Here Are the 25 Best GMT Watches You Can Buy in 2023

Among all the functions offered by today's timepieces (we in the watch trade call them complications, because even the ones that look relatively simple, like a date in a window, involve a lot of complex micro-mechanics), the GMT or second time zone is one of the most practical and useful — especially as those of us who are used to being a bit more mobile than the past two COVID-dominated years have allowed are finally getting back to spending time again in time zones other than our own, for business, pleasure, or some combo of both. Here we've gathered 21 of the best GMT watches on the market now for your perusal and your consideration if you're in the market for a ticking companion for your next trip.

To narrow the list and keep it manageable, we are keeping it as much as possible to "pure" GMT watches, i.e., those with a GMT hand pointing at a scale rather than some other unconventional display, which unfortunately excludes models like the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone, Parmigiani Tonda Hemispheres, Arnold & Son Globetrotter, and any number of very creative high-end takes on a dual-timer. We've also left out world-time watches, GMT watches' more complex cousins that display all the world's time zones simultaneously (you can check out our list of world timers here) and multiple-complication watches in which the GMT function is paired with a chronograph, perpetual calendar, or other high complications (small complications like dates are OK). Finally, we included only watches with mechanical movements, which are more likely to appeal to a world-traveling connoisseur.

Ball Watch Hydrocarbon AeroGMT

Price: $3,499, Reference: DG2018C-S9C-BE, Case Size: 42mm Case Height: 13.85, mm Lug to Lug: 54mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic BALL RR1201-C

Ball Watch’s take on the familiar blue-and-red “Pepsi” design pioneered by Rolex back in the 1950s is a rugged, 42mm steel timepiece whose bicolor, bidirectional GMT bezel is made of scratch-resistant sapphire. The dial features a 24-hour scale on its main face rather than a traditional 12-hour layout, with 12 corresponding hour markers instead placed on an inside flange. Using the red-tipped GMT hand along with both scales, the wearer can potentially read three time zones at once. Like all watches from Ball, the dial uses tritium-filled micro-gas tubes for its luminous elements rather than the more common Super-LumiNova; the former glows brighter and longer than the latter and requires no outside light source to activate. Beating inside is an ETA-based, COSC-certified, self-winding movement, protected from magnetic fields up to 4,800 A/m and impacts up to 7,500 Gs.

Baltic Aquascaphe GMT

Price: 920 Euros, Reference: N/A, Case Size: 39mm Case Height: 12mm, Lug to Lug: 47mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Soprod C125

Founded in France in 2017, Baltic has swiftly staked out its spot on the independent microbrand scene with its vintage-influenced collection, particularly the Aquascaphe, a retro divers’ watch heavily influenced by midcentury classics like Blancpain’s Bathyscaphe models. For the GMT version of the Aquascaphe, Baltic replaced the base model’s unidirectional bezel with 60-minute dive scale with a more travel-friendly, bidirectional (and bicolor) 24-hour bezel, which can be used in conjunction with a central arrow-tipped hand to read the time in a second time zone. The dive-watch DNA of the Aquascaphe series is clearly present, with the dial sporting geometric hour markers, plentiful lume on the markers and hands, and a 100-meter water resistance (half of the diving model’s 200-meter rating, but still substantial). Adding to the value proposition is Baltic’s use of a self-winding Soprod movement inside the brushed steel case.

Bell & Ross BR V2-93 GMT Blue

Price: $3,500, Reference: BRV293-BLU-ST, Case Size: 41mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber BR-CAL.303

Bell & Ross veers away from its square-cased “Instrument” look with this model from its BR V2 series of round-cased timepieces (the “V” in this instance referencing the “vintage” influence). The sunburst blue dial hosts large Arabic numerals and intermittent indices along with a prominent red-hued arrow-tipped hand to point out the second time zone on a 24-hour bezel that has been subdivided into gray and blue sectors (for daytime and nighttime hours, respectively). The date appears discreetly in a round window at 4:30, and the seconds hand’s airplane-shaped counterweight subtly references the brand’s devotion to aviation-inspired design. Bell & Ross’s ETA-based, automatic Caliber BR-CAL.303 ticks inside, offering a power reserve of 42 hours.

Blancpain Villeret GMT Date

Price: $14,300, Reference: 6662 1127 MMB, Case Size: 40mm, Case Height: 10.28mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 5A50

Blancpain’s Villeret collection comprises a vast array of horological complications, and the GMT Date is one of the most classically elegant while also offering everyday utility. The dial’s 12 applied Roman numerals surround an inner 24-hour scale of gracefully printed Arabic numerals. Two openworked, leaf-shaped hands indicate the local time, while a thin hand with a red arrow tip point to the hour in another time zone. A small square window at 3 o’clock frames the date display. Inside the 40mm case, topped with the slender, stepped bezel characteristic of the Villeret collection, the manufacture Caliber 5A50 does its duty behind a sapphire caseback, amassing s power reserve of at least 100 hours and incorporating a silicon hairspring for increased efficiency.

Bremont Supermarine Supermarine Descent II

Price: $4,995, Reference: Case Size: 43mm, Case Height: 16.5mm, Lug to Lug: 51mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 500 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber BE-93-2AV

Britain’s Bremont Watch Company added a GMT model to its Supermarine divers’ watch collection just this year. The dual-time functionality, via a light blue GMT hand with a luminous tip, comes as a bonus to the extreme water resistance of 500 meters afforded by the 43mm case, made of aeronautical-grade titanium. The rotating diver’s bezel is made of bronze and the dark blue dial’s hands are bronze-plated and luminous-coated, The three-part “Trip-Tick” case features an automatic helium-release valve and protects the automatic movement inside, Bremont’s Caliber BE-93-2AV, which has earned a COSC chronometer certification and stores 42 hours of fully wound running autonomy..

Bulgari Aluminium GMT

Price: $3,500, Reference: 103554, Case Size: 40mm, Case Height: 9.7mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Bulgari B192

In the late 1990s, Bulgari became the first watchmaker to pair a case made of aluminum with a sporty rubber strap. The Italian jewelry-and-watch maison resurrected the Aluminium model (its preferred spelling in Europe) in 2020 and added this colorful GMT model a year later, targeted at travelers eager to emerge from lockdowns. The 40-mm aluminum case features a blue rubber bezel engraved with the double “BVLGARI” in Roman-style letters; inside its border, surrounding the blue dial is a two-tone 24-hour scale in red and blue that is used in concert with the central red-tipped GMT hand to set the time in the wearer’s home city or any other chosen time zone. The stylish strap is made of blue rubber like the bezel, the exhibition caseback is titanium, and the self-winding movement on display behind that caseback stores a power reserve of 42 hours.

Chopard L.U.C GMT One Black Edition

Price: $11,500, Reference: 168579-3004, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 11.71mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber L.U.C 01-10L

Named for the initials of founder Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the L.U.C collection represents Chopard’s pinnacle of high watchmaking. The most recent version of the L.U.C GMT One, previously released in steel and gold, uses ceramized titanium for its 42mm case. The material, used in aerospace and automotive applications, boasts extreme hardness and corrosion resistance in addition to its smooth black coloration. The galvanic gray dial, with its 12-hour and 24-hour day-night sectors, harmonizes with the case for a monochromatic charm. The watch has two crowns, one at 2 o’clock to adjust the date and the local time, the other at 4 o’clock to control the second-time-zone setting, indicated by a baton-style, arrow-tipped hand. The movement guiding these travel-friendly functions is the automatic, COSC-certified L.U.C 01.10-L, which achieves a 60-hour power reserve.

Christopher Ward Trident C65 GMT

Price: $1,195, Reference: S65-41AGM1-S0BK1-RK, Case Size: 41mm Case Height: 12.05mm, Lug to Lug: 47.1mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 150 meters, Movement: Automatic Sellita SW 330

U.K.-based Christopher Ward added a GMT to its seaworthy Trident collection in 2019. The 41mm steel case hosts a 24-hour GMT bezel that frames a mostly minimalist dial, with rectangular baton hands for the local hour and minute, a seconds hand with the telltale trident-shaped counterweight, a subtle 3 o’clock date window, and the signature element, a fourth center-mounted hand with a colorful triangle tip that indicates a second time zone. The C65 GMT still has the robustness of a dive watch — its case is water-resistant to 150 meters — and is powered by an automatic Swiss-made caliber, the Sellita SW 330, which beats at 28,800 vph behind a solid caseback stamped with a trident motif. 

Grand Seiko Elegance GMT SBGJ249 Four Seasons “Summer”

Price: $6,800, Reference: SBGJ249 Case Size: 39mm, Case Height: 14.1mm, Lug Width: 19mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 9S86

Few watch brands have been as prolific in creating beautiful, nature-inspired dial executions as Japan’s Grand Seiko, and its “Seasons” models offer some of the most stunning examples. The SBGJ249 “Shösho” from the Elegance GMt collection features a dial designed to represent the summer solstice; the rippling texture on its light blue-and-white toned dial echoes the surfaces of the lakes and ponds formed by that rainy season in Japan. A dark blue central hand for a second time zone points to an inner 24-hour scale, joining the hallmark Grand Seiko “razor” hands for the local time. A self-winding movement with a 65-hour power reserve beats inside the 39mm steel case, which bears Grand Seiko’s renowned Zaratsu polished finishing. 

H. Moser & Cie. Heritage Dual Time

Price: $15,300, Reference: 8809-1200, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 11.1mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic HMC 809

Schaffhausen-based Moser, often known for minimalist, avant-garde aesthetics, channels an earlier era of vintage pilots’ watches with the Heritage Dual Time, Its big Art Deco hour numerals, railroad minute track, large onion crown, and wire-thin lugs recall those of early pocket watches pressed into service as wristwatches for military use, while its skeletonized GMT hand, which joins the two sword-shaped hour and minute hands, points to a second time zone in an exceptionally understated manner. The sunburst burgundy dial, of course, is as avant-garde as they come, and the in-house movement, the self-winding HMC 809, offers a three-day power reserve and a host of high-end finishes.

Hublot Big Bang Unico GMT

Price: $24,100, Reference: 471.QL.7127.RX, Case Size: 45mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber HUB1251 Unico

Hublot’s Big Bang is not a watch one usually thinks of when looking for a utilitarian travel watch, but the Big Bang Unico GMT, which eschews the usual chronograph function, is one of the most user-friendly models to be found. The chronograph-style push-buttons advance the hour hand forward or backward in hourly increments to set the local time independently of the other hands, including the GMT pointer, and a safety mechanism prevents both pushers from being accidentally operated at once. The skeletonized dial, a hallmark of the Big Bang series, is designed to display two time zones at once, both on 12-hour scales, and features a day-night ring for an easy reading of the home time in AM/PM format. Hublot’s Unico HUB1251 caliber can be viewed through both the front and back of the 45mm case through sapphire crystals. 

Longines Spirit Zulu Time

Price: $2,950, Reference: L3.812.4.93.2, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 13.9mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber L844

Longines, a watch brand that has supplied aviation pioneers like Hugh Herndon, Clyde Pangborn and Amy Johnson with watches and onboard clocks, stylishly revisits its history of developing dual-time instruments with the recently released Zulu Time model in its aviation-inspired Spirit series. (“Zulu Time” is the military radio jargon for the “zero” time at the Greenwich Meridian, aka GMT.) The watch’s 42-mm steel case houses a new proprietary movement that allows independent adjustment of both the traditional hour hand and the GMT hand that indicates an additional time zone on the 24-hour bezel, with lacquered engraved numerals on its colorful ceramic bezel insert. For lots more on the history of the Longines Zulu Time and details on the modern watch, read our review here.

Mido Ocean Star GMT

Price: $1,250, Reference: M0266291105101, Case Size: 44mm Case Height: 13.28mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Mido 80 (ETA C07.661 base)

Wildly popular in Latin America but only vaguely familiar to many watch aficionados in the U.S., Mido has been making watches since 1918 and its nautically inspired Ocean Star line has been around since the 1940s, even before the era of the modern diver’s watch. The Ocean Star GMT, launched in 2020, is that collection’s first dual-time-zone watch, with a sturdy 316L stainless steel case and a ceramic divers’ bezel. The 24-hour scale that you might expect to find on the bezel is instead printed on the flange of the black dial; a long, arrow-tipped hand points to the scale, enabling the wearer to read the time in additional time zones while the two main lume-tipped hands display the local time. The Powermatic 80 caliber inside the 44mm steel case (the “80” denotes how many hours of power reserve it stores) has been equipped with a specially made module for the GMT functionality. 

Norqain Adventure Neverest GMT

Price: $3,760, Reference: NN1001SC1CA/EB101/15BEF, Case Size: 41mm, Case Height: 14.95mm, Lug to Lug: 48.9mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber NN20/2

Norqain, a relatively young Swiss brand that focuses on outdoor adventure-oriented watch designs, launched the Adventure Neverest series in 2021, taking the vistas of the Himalayas as inspiration for their textures colorful dial. The GMT models builds upon the originals’ diver-style look with the addition of a central arrow-shaped hand that points to a second time zone on a bicolor scale on the flange displaying 24 hours. The automatic movement is by Kenissi, a Swiss movement manufacturer founded by another, larger brand on this list, Tudor, and the case in which it beats is made of stainless steel and water resistant to 100 meters. 

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M GMT “Deep Black”

Price: $11,700, Reference: 232.30.44.22.01.001, Case Size: 43.5mm, Case Height: 17mm, Lug to Lug: 49mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 600 meters, Movement: Automatic Co-axial Caliber 8906

Omega introduced the “Deep Black” iterations of the Seamaster Planet Ocean in 2016, which are distinguished by black zirconium oxide monobloc cases and matching black ceramic dials. In addition to the rotating dive-scale bezels typical of a 600-meter water resistant, professional-grade diving watch, the model has a 24-hour GMT ring, with an arrow-tipped pointer hand joining the emblematic “broad arrow” hour and minute hands to display a second time zone. Ticking behind the scalloped-edge exhibition caseback is Omega’s Master Chronometer Caliber 8906, which has passed a strict battery of tests to ensure ifs precision, robustness, and antimagnetic properties. 

Oris Aquis GMT Date

Price: $2,800, Reference: 01 798 7754 4135, Case Size: 43.52mm, Case Height: 13mm, Lug to Lug: 50mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Oris Automatic Caliber 798, based on Sellita SW330-1

Oris excels in making “small” complications in watches that are both attractive and approachable, and that expertise is on full display with the GMT-equipped model from its Aquis family of dive watches. The 43mm stainless steel case’s 300-meter water resistance is ensured by its screwed crown, while the bezel differs from that of a standard dive watch by rotating in both directions rather than one, and hosting a 24-hour scale for coordinating with the central GMT hand rather than the typical 12-hour scale to set dive times. The additional 24-hour scale inside the border of the hour markers even allows for a display of third time zone, and the date appears in a window at 3 o’clock.

Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Tuttonero

Price: $14,900, Reference: PAM01438 Case Size: 44mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber P.9010

“Tuttonero” means “all black” in Italian, the language of Panerai’s native Florence, and the Tuttonero models in the collection live up to the name with their use of black ceramic for their cases and bracelets along with deep black sandwich-style dials. On the GMT model, the only hints of bright color come from the ecru-colored, luminous numerals and hands, the small seconds at 9 o’clock, and the ecru-on-black date display at 3 o’clock. The blackened GMT hand in the center has an ecru-colored arrow tip that aligns with one of the hour numerals to indicate the home time while the main hands point to the local hour and minute. The large case’s 300-meter water resistance is ensured, and its automatic movement protected, by the patented locking bridge mechanism over the screw-down crown.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Travel Time

Price: $55,590, Reference: 55243, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 10.78mm, Lug to Lug: Lug Width: Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 60 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 324 S C FUS

Patek Phillippe channels a little-remembered facet of its prestigious watchmaking history with the Calatrava Travel Time, a luxury watch inspired by a pilots’ watch the manufacture made in the 1930s. In addition to its military-vintage appeal, the timepiece has a patented dual-time function in which the wearer can move the hour hand forward or backward using two pushers while simultaneously uncoupling that mechanism from the gear train, meaning the watch will not lose a second of accuracy while changing time zones. Driving this functionality is Patek’s in-house Caliber 324 S C FUS, which is on display behind a sapphire caseback, sporting a gold rotor inscribed with the brand’s Calatrava cross emblem.

Rolex GMT-Master II

Price: $15,200, Reference: 126711CHNR Case Size: 40mm, Case Height: 12.5mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 3285

The watch that more or less established the GMT “look” was created by Rolex for Pan Am Airlines pilots in 1955. The GMT-Master also follows the grand Rolex tradition of sporting nicknames for its various iterations, i.e., “Pepsi” for the red-and-blue 24-hour bezel and “Batman” for the blue-and-black version. For this list, we’re showcasing the “Root Beer” model released in 2018 in the two-tone gold-and-steel combo that Rolex calls “Rolesor.” The brown-to-black Cerachrom bezel with the classic 24-hour scale is resistant to scratches, corrosion, and ultraviolet rays, the 40mm case is water-resistant to 100 meters thanks in part to its triple screw-locked crown, and the automatic movement inside stores a 70-hour power reserve.

Seiko Presage Sharp Edged GMT 140th Anniversary Limited Edition

Price: $1,260, Reference: SARF007, Case Size: 42.2mm, Case Height: 13.7mm, Lug to Lug: 49.2mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 6R64

Seiko’s Presage series sets itself apart from the rest of the Japanese giant’s wide-ranging collections by its use of exclusively mechanical automatic movements rather than a combination of quartz, mechanical, and Spring Drive. The Sharp-Edged subfamily of Presage is geared toward melding traditional Japanese watchmaking with themes from nature, such as this GMT-equipped model celebrating Seiko’s 140th anniversary, with its blue-toned hemp-leaf motif dial with a glossy finish that evokes ancient paintings of Japan’s Mount Fuji. The ceramic inlay of the GMT bezel has the same blue hue, while the GMT hand is joined on the dial by a power reserve indicator and a date subdial.

Sinn 857 UTC TESTAF

Price: $2,295, Reference: 857.040, Case Size; 43mm, Case Height: 12mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic ETA 2893-2

German watchmaker Sinn is known for tough, purpose-built timepieces and developing its own in-house technologies and processes to produce them. One of these innovations is its TESTAF criteria it established for its pilot’s watches, like this GMT-equipped model in stainless steel hardened in Sinn’s proprietary Tegiment process. Two wide hands on the black dial show the local hour and minute on large white Arabic numerals while a smaller openworked orange hand points to another time zone on a corresponding orange 24-hour scale positioned inside the main hour and minute ring. The reliable Swiss-made ETA 2893-2 caliber that powers this German-made timekeeper is secured inside a 43-mm case that resists water pressure to 200 meters. 

TAG Heuer Autavia 60th Anniversary GMT Three Hands

Price: $4,200, Reference: 17381995, Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: Lug to Lug: Lug Width: Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 7 COSC GMT

TAG Heuer’s Autavia collection takes its name from a portmanteau of “automobile” and “aviation,” making it distinctly different in spirit from the heavily motorsport-influenced Carrera and Monaco families. Like those more famous siblings, the Autavia traces its origins to the 1960s and includes chronographs in most of its iterations. In 2022, however, in honor of the Autavia’s 60th anniversary, TAG Heuer expanded the line with this GMT-equipped model outfitted with the automatic, chronometer-certified Caliber 7. The sunray blue dial hosts vintage-style Arabic hour numerals, a railroad-track minutes circle, and a central GMT hand in pleasingly contrasting orange. The 24-hour scale is inscribed on a gradient blue-to-black ceramic bezel. 

Tudor Black Bay GMT

Price: $4,174, Reference: M79830RB-0001, Case Size: 41mm, Case Height: 15mm, Lug to Lug: 50mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber MT5652

Established to be a more affordable version of its parent brand, Rolex, Tudor has not surprisingly sported some designs over the year that are very familiar to Rolex aficionados, not the least of which is this “Pepsi”-style GMT model that also offers some Tudor-specific charms of its own, like the distinctive “snowflake” shape of the central GMT hand and the emblematic Black Bay geometric hour indexes. The colors on the rotating 24-hour bezel are darker than those on its Rolex cousin, more of an burgundy-and-indigo than a gleaming red-and-blue. The self-winding movement inside, Caliber MT5652, has been COSC-certified as a chronometer.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time

Price: $27,100, Reference: 7900V/110A-B546, Case Size: 41mm, Case Height: 12.8mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber 5110 DT

Vacheron Constantin has been making watches since 1755 but it waited until 2018 to install a dual-time complication in its sport-luxury Overseas collection. The case’s distinctive six-sided bezel, inspired by the maison’s Maltese Cross emblem, frames a lacquered black dial with a velvet-textured flange. The red-tipped GMT hand indicates the home or reference time on the same ring of 12-hour indexes as the hour and minute hand for the local time and is linked to the AM/PM indicator at 9 o’clock. With a sophisticated hand-type date display on a sundial at 6 o’clock, the Overseas pushes the limits of our “simplicity” criteria for inclusion here but the dual time function is still the dial’s main event, with all its indications powered by Vacheron’s self-winding manufacture Caliber 5110 DT.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT

Price: $1,695, Reference: ZO9411, Case Size: 40mm Case Height: 13.7mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Soprod C125

The Zodiac Sea Wolf was one of the first modern dive watches, launching in 1953 alongside more famous models like the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. (The “Super” version, with a higher water resistance, launched in 1968.) Since its relaunch as part of the Fossil Group, Zodiac has put the Super Sea Wolf collection at the forefront of its modern portfolio, introducing a GMT version in 2020. The watch maintains the retro-style, mid-century aesthetic common to Super Sea Wolf models, with square hour markers and flat-sided baton hands, along with a bidirectional 24-hour GMT-scale bezel, which features bicolor segments in the original, limited edition models and simpler, all-steel versions in the newer, unlimited models. The most recent versions of the watch are outfitted with the automatic Soprod C125 movement, which amasses a 42-hour power reserve inside the 200-meter water resistant case made of steel.