The Art of Time Travel: GMT Complications

The GMT Complication

As a watch collector, the GMT is an indispensable watch in my collection. Any GMT watch evokes the spirit of travel and the feeling of setting off on a journey, even if it is just your daily commute to work. As you travel with your GMT watch, you will associate specific travel memories with the watch. I have yet to own a watch that is as fun on the wrist, practical, and as whimsical as a GMT.

Every time I put a GMT watch on my wrist, I am immediately transported to the Amalfi coast, Geneva, or Buenos Aires. Now, in the summer of stay-at-home, I look at it in my watch roll and find myself daydreaming about future trips where I’ll wear my GMT.

The fact that the complication was originally developed for Pan-Am Pilots who needed to be able to tell the time in both their home and destination time zone, reminds me of the jet set lifestyle. But there is something more. Is it Tom Selleck as Magnum P.I. wearing a Rolex GMT-Master while driving his Ferrari 308 GTS? Is it the idea of luxury and travel going hand in hand? Or is it Jack Swigert having worn a Rolex GMT-Master on the ill-fated Apollo 13?

Some people find packing for travel to be stressful, but the easiest part for me is deciding which watch to take. Which GMT watches will you plan to wear on your next adventure?

A Quick History Lesson

In the early 1950’s Pan American Airlines pilots needed a way to tell the time not only in their current time zone, but also the time in their destination city. This led to a request to Rolex to produce a watch that would account for both a home and destination time, be easily read and easily set. In 1954, the first Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 6542 was born. The original Ref. 6542 came with a bakelite bezel insert, but the bakelite was likely to crack and was replaced with the familiar aluminum bezel of the GMT-Master.

In 1974 the aviation industry moved away from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and replaced GMT with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). While the aviation industry may have changed, Rolex kept producing the GMT-Master. As watch collectors, we are lucky to have as many GMT, UTC, and world time watches available to us, as almost every brand produces this complication.

What GMT Do I add to My Collection?

When it comes down to it, what time machine do you strap on your wrist? The best part of searching for a GMT watch is the plethora of options available. The choices are rather limitless, but half of the fun of owning a GMT watch is actually getting to wear it for travel, so picking something that resonates with your personal style, especially your travel style, is paramount. These are a few of my favorite GMT watches at the moment.

For the Adventurer

It is no secret that I am a fan of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II. I consider Rolex a trendsetter for GMT and dual time zone watches. The Rolex GMT-Master is not only easy to set and a pleasure to wear, but it will run forever. My favorite aspect of the Rolex GMT- Master and Master-II series, however, is the striking number of options available. You can have the classic stainless steel, or go vintage and find a perfect tropical dial, or a perfectly worn in Yellow Gold GMT-Master Tiger Eye, or even go for the ultra-modern and beautiful Ref. 126715CHNR Everose Gold Root Beer Bezel GMT. For collectors looking for a classic and timeless option, you can never go wrong with a Pepsi or Coke GMT-Master II. It transitions with ease from business class to the boardroom in Milan, to the pool deck in Amalfi, all while being effortless, elegant and a timeless classic.

For the Boardroom

For the traveler who needs a watch that seamlessly transitions from the boardroom to the executive lounge, The Lange 1 Time Zone reflects the refinement and simplicity I have come to expect from A. Lange & Söhne. The movement is not only exquisitely finished, but the refinement and simplicity of the dial draw the wearer in. The large date, large home-time dial and the smaller sub-dial for a second time zone make this watch incredibly legible and day/night indicators prevent you from dialing into a meeting at the wrong 9 o’clock. The Lange 1 Time Zone is capable of being your one watch collection while traveling: grab a navy strap for travel, brown for daily wear, and black for formal evening dinners. A quick strap change makes the watch feel like new on each day of your trip. From the boardroom in Berlin to morning meetings in Tokyo, the Lange 1 Time Zone will keep you stylish and ensure you are always on time for your next meeting.

For the Independent Traveler

The F.P. Journe UTC was the first F.P. Journe timepiece that caught my eye. The UTC piqued my interest in the F.P. Journe brand; the small dial, large date, and large time zone earth indicator were such a far cry from everything else on the market. This watch, to me, is one of the perfect examples of independent watchmaking. The 120-hour power reserve keeps the watch running (even if your jet lag causes you to sleep for 20 hours) and the visual display of the earth and time zones is a unique feature that very few watches utilize. I find this display of the time zone especially beautiful to look at and quite a unique and interesting watch within the realm of dual time zone watches. The UTC looks just as good ensuring you make your tee time at Pebble Beach as it is at ensuring that you don’t miss your après ski drinks in Chamonix.

For the Classic Collector

When I first saw the Patek Philippe Aquanaut, I fell in love with it. The 5167A-001 is single-handedly responsible for my love of mechanical watches. The 5164A-001 Aquanaut Travel Time has a special place in my heart. It is a beautiful watch with the simplicity of setting the away time zone on the pushers, which are set above and below 9 o’clock. The 5164 indicates day and night for both home and away time zones, making it an incredibly useful watch. For the sporty traveler, this watch feels at home wearing linen and bare feet on a yacht in the Mediterranean, sipping cocktails before dinner.

The Ultimate GMT

It’s hard to pick one ultimate GMT watch for me. I have to present my two ultimate GMT watches.

For the ultimate classic take on a dual time zone watch, it has to be the Patek Philippe World Time 5131/1P on their bracelet, an absolutely stunning combination. This is one of the most recognizable Cloisonné enamel dials in all of watchdom and the watch is a complete showstopper. This watch is elegant and simple, and this watch belongs wandering the streets of the cities on the dial representing the world’s principal 24 time zones. For the traveler happiest lost in the anonymity of a new city, I can think of no better watch to wear for a day of sightseeing in Paris or Buenos Aires – only to come home and look at the dial and dream about your next adventure.

For the Ultimate in watch innovation, finishing, and absolutely crazy watchmaking, my choice would be the Greubel Forsey GMT Earth. Every Greubel Forsey watch is special and unique, finished to the highest standards in watchmaking, but the GMT Earth is in its own category of GMT wrist watches. With its spherical earth, Tourbillon 24 Secondes, and unique case design, there is nothing not to like about this watch. The watch is truly a 3-dimensional work of art; the titanium 3-D earth serves as a quick reference world timer while the time zone display on the movement side of the watch you see a genuine world timer where you can tell the time in any of the 24 principal world time zones by looking to the reference city and reading the time off the inner or outer dial. This watch on a rubber strap is my choice for the ultimate GMT. It’s unique enough and crazy enough to be the perfect beach watch, whether on the shores of Lake Michigan, wandering Dubai, or sipping caipirinhas in Rio.

The Perfect Time Machine

Given the current limitations on travel this year, I have had plenty of time to reflect on my watch collection and think about what a watch ultimately represents. I keep returning to the GMT complication – a watch that can tell you where you are, where you are going, and help you dream of where you might travel in the future.

My Rolex GMT-Master has been to Spain, Argentina, Italy, and plenty of other destinations. As I look at it on my desk and consider all of the places I have been, I find myself daydreaming about those trips, remember the sunrise over the Andes, the smell of lemon, espresso, and the sea in Amalfi, and wandering the plazas of Spain under the Andalusian sun. What occurs to me as I look at my GMT is that it is not just a watch. It’s a time machine that you can wear on your wrist. As soon as I put it on, my mind is immediately transported somewhere else. And that is what makes a GMT watch an amazing and indispensable part of my watch collection.