click here to catch up with our June/July 2022 issue!
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