It only worked cause it was almost 12am. The correct way is to point the hour hand at the sun and then south is HALF WAY between the hour hand and 12am (1pm for daylight saving time).
@@enasnI127 My understanding is that you're describing the way you would use a normal, non-GMT as a compass. With a 24 hour GMT hand set to local time the GMT hand will point north with the hour hand pointed at the sun, and south will still be half way between the hour and the 12.
Worth saying that the watch trick will point to True North, too, not Magnetic North. I dunno what the magnetic declination is in Japan but I'd guess that's why the compass and GMT hand were offset.
Pilot here. What I do is just set the GMT hand to the GMT hour and the hour and minute to my home base time. Once abroad, I rotate the bezel for the GMT hand to match the local hour to be read on the bezel. I never reset or move the hour nor the GMT hand. I just rotate the bezel the way it was designed for. This is why the debate between the office (caller) vs traveller GMT doesn't make sense to me. You don't have to move the hour hand. This might even cause additional wear and tear to your watch. You only have to rotate the bezel!
I have both and I agree but there’s something oddly satisfying to jump that hour hand back and forth. I know I’m causing extra wear and sometimes in the wrong direction but I will give out before my watches at this point.
Doh.. I spent a whole 5-minutes writing a reply and now I see you've pretty much covered the "pilot stuff". However, I do reset my watches at top of climb, even for a short overnight and especially for a longer layover. Most pilots I observe, do it your way and just leave it on hometime. But with the true GMT function, it's just so easy. My older ETA "office caller" movements seemed to need service quicker (about 4 years) due to the wear and tear. So agreed on that.
@@duck853 thanks for sharing your experience. Those mechanical watches are made of so many tiny gears. Better not to mess them up by constantly changing the hour hand. Why not just rotate the bezel
@@erikdupont554 I totally agree after having to service my Fortis 3 times in 12-years. I've since stopped taking "office/caller GMTs" on the road and exclusively go to work with real GMT movements. Clicking the hour hand only has been a gamechanger and less wear and tear. Why? I just like to look at the watch and be able to tell the local time quickly the older I get. I'm a visual learning guy and seeing the hands without having to do the math suits me. It helps when going from zulu -7 to zulu +9 within 13-hours. I bought these things to use them. That includes the cost of servicing them. Honestly, the older I get the less I use the GMT function on the flightdeck as the clock on the instrument panel is just as quick. I mostly use the GMT function on my watch now while in the hotel reading the OFP, NOTAMS, and other planning products before stepping to the crew van.
I've got 2 GMT watches, and have absolutely zero need for them. I just love them! Only family I have in a different time zone is only 1 hour ahead, no big deal. Especially since we never talk to them anyways!
Great video! Not trying to be smug, I was baffled at RUclips videos talking about the GMT hand for "home time" when I first got into horology. To each their own. As a professional pilot my GMT hand was ALWAYS set on... wait for it, GMT. Exactly as you said, flight planning and every product we use is in Zulu or GMT. It took me only a year or so before I invested in a GMT watch instead of having to try to do the math in my head all the time. Use the rotating bezel all the time. After awhile you memorize that Tokyo is +9, JFK is -4, and so on and you rotate as necessary. With the true GMT function I've given into setting "destination time" on the hour hand at top of climb now. It's nice to look at a glance to see what local time is where I'm landing.
that's because you're narrow minded. If one has no reason to ever need to know GMT time, then why on earth would they need to set the GMT hand to GMT? It would literally be stupid. However, because I am not narrow-minded, I totally get that someone who does need to reference GMT time, like a pilot, would set the GMT hand to GMT time. Just try a little harder to think in other people's perspective.
@@Phidz-x9h they wouldn't have a need or a reason to. You're absolutely correct. An open minded individual would be able to see how another person would have a different perspective aside from their own, wait... are we talking about your reply or me now? Hypocrisy would literally be stupid...
Great explanation of GMTs, Dave! I was a C-130 navigator in the USAF, & we would deploy to the desert every couple years for 4 months. A “caller” GMT sufficed for me…I’ve got a Squale 1545 GMT with a Sellita 330. When deployed, I’d keep the normal handset on local, the GMT hand on Zulu, & the bezel on Eastern back home. I liked using an analog GMT watch better than a G-Shock with similar capability. I could see all the times at a glance with no button-pushing!
Nice GMT that Squale 1545! I have the Squale Sub39 GMT, I use the hands in the same manner, GMT on Zulu for most of the time when not traveling, for reading logs, etc. When traveling I'll set it for local time for main hands and home or vice versa for GMT. Gonna explore using the bezel a bit more...
@@chriscon8463 you are onto something! that's a great one, very classy on the beads or rice bracelet...Squale is way underrated, I'm looking at the 1521 blue cosc,, saw one in person the other day, that blue dial was killer!! 🐬
I just moved into a new timezone and I opened RUclips to learn how to track 3 timezones on a watch. This video was right on top of my feed. Talk about timing! Thanks
If you use the same device that let you access YT, which is always with you and that you'll pick up if you need to know the time in 3 different zones ( I imply phone, videomeeting, email), it has an app that let you track 12 or maybe more different timezones at once
Very nice. Always enjoy a good lesson on watches. You and Professor Marc from Long Island Watch are my two favorite lecturers on watches. 👍🏼. Although the only use I have for a GMT is I set the GMT time to my daughter’s time zone and when I wear my GMT, it just reminds me of her.
Couple of notes. I set my GMT hand to GMT and local hands to local time. I use my bezel to determine local time in another time zone, for instance, my in laws live just north of Busan. That's GMT +9. If I rotate the bezel so the 9 is positioned at the 12 o'clock position, the GMT hand points to the local time in Korea on the bezel. At the time I write this, it's a bit after 7 in the morning, so I could call and wish them a happy breakfast! You can do the compass trick on any watch, honestly. You and I are in the Northern Hemisphere, so I will use that as an example. Point the regular old every day hour hand at the sun. Bisect the arc between the hour hand and 12 o'clock and that reveals due south. North is just the opposite of South. Learned that from a Ranger friend back in the old days of my Army career. 🙂
Dave, stop ,my God I'm so confused! Holy cow sounds like Chinese bingo ? All those numbers minus 3times 6 and then you move the gmt hand but move the bezel 3 clicks ........😮 Listen to yourself ,very few very few yeh that one guy who wrote the 500 word post can follow all this.lol
😂 dud I'm cracking up here. You still doing numbers. Hahahahahhaha I'm rolling on the floor. I had a friend listen a while he finally looked up and said what in the hell+*+$;'';+"+';';. Stick with the collecting and price and fun stuff. You gotta be the life of the party hahahhahaahh😅😮 I lost track of time as I thought i knew it.
@@earldelsantothat made me giggle. I must confess to having no interest in the GMT functionality on my two GMT's I bought the first because it looks similar to a Grand Seiko that I love but isn't an exact copy, unfortunately it doesn't have a bidirectional 24 click bezel so I bought a Rolex GMT Master 2 homage clone copy because I've always li,ed the look of the Batman and it does have the fancy 24 click bidirectional bezel which I'll probably never move 🤣
Thanks for the feedback on the GMT. Just got my first GMT watch from Zelos using the 9075 movement. One thing different on mine, is the bezel has City names. Not a traveler at this time, hope to travel later sometime.
One of your best videos Dave. Great content. I have my GMT hand set for GMT time. I can then move the bezel to the time I want to know and leave the GMT hand alone. All mine GMTS are the 9075. I generally leave the hour hand alone, but its nice to have the option and its useful for daylight saving time. I'm totally fine with no date. I typically know what the date is or can look at my phone and it saves me from having to set a date if I haven't worn it in awhile. Definitely a plus with no quick set date.
Hey Dave, thanks for a great video! It’s great to see a video that covers something other than a new watch or how a NATO strap fits any watch you have. This video was very interesting and useful. I know it took a lot of time to put togetherand your viewers. Appreciate it. Peace.
I use my GMT watch for astronomical observations --- the "time zone" I set with the bezel is the Local Siderial Time (LST). Of course this runs slow by 4 minutes a day, but over the course of a single night it provides a useful quick reading of the LST.
I've been into watches for years. But only recently have started to learn some basic horology and watch collecting. I'd been thinking of adding a GMT to my collection. After learning from this video, I realize that I don't have a true use for a GMT at this time. Adding one to my collection would be for looks only. Thank you for this truly valuable education.
Just when I'm beginning to think all bezels are superflous, you pull me back in. Thanks for this discussion. I've been enjoying the Timex Q GMT (black, w/silicone band, 38mm) as my daily for a while now.
Celestial navigator here. Cel Nav is all based on the position of the heavenly bodies at GMT (UTC) time so the GMT hand always remains on GMT time. Also, a quartz mechanism is very helpful because 4 seconds of time error equals 1 nautical mile of error. It adds up on a 3-4 week transatlantic crossing.
Here's my favourite GMT tip: I always set my GMT hand to local time. So when I come back to my watch, and the power reserve has run out after a few days of being off my wrist, I know if the watch has stopped in AM/PM by looking at the GMT hand. I can then wind it up and set the date very quickly, knowing that I am in AM/PM. When all other date only watches run out of power reserve, it is hard to know if you are in AM/PM, so you have to wind the date forward etc to get it right. The GMT hand makes setting up your watch from scratch really easy.
I've traveled quite a bit and as cool as a GMT analog watch is (I prefer analog watches myself), I use my Casio brick (5600 series) to see my required time zones. The main screen is set to my home time, then I set the world time (WT) mode screen to the 4 other needed time zones. 1: UTC, + 2, 3 & 4: to the other necessary time zones. If I am flying with a layover, I set my start home time, + my layover times and my final destination time. It is quick and easy to use and I can store 5 time zones on the watch. I always travel with at least two watches, my solar powered casio quartz and an automatic watch, which I set to wherever I am in the world.
The only thing you left out for the actual adjustment direction of the bezel for various time zones is the acronym LARS - Left Add, Right Subtract. Great video though!
An important difference between traveler's and office GMT is the bezel on the former jumps on 1 hour increments, while the latter just moves freely. It is much easier to jump between timezones moving the bezel on 1 hour steps.
This ia why Seiko's SSK series of 5 Sports GMTs work so well for ne: as I don't frequently stray beyond my home time zone, a "caller" works best in my case, and having a 24-hour scale on both the dial/rehaut *and* rotating bezel, I can track two additional time zones without doing any head math. And, tge additional tricks you pointed out are neat as well.
I absolutely love watches, the high end watch brands are out of my budget but the AMZWATCH has literally an almost duplicate of every single watch on the market . Always a great but no matter your budget.
Great video, Dave! Thanks a lot. I love a GMT and have owned a few over the years. I wonder if you would consider talking about worldtimers at some point?
It depends. If the GMT hand is set to local time when you point the 12 hour index to the sun, the GMT hand points to South (at least in the Southern hemisphere). So when you are not traveling the watch doubles as a compass. Regards
If you were correct concerning the use of either version…. What would be the point of having a rotating bezel? I’m with the pilot on this this one. Thanks for the video though.
I like my vostok K-65, using a vostok 2431 movement. The dial has 24 hours instead of a separate GMT hand. Its essentially an Vostok Amphibia with typical 200m dive watch capability but branded under Vostok Komandirskie.
Think I spotted a typo at 18:25 trying to get a handle on this. The watch is reading 6:10 PM on the GMT hand, but marked as 6:10 AM reference time in the graphic. (Please correct me if I’ve got that wrong) Fun stuff though! New to the GMT function.
Really useful before cell phones and interesting technology, but nowadays I simply have several clocks in my time setting; one for Casablanca, one for Cairo and one for Kuala Lumpur.
I have been really impressed with the Seestern S446 (S.S. bracelet, NH34). Clearly a homage to the Grand Seiko SBGM221; not that it comes close to the incredible dial textures and movement precision of the $8,000 GS. Nevertheless, the quality/fit/finish at its price point are incredible. Mine has the black face with red GMT hand. Been wearing it for international business travel...terrific watch and, imho, a steal at only US$220.
i recently bought a Glycine 24hr GMT watch.. no GMT hands, but only used the bezel. but one can get confused easily as the watch hour hand only rotates once in a day, henced a 24hr watch. but he minute hand moved like normal minute hands…this is an interesting n cheap way to know ur 2nd time zone…
I’m considering getting the Bulova Oceanographer GMT Automatic with a black dial and gold-tone. Do you think this watch would give me more satisfaction in terms of value and quality, or should I explore other options? This is regarding the Wise GMT.
Besides travel, the subset of folks who are amateur (or 'ham') radio operators use UTC (commonly GMT) time for logging all radio contacts. So a GMT watch can be handy if you're operating portable and away from your normal radio home setup.
I recently hiked Mount Iwate, and at the peak there was a guy who had carried a portable ham radio up and was chatting with someone. He had a log book with him as I recall.
@@JusttheWatch Yes, that would have been a 'Peaks on the Air' activation. People climb to peaks, and try to contact operators on those peaks. Glad you bumped into him, it can get lonely up there!
That Basecamp Explorer looks nice. But the fact that the hour hand doesn't quite line up with the 12 o'clock hour marker and the GMT hand not pointing to the middle of two hour markers in the 30 min increment bothers the heck out of me.
I love a GMT watch, but my world operates on just four zones: US Eastern, US Central (local), US Mountain, and UTC. So I set the hands normally, and to get the time where family members are I just add or subtract one.
3:37 Is that an Undone BaseCamp? If so I can't find that grey dial colour - I can only see blue and black models and no option to customise the colour.
I am impressed more and more with your videos. If I am in Iwata, would you be open to meeting up? This is the clearest and most comprehensive GMT use video I have seen.
Thanks for the in-depth review! I've got a question for you. I was wondering, for a watch that has a small 24-hr scale on the dial and a relatively abbreviated GMT hand, does it perhaps make more sense for the bezel to be printed with a 12-hour scale? That way, the third time zone can be read using the regular hour hand instead of the GMT. Or am I missing something?
I haven't seen that particular combination before, but in general I'm a big fan of 12 hour bezels, as they allow you to do a lot of the same things a GMT hand does, and as you mentioned, sometimes they're even easier to read.
Your explanation of the 3rd time zone was confusing as when you set the 2nd time zone (japan), you didn't start with the bezel at the 0h position, so the time you stated for japan wasnt readable, I then didn't actually understand the words that followed, and as the reference point was already mis-aligned, I didn't get it. I replayed the same section a few times, then gave up
Great video!! Question; why is the Undone watch does not have a date? Most of GMT watches have date. Considering the NH334 movement has a date, I wonder why they did not put a date. Not a critique, I am curious.
Another GMT use for pilots are all actual weather and forecasts are of course UTC/GMT and the bezel can be handy when you’re planning a flight. Some pilots are actually not great at math.
Так как мне отслеживание даже двух часовых поясов редко надо,то мне больше нравится безель с городами, бывает просто интересно посмотреть который час в другом месте... А вот про компас-действительно проще чем на обычном трёхстрелочнике.👍
So, a watch with an NH34 but no date is a bit weird -- the GMT hand can only be advanced forward and rotating the crown the other direction just ... does nothing?
Yeah it's got a ghost date position. I'd much prefer if they had gone with a date, but I suspect stylistically they thought a no date would make for a cleaner dial.
Thank you for your video. I love GMT watches. I owned three of them. I used the GMT watch to monitor the British Premier League time for watching. I am sitting in Hong Kong. For the Bezel, during the Olympic game, I move back one hour because it was happened in Paris. So simple. Ha ha.
Sir, Are there Japanese solar watches that have the legibility of the German pilot watches (easy to read)? The German Lago brand makes quartz pilot watches but aren't solar and require battery change. I have departed from mechanical watches because of the more accurate solar quartz movement. I am a subscriber that enjoys your unpretentious attitude. Be well and be safe, Val
Yes I own one gmt watch and quite a few non gmt watches and the gmt watch stays in the closet and I use my other watches I’m sorry that I bought the thing 😂
I just need an excuse to buy a GMT. I hate rotating bezels and can’t ever see the need for 90% of people to know the time in a third time zone - I certainly didn’t back when I travelled the world on a frequent basis. The watch just looks cleaner without a bezel. Personally I’d prefer to just have a watch markers against which you can read local time and home/GMT time. When I was in Washington DC I knew I was behind GMT so 22:00 in DC meant it was 03:00 in London so seeing the GMT hand at the 3 o'clock position when the local hour was at 10 o'clock would be good enough for me.
A good 24 hour bezel (preferably bi-directional) will get rid of most of the difference between a caller's and a traveler's GMT. Just set the GMT hand to actual GMT and use the rotating bezel to track a different time zone using the GMT offset. No need to hack and reset a traveler's GMT if you want to track home time and a 2nd time zone. I won't buy a GMT without a 24 hour rotating bezel.
I have 2 GMT watches, not naming the brands, which I just use to see home time. I don’t travel much anymore but I do like the colors on the watches, Pepsi and Batman.
A caller GMT is an inferior design for 3 reasons: 1. The rotating bezel makes a jumping GMT hand redundant 2. Changing timezones is a forward and BACKWARD adjustment issue: both for the date and the time: the caller GMT only adjusts the GMT hand and date in one direction only - really annoying if you going back a day 3. Caller GMTs have the same problem of regular watches where the date shouldn't be changed between 9pm and 3am and it's not good for the movement to adjust backward: restrictions that aren't good to have on a watch meant for changing timezones.
The ‘true’ gmt is not a ‘true’ gmt, but a pernicious marketing gimmick. The jumping hour hand is a ‘passenger’ gmt. Most of what passes for gmt watches generally are glorified dual-timers with gmt capability.
Re use as a compass: Local time used must not be daylight saving time.
Oooh, forgot to mention that! Japan doesn't have daylight savings so I always forget...
It only worked cause it was almost 12am. The correct way is to point the hour hand at the sun and then south is HALF WAY between the hour hand and 12am (1pm for daylight saving time).
@@enasnI127 My understanding is that you're describing the way you would use a normal, non-GMT as a compass. With a 24 hour GMT hand set to local time the GMT hand will point north with the hour hand pointed at the sun, and south will still be half way between the hour and the 12.
Worth saying that the watch trick will point to True North, too, not Magnetic North. I dunno what the magnetic declination is in Japan but I'd guess that's why the compass and GMT hand were offset.
Pilot here. What I do is just set the GMT hand to the GMT hour and the hour and minute to my home base time. Once abroad, I rotate the bezel for the GMT hand to match the local hour to be read on the bezel. I never reset or move the hour nor the GMT hand. I just rotate the bezel the way it was designed for. This is why the debate between the office (caller) vs traveller GMT doesn't make sense to me. You don't have to move the hour hand. This might even cause additional wear and tear to your watch. You only have to rotate the bezel!
I have both and I agree but there’s something oddly satisfying to jump that hour hand back and forth. I know I’m causing extra wear and sometimes in the wrong direction but I will give out before my watches at this point.
Doh.. I spent a whole 5-minutes writing a reply and now I see you've pretty much covered the "pilot stuff". However, I do reset my watches at top of climb, even for a short overnight and especially for a longer layover. Most pilots I observe, do it your way and just leave it on hometime. But with the true GMT function, it's just so easy. My older ETA "office caller" movements seemed to need service quicker (about 4 years) due to the wear and tear. So agreed on that.
@@duck853 thanks for sharing your experience. Those mechanical watches are made of so many tiny gears. Better not to mess them up by constantly changing the hour hand. Why not just rotate the bezel
@@erikdupont554 I totally agree after having to service my Fortis 3 times in 12-years. I've since stopped taking "office/caller GMTs" on the road and exclusively go to work with real GMT movements. Clicking the hour hand only has been a gamechanger and less wear and tear. Why? I just like to look at the watch and be able to tell the local time quickly the older I get. I'm a visual learning guy and seeing the hands without having to do the math suits me. It helps when going from zulu -7 to zulu +9 within 13-hours. I bought these things to use them. That includes the cost of servicing them.
Honestly, the older I get the less I use the GMT function on the flightdeck as the clock on the instrument panel is just as quick. I mostly use the GMT function on my watch now while in the hotel reading the OFP, NOTAMS, and other planning products before stepping to the crew van.
Very interesting! Thanks for that. I may try this
I've got 2 GMT watches, and have absolutely zero need for them. I just love them! Only family I have in a different time zone is only 1 hour ahead, no big deal. Especially since we never talk to them anyways!
I love this style of video. It's nice to watch a watch video that isn't about buying or not buying something.
GMT is the best complication in my mind. Simple, elegant, and doesn’t clutter anything.
Great video!
Not trying to be smug, I was baffled at RUclips videos talking about the GMT hand for "home time" when I first got into horology. To each their own. As a professional pilot my GMT hand was ALWAYS set on... wait for it, GMT. Exactly as you said, flight planning and every product we use is in Zulu or GMT. It took me only a year or so before I invested in a GMT watch instead of having to try to do the math in my head all the time.
Use the rotating bezel all the time. After awhile you memorize that Tokyo is +9, JFK is -4, and so on and you rotate as necessary. With the true GMT function I've given into setting "destination time" on the hour hand at top of climb now. It's nice to look at a glance to see what local time is where I'm landing.
that's because you're narrow minded. If one has no reason to ever need to know GMT time, then why on earth would they need to set the GMT hand to GMT? It would literally be stupid. However, because I am not narrow-minded, I totally get that someone who does need to reference GMT time, like a pilot, would set the GMT hand to GMT time. Just try a little harder to think in other people's perspective.
@@Phidz-x9h they wouldn't have a need or a reason to. You're absolutely correct. An open minded individual would be able to see how another person would have a different perspective aside from their own, wait... are we talking about your reply or me now? Hypocrisy would literally be stupid...
Great explanation of GMTs, Dave! I was a C-130 navigator in the USAF, & we would deploy to the desert every couple years for 4 months. A “caller” GMT sufficed for me…I’ve got a Squale 1545 GMT with a Sellita 330. When deployed, I’d keep the normal handset on local, the GMT hand on Zulu, & the bezel on Eastern back home.
I liked using an analog GMT watch better than a G-Shock with similar capability. I could see all the times at a glance with no button-pushing!
That's really cool! Always love hearing how people use their watches in real world situations!
Nice GMT that Squale 1545! I have the Squale Sub39 GMT, I use the hands in the same manner, GMT on Zulu for most of the time when not traveling, for reading logs, etc. When traveling I'll set it for local time for main hands and home or vice versa for GMT. Gonna explore using the bezel a bit more...
@@shrkys4 I really like that Sub39! Lately, though, I’ve been eyeing the black Super Squale with the beads of rice bracelet! I like a box crystal.
@@chriscon8463 you are onto something! that's a great one, very classy on the beads or rice bracelet...Squale is way underrated, I'm looking at the 1521 blue cosc,, saw one in person the other day, that blue dial was killer!! 🐬
I just moved into a new timezone and I opened RUclips to learn how to track 3 timezones on a watch. This video was right on top of my feed. Talk about timing! Thanks
If you use the same device that let you access YT, which is always with you and that you'll pick up if you need to know the time in 3 different zones ( I imply phone, videomeeting, email), it has an app that let you track 12 or maybe more different timezones at once
Very nice. Always enjoy a good lesson on watches. You and Professor Marc from Long Island Watch are my two favorite lecturers on watches. 👍🏼. Although the only use I have for a GMT is I set the GMT time to my daughter’s time zone and when I wear my GMT, it just reminds me of her.
Your channel has easily one of the best intro songs ever!
This is the most imformative video on GMT watches that I've seen. Thank you.
I've seen several youtube videos trying to "explain" how to use GMT complication. This is the first one that makes sense. Good job.
Couple of notes. I set my GMT hand to GMT and local hands to local time. I use my bezel to determine local time in another time zone, for instance, my in laws live just north of Busan. That's GMT +9. If I rotate the bezel so the 9 is positioned at the 12 o'clock position, the GMT hand points to the local time in Korea on the bezel. At the time I write this, it's a bit after 7 in the morning, so I could call and wish them a happy breakfast!
You can do the compass trick on any watch, honestly. You and I are in the Northern Hemisphere, so I will use that as an example. Point the regular old every day hour hand at the sun. Bisect the arc between the hour hand and 12 o'clock and that reveals due south. North is just the opposite of South. Learned that from a Ranger friend back in the old days of my Army career. 🙂
Dave, stop ,my God I'm so confused! Holy cow sounds like Chinese bingo ? All those numbers minus 3times 6 and then you move the gmt hand but move the bezel 3 clicks ........😮 Listen to yourself ,very few very few yeh that one guy who wrote the 500 word post can follow all this.lol
😂 dud I'm cracking up here. You still doing numbers. Hahahahahhaha I'm rolling on the floor. I had a friend listen a while he finally looked up and said what in the hell+*+$;'';+"+';';. Stick with the collecting and price and fun stuff. You gotta be the life of the party hahahhahaahh😅😮 I lost track of time as I thought i knew it.
You made carl Sagan's billions and billions of years seem like a 20 minute nap .
@@earldelsantothat made me giggle. I must confess to having no interest in the GMT functionality on my two GMT's I bought the first because it looks similar to a Grand Seiko that I love but isn't an exact copy, unfortunately it doesn't have a bidirectional 24 click bezel so I bought a Rolex GMT Master 2 homage clone copy because I've always li,ed the look of the Batman and it does have the fancy 24 click bidirectional bezel which I'll probably never move 🤣
Thanks for the feedback on the GMT. Just got my first GMT watch from Zelos using the 9075 movement. One thing different on mine, is the bezel has City names. Not a traveler at this time, hope to travel later sometime.
One of your best videos Dave. Great content. I have my GMT hand set for GMT time. I can then move the bezel to the time I want to know and leave the GMT hand alone. All mine GMTS are the 9075. I generally leave the hour hand alone, but its nice to have the option and its useful for daylight saving time. I'm totally fine with no date. I typically know what the date is or can look at my phone and it saves me from having to set a date if I haven't worn it in awhile. Definitely a plus with no quick set date.
Cool video! Don’t think I’ve ever seen one this comprehensive re: GMTs. Thank you!
Hey Dave, thanks for a great video! It’s great to see a video that covers something other than a new watch or how a NATO strap fits any watch you have. This video was very interesting and useful. I know it took a lot of time to put togetherand your viewers. Appreciate it. Peace.
I use my GMT watch for astronomical observations --- the "time zone" I set with the bezel is the Local Siderial Time (LST). Of course this runs slow by 4 minutes a day, but over the course of a single night it provides a useful quick reading of the LST.
I've been into watches for years. But only recently have started to learn some basic horology and watch collecting. I'd been thinking of adding a GMT to my collection. After learning from this video, I realize that I don't have a true use for a GMT at this time. Adding one to my collection would be for looks only. Thank you for this truly valuable education.
Pilot here.... I 100% agree. Exactly as it was designed - just rotate the bezel and your done - one quick glance from that point on....
Just when I'm beginning to think all bezels are superflous, you pull me back in. Thanks for this discussion. I've been enjoying the Timex Q GMT (black, w/silicone band, 38mm) as my daily for a while now.
Thanks!
Another Californian based in Japan? Me, too! *subscribed!*
Nice content, great sound and video finish, too.
Great video! Thx man! Totally appreciated. Btw, my wife & I happen to have customized Undone watches & we love ‘em. Nice use of one.
Celestial navigator here. Cel Nav is all based on the position of the heavenly bodies at GMT (UTC) time so the GMT hand always remains on GMT time. Also, a quartz mechanism is very helpful because 4 seconds of time error equals 1 nautical mile of error. It adds up on a 3-4 week transatlantic crossing.
One of the most informational watch videos I have seen. Awesome job.
"It's 4am in Japan and ... DEFINITELY NOT ...." hahaha😅😂😂. Great video Dave, still loving your channel. Keep up the good work.
Here's my favourite GMT tip: I always set my GMT hand to local time. So when I come back to my watch, and the power reserve has run out after a few days of being off my wrist, I know if the watch has stopped in AM/PM by looking at the GMT hand. I can then wind it up and set the date very quickly, knowing that I am in AM/PM.
When all other date only watches run out of power reserve, it is hard to know if you are in AM/PM, so you have to wind the date forward etc to get it right. The GMT hand makes setting up your watch from scratch really easy.
Simply one of the best videos on GMT functioning
What a useful video! Thank you for making and sharing it. Great job explaining what I have learned by trial and mostly error.😂
I've traveled quite a bit and as cool as a GMT analog watch is (I prefer analog watches myself), I use my Casio brick (5600 series) to see my required time zones. The main screen is set to my home time, then I set the world time (WT) mode screen to the 4 other needed time zones. 1: UTC, + 2, 3 & 4: to the other necessary time zones. If I am flying with a layover, I set my start home time, + my layover times and my final destination time. It is quick and easy to use and I can store 5 time zones on the watch. I always travel with at least two watches, my solar powered casio quartz and an automatic watch, which I set to wherever I am in the world.
I really missed this type of content from you!
You have a great channel
The only thing you left out for the actual adjustment direction of the bezel for various time zones is the acronym LARS - Left Add, Right Subtract. Great video though!
You can also use the bezel as a dive watch 1 hour timer as well as the bezel for a 24 hour timer.
Great video. Very educational.
Tips & tricks videos are really helpful. Thanks!
An important difference between traveler's and office GMT is the bezel on the former jumps on 1 hour increments, while the latter just moves freely. It is much easier to jump between timezones moving the bezel on 1 hour steps.
This ia why Seiko's SSK series of 5 Sports GMTs work so well for ne: as I don't frequently stray beyond my home time zone, a "caller" works best in my case, and having a 24-hour scale on both the dial/rehaut *and* rotating bezel, I can track two additional time zones without doing any head math. And, tge additional tricks you pointed out are neat as well.
its easier to set the time localy and back home as the GMT hand than deal with the bs, or get a 20 dual time casio, lol
@@rm9sbg93zxjzg Have two WT Casios, which I like, but something like the Seiko requires virtually zero button-pushing. Each has its own strengths.
I absolutely love watches, the high end watch brands are out of my budget but the AMZWATCH has literally an almost duplicate of every single watch on the market . Always a great but no matter your budget.
Great video, Dave! Thanks a lot. I love a GMT and have owned a few over the years. I wonder if you would consider talking about worldtimers at some point?
Most people hardly ever use the GMT or stopwatch etc - but I use my indiglo night light and easy-set alarm.
Hour hand is always local and GMT hand on UTC/GMT/Zulu with the bezel being adjustable for time zone differences.
It depends. If the GMT hand is set to local time when you point the 12 hour index to the sun, the GMT hand points to South (at least in the Southern hemisphere). So when you are not traveling the watch doubles as a compass. Regards
As an avoid hiker you don't need a GMT function to find North, South, east or west regardless of hemisphere
@@andrewhannam. heheh… anyway if you are not traveling, you usually know exactly where you are
Great video. Liked and Subscribed.
Very well explained; thank you 🤙🏾
Hi great channel. I'm in the UK and finding it really hard to get hold of a wise adamascus adz gmt . Any advice please
Nice tutorial video 😊😊😊
If you were correct concerning the use of either version…. What would be the point of having a rotating bezel? I’m with the pilot on this this one. Thanks for the video though.
WISE adamascus, what a beauty!
Got my first GMT so I'll watching this crash course later.
Thanks Dave, comprehensive.
Terrific video and great explanations, thanks.
I like my vostok K-65, using a vostok 2431 movement. The dial has 24 hours instead of a separate GMT hand. Its essentially an Vostok Amphibia with typical 200m dive watch capability but branded under Vostok Komandirskie.
Action packed tips, great video
Great explained, thanks for the video.
Think I spotted a typo at 18:25 trying to get a handle on this. The watch is reading 6:10 PM on the GMT hand, but marked as 6:10 AM reference time in the graphic. (Please correct me if I’ve got that wrong) Fun stuff though! New to the GMT function.
Use as a dive/minute timer, turn the dial triangle to the minute hand position and you have an indicator of when you started boiling your spaghetti.
Really useful before cell phones and interesting technology, but nowadays I simply have several clocks in my time setting; one for Casablanca, one for Cairo and one for Kuala Lumpur.
I have been really impressed with the Seestern S446 (S.S. bracelet, NH34). Clearly a homage to the Grand Seiko SBGM221; not that it comes close to the incredible dial textures and movement precision of the $8,000 GS. Nevertheless, the quality/fit/finish at its price point are incredible.
Mine has the black face with red GMT hand. Been wearing it for international business travel...terrific watch and, imho, a steal at only US$220.
i recently bought a Glycine 24hr GMT watch.. no GMT hands, but only used the bezel. but one can get confused easily as the watch hour hand only rotates once in a day, henced a 24hr watch. but he minute hand moved like normal minute hands…this is an interesting n cheap way to know ur 2nd time zone…
I’m considering getting the Bulova Oceanographer GMT Automatic with a black dial and gold-tone. Do you think this watch would give me more satisfaction in terms of value and quality, or should I explore other options? This is regarding the Wise GMT.
Besides travel, the subset of folks who are amateur (or 'ham') radio operators use UTC (commonly GMT) time for logging all radio contacts. So a GMT watch can be handy if you're operating portable and away from your normal radio home setup.
I recently hiked Mount Iwate, and at the peak there was a guy who had carried a portable ham radio up and was chatting with someone. He had a log book with him as I recall.
@@JusttheWatch Yes, that would have been a 'Peaks on the Air' activation. People climb to peaks, and try to contact operators on those peaks. Glad you bumped into him, it can get lonely up there!
I use the bezel to time when my washer and dryer are done.
That Basecamp Explorer looks nice. But the fact that the hour hand doesn't quite line up with the 12 o'clock hour marker and the GMT hand not pointing to the middle of two hour markers in the 30 min increment bothers the heck out of me.
I love a GMT watch, but my world operates on just four zones: US Eastern, US Central (local), US Mountain, and UTC. So I set the hands normally, and to get the time where family members are I just add or subtract one.
3:37 Is that an Undone BaseCamp? If so I can't find that grey dial colour - I can only see blue and black models and no option to customise the colour.
Surely a GMT should have a date function?
I agree. Not sure why they went with a ghost date here, but I would have preferred they kept the date visible.
I agree.
But don’t call me Shirley.
Very useful, but not strictly required. At least you don't mix up dates across the date line, when you don't have one.
@@vaclav_fejtthat is my rationale as well.
One thing. Date is based on local hand, not GMT.
At 9 min you should have had the bezel lined up! It’s a little off. Good video.
I think that the Caller/Office GMT is the better complication. I also think the Foliot Stratonaut is the best GMT in the past 4 years.
my san martin V6 is on the way!
Interesting, thanks 👍
Great tips
Well done
I am impressed more and more with your videos.
If I am in Iwata, would you be open to meeting up?
This is the clearest and most comprehensive GMT use video I have seen.
Bro, your username is Swiss Army Knife, and you want strangers on the net to meet you? HAHahahah
AWW HELL NAW!!
@the_shadow_realm5110
Your name is not exactly inviting either.
What makes a "true GMT" a pain is their is no quick date set... so.... have fun setting that.
Thanks for the in-depth review! I've got a question for you. I was wondering, for a watch that has a small 24-hr scale on the dial and a relatively abbreviated GMT hand, does it perhaps make more sense for the bezel to be printed with a 12-hour scale? That way, the third time zone can be read using the regular hour hand instead of the GMT. Or am I missing something?
I haven't seen that particular combination before, but in general I'm a big fan of 12 hour bezels, as they allow you to do a lot of the same things a GMT hand does, and as you mentioned, sometimes they're even easier to read.
Your explanation of the 3rd time zone was confusing as when you set the 2nd time zone (japan), you didn't start with the bezel at the 0h position, so the time you stated for japan wasnt readable, I then didn't actually understand the words that followed, and as the reference point was already mis-aligned, I didn't get it. I replayed the same section a few times, then gave up
Great video!! Question; why is the Undone watch does not have a date? Most of GMT watches have date. Considering the NH334 movement has a date, I wonder why they did not put a date. Not a critique, I am curious.
Not sure. I suspect they just like the look of a no date, but I much prefer the functionality of a date, especially on a GMT.
Another GMT use for pilots are all actual weather and forecasts are of course UTC/GMT and the bezel can be handy when you’re planning a flight. Some pilots are actually not great at math.
great video
Так как мне отслеживание даже двух часовых поясов редко надо,то мне больше нравится безель с городами, бывает просто интересно посмотреть который час в другом месте... А вот про компас-действительно проще чем на обычном трёхстрелочнике.👍
So, a watch with an NH34 but no date is a bit weird -- the GMT hand can only be advanced forward and rotating the crown the other direction just ... does nothing?
Yeah it's got a ghost date position. I'd much prefer if they had gone with a date, but I suspect stylistically they thought a no date would make for a cleaner dial.
So. Since Newfoundland is on the halfway point of hour does that mean I could not use a true GMT watch and only a caller GMT?
Thank you for your video.
I love GMT watches. I owned three of them.
I used the GMT watch to monitor the British Premier League time for watching. I am sitting in Hong Kong. For the Bezel, during the Olympic game, I move back one hour because it was happened in Paris. So simple. Ha ha.
It always amazes me how much beauty and precision are added to the parts of AMZWATCH's watch 99% of people will never see.
Sir,
Are there Japanese solar watches that have the legibility of the German pilot watches (easy to read)?
The German Lago brand makes quartz pilot watches but aren't solar and require battery change.
I have departed from mechanical watches because of the more accurate solar quartz movement.
I am a subscriber that enjoys your unpretentious attitude.
Be well and be safe,
Val
Not as minimal as a fllieger, but try googling "Citizen pilot watch". Examples CITIZEN Ray Mears, Citizen AW1830-88L Citizen Series 8
Still trying to figure out if im in the Northern or Southern hemisphere...
I've heard that Undone can get effed for quite a few reasons...
If you've had any problems with them, I'd be interested to hear what it was.
Honestly, It sounds like it would be a lot simpler to just do the math in your head on a normal watch.
yep, so true... I rather have the day/date than that GMT
Or get a Casio and have whichever time zone at the push of a button.
Yes I own one gmt watch and quite a few non gmt watches and the gmt watch stays in the closet and I use my other watches I’m sorry that I bought the thing 😂
This video makes it more complicated than it needs to be. Just leave it set to GMT. Use the bezel for offset. No need to adjust hands.
@@capohd28 Thank you 👍
I just need an excuse to buy a GMT. I hate rotating bezels and can’t ever see the need for 90% of people to know the time in a third time zone - I certainly didn’t back when I travelled the world on a frequent basis. The watch just looks cleaner without a bezel. Personally I’d prefer to just have a watch markers against which you can read local time and home/GMT time. When I was in Washington DC I knew I was behind GMT so 22:00 in DC meant it was 03:00 in London so seeing the GMT hand at the 3 o'clock position when the local hour was at 10 o'clock would be good enough for me.
A good 24 hour bezel (preferably bi-directional) will get rid of most of the difference between a caller's and a traveler's GMT. Just set the GMT hand to actual GMT and use the rotating bezel to track a different time zone using the GMT offset. No need to hack and reset a traveler's GMT if you want to track home time and a 2nd time zone. I won't buy a GMT without a 24 hour rotating bezel.
TBH I am more confused after watching this than I was before
I believe no man can say no to MAMACOO's watches
use to have their TERRA NIGHTFALL
You have a gmt but no date..Correct that's undone.
You can also use the bezel to time up to 24 hours, useful for a roadtrip
Ooo good one!
I have 2 GMT watches, not naming the brands, which I just use to see home time. I don’t travel much anymore but I do like the colors on the watches, Pepsi and Batman.
A caller GMT is an inferior design for 3 reasons:
1. The rotating bezel makes a jumping GMT hand redundant
2. Changing timezones is a forward and BACKWARD adjustment issue: both for the date and the time: the caller GMT only adjusts the GMT hand and date in one direction only - really annoying if you going back a day
3. Caller GMTs have the same problem of regular watches where the date shouldn't be changed between 9pm and 3am and it's not good for the movement to adjust backward: restrictions that aren't good to have on a watch meant for changing timezones.
thats why a 20$ duat time casio does it better
The ‘true’ gmt is not a ‘true’ gmt, but a pernicious marketing gimmick. The jumping hour hand is a ‘passenger’ gmt.
Most of what passes for gmt watches generally are glorified dual-timers with gmt capability.
This looks good....boderry GMT's are more affordable but are copies of Rolex Explorer II and SeaMaster. Undone is unique.
I feel like I’m in school and my brain already zoned out the teacher because he’s speaking Chinese