Collection: Learn about watches: GMT

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• What does GMT stand for?

  GMT stands for “Greenwich Mean Time”, and before the advent of the now-accepted UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), it was the de facto time standard worldwide. It indicates a “neutral time” against which all time zones can be derived.

  What is a GMT watch?

  A GMT watch has the ability to track this neutral time, and thus enables you to keep track of multiple time zones. It was necessitated by the boom in international flights in the 1950s—the first GMT watch, Rolex GMT-Master, was commissioned by Pan Am for their aircrew. For this reason, GMT watches are a favorite among frequent travelers.

• How does a GMT watch work?

  The secret of a GMT watch is its 24-hour hand, along with some forms of 24-hour indication, such as a 24-hour bezel. Whether the watch is a traveler’s GMT or a caller’s GMT, the GMT hand moves in tandem with the hour hand, only twice as slow. Thus when it is set to a different time zone, it indicates a foreign time of your choice.

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How to use a GMT watch to track multiple time zones?

There are many ways to use a GMT watch to track multiple time zones. The most common method is to set the GMT hand to GMT 0 time, and then turn the bezel to track a new time zone. But there are many more ways to maximize the value of your GMT watch, so we made a video guide on it below.