In 1955, Rolex introduced the most practical complication in wristwatches with GMT-Master, which was the very first watch to feature a dual time complication showing home time on a 24-hour display and local time on an independent 12-hour display. This was a particularly useful tool for pilots and business travelers who could now keep track of their home time easily. Here are five cool examples from this year.
Grand Seiko Limited Edition Blue Ceramic GMT
Grand Seiko unveiled a special Limited Edition Blue Ceramic GMT as part of a clutch of watches it debuted to mark the 20th anniversary of the Grand Seiko 9S Caliber. This watch’s dial features the same alternating mosaic initial pattern seen on the 20th anniversary models.
The inner case and outer bracelet links are crafted from high-intensity titanium and the outer case and the center links of the bracelet are made from a proprietary new material that is seven times harder than steel.
Powered by Caliber 9S86 which has a special titanium and tungsten oscillating rotor. The titanium bit of the rotor is treated with an anodic oxidation process that creates a rich and vivid blue that complements the blue of the bezel and dial. The Hi-Beat movement that has been adjusted to the Grand Seiko ‘Special’ standard and offers a precision rate of +4 to -2 seconds.
PRICE: $18,545 (AED68,105)
TAG Heuer Carera GMT
TAG Heuer Carrera marked its 55th anniversary in 2018 and though the “Tête de Vipère” Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer headlined the celebrations, the Swiss brand also launched a new chronograph equipped with GMT function.
This is the first time that TAG Heuer has added this complication to the in-house Heuer 02 movement. The second time zone, adjusted via the crown, is read using the lacquered red hand and the black and blue ceramic bezel, which has a 24-hour GMT scale.
In the interest of better legibility, the GMT hand is mounted in a secondary position — between the hour and minute hands — enabling it to pass over the indexes and skim the GMT scale.
PRICE: $6,000 (AED22,315)
Tissot Chemin de Tourelles GMT
The Swatch Group’s entry-level luxury brand unveiled a highly affordable GMT watch in the classically styled Chemin de Tourelles range. The 42 mm stainless steel cased watch comes in a choice of black or silver dial (with a rose gold PVD case).
The dial has “clous de Paris” decoration on the ring that houses the Roman indexes. A 24-hour scale skirts the periphery of the dial and a GMT hand with a red-tip indicates the second time zone.
The watch is powered by Tissot’s Powermatic movement and has a power reserve of 80 hours. It is fitted with a leather strap with butterfly clasp with push buttons or 316L solid stainless steel bracelet with butterfly clasp with push buttons.
PRICE: $950 (AED3,500)
Tudor Black Bay GMT
Tudor continues to serve the hits with its Black Bay line. This year, it debuted the Black Bay GMT, a timepiece with multiple time-zone function, but still steeped in the Tudor tradition.
Tudor’s take on this bi-color bezel is a nod to its roots – so the rotating bezel is actually in matte blue and burgundy. The 12 daylight hours are printed on the burgundy section and the nighttime hours on the blue. Read our detailed report here.
PRICE: $3,900 (Approx. AED14,351) on steel bracelet and $3,591 (Approx. AED13,200) with a leather or fabric strap.
Rolex GMT-Master II
The Geneva brand released a new GMT-Master II in Oystersteel with a classic “Pepsi” bezel and a Jubilee bracelet, two little details that are much-loved by collectors.
It is powered by a brand new manufacture movement Caliber 3285 but the big The big upgrade, as far Rolex fans go, is the return of the historical five-link “Jubilee” style bracelet rather than the more common three-link “Oyster” one. You can read our full report of this new launch here.
PRICE: $9,295 (Approx. AED34,134)
