You often need to call California – without waking someone at ‘stupid o’clock’. Or you regularly travel across multiple time zones. Whatever your relationship with global time, smart-watches and smartphones are ideal. However, if you love analogue watches, new or pre-owned travel-themed timepieces make perfect gifts – for you or someone else – at this time of seasonal gift-giving.

World time watches for every budget

Travel-friendly watches range from the simple legibility of classic three-handers to time-pieces with compass bezels (Seiko’s Prospex Alpinist). Then there are GMT watches for tracking a second time zone and sophisticated world time watches showing multiple times around the globe.

World timers really came to prominence with Louis Cottier’s watches for Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe in the 1930s. Today, finances allowing, you could put the romance of world travel on your wrist with one of Patek Philippe’s exquisite Aston Martin-priced masterpieces.

For more modest budgets, maybe Omega’s current Seamaster Aqua Terra GMT Worldtimer will scratch the world timer itch. Even greater bargains, albeit without Patek or Omega’s exquisite map-projection dials, include Breitling’s Navitimer 8 Unitime, Orient Star’s impressive World Time JC00002D and Christopher Ward’s C65 GMT Worldtimer.

GMT watches grew up with jet travel

GMT watches came of age in the 1950s, with watches like Rolex’s iconic GMT-Master (developed with Pan-Am) accompanying the rise of commercial jet air travel. Its latest manifestation, the GMT-Master II, remains highly coveted – though, nigh-on impossible to buy at or near MRRP.

Fortunately, if you want to emulate Fidel Castro, who wore GMT Masters, sister brand Tudor’s Black Bay GMT should prove more accessible and less pricey. Besides, some really good GMT-Master II-style watches can be had for a few hundred quid. Try Steinhart’s Swiss-made ETA 2893-2-powered Ocean One GMT for starters.
Other sub-£1,000 possibilities include Swatch Group brand Mido’s Ocean Star GMT and Rotary’s quartz-powered Henley GMT.

Here’s to happy watch hunting

So what will adorn your wrist while adventuring? A super-luxury Patek Philippe? A value-packed Citizen EcoDrive Promaster GMT? Or, because good ‘travel’ watches don’t have to be GMTs or world timers, how about the go-anywhere functionality of the Raider series from Favre-Leuba, Switzerland’s second-oldest watchmaker?

You can find them on Gloucestershire-based WatchGecko’s website, alongside the brand’s own Geckota watches and huge range of watch straps. Whatever you choose, here’s to happy watch hunting, safe travels and season’s greetings!