What is a GMT watch is a question asked by many watch buyers who are looking for a watch that can tell the time in multiple time zones. First we need to understand how time is measured and how it relates to the GMT watch.
Greenwich Meridian watches and GMT watches
What is the Greenwich meridian and how does it relate to GMT watches? There is a lot of history behind this that we are going to cover in this post, but first, we are going to give a brief overview.
The Greenwich meridian separates east from west in the same way that the equator separates south from north. The meridian crosses many countries including England and the city lives up to its name, “Greenwich”.
When the sun is at its highest point above the meridian, it is noon and the time is then measured on a scale from there.
GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time and therefore GMT watches indicate the time at level “0”. Why were GMT watches invented and what were they used for? We’ll cover that next.
The first passenger flight
On January 1, 1914, the world’s first commercial airline took off. Tony Jannus flew the plane and his passenger was Abram C Pheil a former mayor of St. Petersburg. They flew across the bay to Tampa on a 23 minute flight.
The aviation industry grew from there, Boeing built the first modern airlift in 1933 and more and more people began to travel by air as it became accessible. As international travel became popular, it became necessary to have a watch that pilots could use to tell the time in different time zones.
The first GMT watch
Which watchmaker do you think made the first GMT watch? He was a watchmaker who is known to produce watches for groups of people in adventure and extreme arenas. The answer is Rolex !
The Rolex GMT Master was designed as a collaboration between Rolex and Pan Am Airways for their pilots and crew. The main feature of this watch was that it could tell the time in two different time zones. The main time would be set to GMT, then the border around the edge could be rotated to set the time zone, for example.
To date, the Rolex GMT Master is one of Rolex’s most popular models. The latest version was released in 2005 on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
Affordable GMT Watches
Rolex is certainly not the only watchmaker to make GMT watches, and there are some very affordable GMT watches in the pre- owned luxury watch market . There are many advantages to buying used luxury watches over new versions. Choice is one of them! You are able to look back over the last 50 years of GMT design and choose the model and style you prefer.
Here are three GMT watches that we have chosen for their affordability and style. To learn more about each one, click through and read other specifications and remember that our team of authentication experts have reviewed each of these watches to ensure they are genuine.
Breitling Aerospace
Breitling is known for its pilot watches, so it’s no surprise that it’s at the top of the list! The aerospace is a classic model which has the GMT function.
Montblanc GMT
True to form Montblanc has created a GMT watch with a sleek and slim appearance. Instead of adding a bulky bezel around the exterior, the second time zone can be calculated from the 24-hour clock on the dial.
Tag Heuer Carrera
An affordable, classy and elegant Tag Heuer GMT watch in silver and black. The second time zone on this watch can be calculated by the second dial.
