GMT & World Time

A Universal Genève Unisonic Sub, A Longines Comet, A Vintage Seamaster And The Most Beautiful Chronograph Ever Made

Happy Friday, everyone, and I hope you're all staying busy during summer's dog days, perhaps seeing The Odyssey or reading about Milsubs (please note I'm including that not because I have any dog in that fight, just found it interesting). Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Hermès Caleche sold, the Angelus chronograph passed, the Rolex GMT Master II SARU remains available, as does the Bulova White Princ. The Goldberger collection auctions tomorrow. Strays Photo courtesy Weiss Auctions. If you're into impossible projects, here's a decent-looking Heuer 3647T that's missing its outer seconds track. If you know your Carreras, you know that track's actually a tension ring, and you likely also know it's gonna be quite a search indeed to find another, but here at BAL, we scoff at impossible projects. If you'd prefer to chase your own vintage Tudor Ranger rather than buy one of the ones highlighted two weeks back, have at it. For the completist who'd like every last horological oddity, I present this Pigeon Timer. I'm including this Movado M90 not because it's without flaw, but because it's already been bid up to $3750 at the time of writing, which seems high for what's likely mostly a parts watch (that dial can't be original, right?). Please, experts,  weigh in in the comments. Finally, here's a wonderful Omega Ranchero. A few weeks back I highlighted an Omega Railmaster (there's another of those up this week, too). I'm highlighting each of them simply because they're so often...

The New Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT Offers the Perfect Mix of Charm and Function

Hands-On: The Haim Watch Co. Annum

Haim Watch Company, a Chicago-based microbrand, marked its fifth anniversary in 2025 by introducing an intriguing new timepiece called the Annum. I first saw the watch last fall at the WindUp Watch Fair in New York City, where the brand's founder, M. Zakir Miah, brought along a prototype that immediately caught my attention. Visitors at the event received a sneak peek of the Annum alongside previous creations like the Viajero worldtimer, a model I reviewed last year. Since that initial preview, the Annum has undergone a bit of an evolution, including a subtly redesigned case and a few small tweaks to the dial. In its final iteration, the Annum offers a compelling complete calendar watch that punches well above its weight and continues what Haim Watch Company has achieved with its Viajero: creative, supremely wearable takes on complications that stand out the price point. The Annum comes in three dial variations. "Dark Cobalt" and "Stone White" are solid-colored dials with a sunken-in CNC guilloché center section and applied hour markers on the grained outer dial ring. But when it was time to pick which variant I'd spend some time with for this hands-on, it was the semi-transparent "Fumée" dial that I wanted to see, and it wasn't even close. From afar, the Fumée iteration reminds me of the dials of great skeletonized perpetual calendars of old, thanks to the display of the module underneath the smoked PVC (plastic) dial. On this dial, the subdial rings and minutes track ...

Get Out On The Green With The New Vaer G2 Fairway GMT

Confession time: I hardly ever play golf anymore. With my busy schedule, tennis has completely taken over. But when a dedicated golf watch landed on my desk, it was a great reminder that I should play more. The Vaer G2 Fairway GMT is a clever golf watch with a bezel that lets you keep track […] Visit Get Out On The Green With The New Vaer G2 Fairway GMT to read the full article.

First Look - The Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT HBC001 and HBC002

Over the past year, Seiko has refined its Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT with several editions, including the 60th Anniversary SPB509 and the SPB534 Seashadow. Following the white-dialled SPB519, the latest additions, the non-limited references HBC001 and HBC002 in classic black or green colourways, offer the familiar design of the 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT with […]

Photo Report: Tudor and Red Bull Take to the Skies

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being in the watch industry, it’s that you never know when you’ll have the opportunity to do something unique, and that saying “yes” to something without having all of the details might result in a rare, or even once in a lifetime experience. With that in mind, let me set the stage for how I found myself 1,000 feet above Manhattan in a 1958 DC-6B, piloted by The Flying Bulls. Early this month, I received a rather vague invitation to a ”Red Bull Flying Bulls thing with Tudor” immediately after returning from our Chicago Windup Watch Fair, and that it “involves a very early morning flight on a very old plane”. While I’d usually ask a million questions and try to get every detail that I could before committing to something, in the interest of being just a touch more spontaneous, I couldn’t respond “I’m intrigued, count me in” fast enough.  As we got closer to the event, I’d come to learn that the “old plane” in question was a beautifully restored 1958 DC-6B and the “very early morning” meant arriving at the Meatpacking Tudor Boutique at 7 AM. Once everyone arrived, our small crew began heading up to White Plains FBO, which I later learned was named Million Air. Not long into the ride, we were presented with a briefcase of loaner watches, ranging from the Tudor Ranger in 36mm “Dune” and 39mm “Black”, or the Black Bay 58 GMT on either the new five link bracelet or classic rubber strap. While...

Seiko 5 GMT vs Vaer G2 Meridian: Hands-on Affordable GMT Watch Showdown

We compare the Seiko 5 GMT and Vaer G2 Meridian after hands-on testing to see which affordable GMT better balances character, comfort, and travel-ready practicality.

Introducing Bell & Ross BR-03 GMT Green Lum

Bell & Ross expands their BR-03 Collection with a new GMT in Green Lum. Press Release information with our commentary and link back to other models.

Best GMT Watches Under $650 We’ve Reviewed and Recommend

Explore the best GMT watches under $650. Use our hand-tested insights to learn how they perform, where they compromise, and what long-term ownership looks like.

Nodus and Raven Collaborate on their Fourth TrailTrekker

Nodus and Raven have collaborated once again for their fourth edition of their popular TrailTrekker watch, a sporty GMT with EDC design codes. This new release is perhaps the most EDC oriented yet, with the prominent use of forged carbon fiber front and center on the dial and bezel, as well as lots of decorative lume. It also represents the first time a TrailTrekker has crossed the thousand dollar mark, but this one feels like it’s a step up in terms of its ambition, and seeing all four on the Nodus website side by side, it’s clear the two brands are building out a product line that can be taken in a number of different directions going forward.  The new TrailTrekker Carbon maintains certain core design elements that Nodus and Raven have always adhered to with these watches. The basic principle is relatively simple: it combines the Nodus Contrail’s sporty case profile with Raven’s dial design (most notably in their Trekker series) that prioritizes legibility and functionality above all else. Each TrailTrekker, including the new Carbon version, also makes use of the Miyota 9075 GMT movement, an easy to operate “true” GMT that is a genuinely great option for travel.  A huge part of the appeal of the original TrailTrekker was its unique bead blasted “Clay” colored case finishing. This new edition appears to have a similar vibe, with a gray DLC treatment over the steel case and bracelet that is just a shade or two lighter than solid black. Nodus and Raven hav...

The Best Microbrand GMT Watch Just Got A Forged-Carbon Glow-Up

Nodus and Raven put forged carbon on the TrailTrekker's bezel and dial, with a lume trick and a $1,075 price. Here's what the fourth chapter changes.

The Nodus x Raven TrailTrekker Carbon pairs forged carbon with a luminous surprise

Nodus x Raven collaborate once more for the TrailTrekker Carbon, combining a forged carbon dial and bezel with a true travellers GMT movement

The Timex Marlin Jet Goes Titanium With a New Affordable GMT

Timex's new Marlin Jet Titanium Automatic GMT pairs a lightweight titanium case with dual-time tracking for $549. Here's what stands out.

The Business of Watches Podcast: Guido Terreni (Chief Executive Officer, Parmigiani Fleurier)

This week on The Business of Watches, we're talking to the leader behind one of the strongest turnaround stories in the industry in recent years. Guido Terreni joined Parmigiani Fleurier as CEO in January 2021 from Bulgari and has overseen a dramatic transformation in the design, style, and fortunes of the brand founded by master watchmaker and restoration expert Michel Parmigiani in 1996, with backing from the Sandoz Family Foundation. Under Terreni's guidance, Parmigian Fleurier has been transformed. Striving to convey the concept of "private luxury," the brand has released a series of surprising, elegant, technically innovative, and yet restrained timepieces under its Tonda PF and Toric model lines.  The brand has done nothing less than reimagine and reinterpret classic complications, including the GMT and, most recently, the Tonda PF Chronograph Mysteriéux, which stole the show, for many, at this year's Watches and Wonders.  In a wide-ranging conversation, Terreni unveils the philosophy behind the brand's discreet aesthetic and the structure behind its manufacture and organization. We discuss retail, production, and design concepts aimed at taking Parmigiani Fleurier to the next level in the hyper-competitive luxury space.   There's plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we'll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an epis...

New: Federique Constant Classics Runabout Automatic GMT

Federique Constant exteds their tributo to Carlo Riva boats with two new references with automatic GMT movements in their Classics collection.

Introducing - The new Bell & Ross BR-03 GMT Green Lum

Known mostly for its military-inspired and pilot’s watches from the BR-01 and BR-03 series, the emblematic circle-within-a-square design, Bell & Ross has long mastered the use of luminescent materials, either to amplify functionality or to create striking models. All marketed under the Lum series, this ample use of Super-LumiNova has become a signature and is […]

Fashionably Early For The America’s Cup 2027: Panerai Launches Two New Luminor Luna Rossa Watches

With just less than a year to go until the 38th America’s Cup heads to Naples, Panerai unveils two new Luminor Luna Rossa watches. The 44mm Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono PAM01768, featuring a tachymeter scale, is for the navigator, and the 40mm Luminor Luna Rossa GMT PAM01791 is for the frequent-traveling captain…well, maybe. First and […] Visit Fashionably Early For The America’s Cup 2027: Panerai Launches Two New Luminor Luna Rossa Watches to read the full article.

Introducing - The Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa Chrono PAM01768 and Luna Rossa GMT PAM01791

As the countdown to the 38th America’s Cup in Naples continues, Panerai is once again turning to one of its most successful partnerships of recent years. Since teaming up with Luna Rossa in 2019, Panerai has made the partnership into a proving ground for its modern sports watches. That has given us a series of […]

Introducing - The Handsome Andersen Genève Communication 45 Returns in Platinum

Talking about Svend Andersen and only focusing on the world time complication would be truly reductive of the man’s career. One of the most discreet and yet most revered watchmakers of the independent scene, a founding member of the AHCI, Andersen founded his atelier in 1980, after working for Gübelin, where he got the chance to […]

Hands-On: the Split GMT

The longer I navigate my watch journey, the more I realize it’s a bit like dating. You get a press kit and metaphorically swipe left or right in a very judging-the-book-by-its-cover type of way. The aesthetics are often the first thing to draw you in and make you curious or to turn you away. In either case, as a good journalist, I’m usually compelled to read the press release and gather a bit more information, skim the profile if you will. I can fully admit aesthetics are highly subjective, but substance is vital. Still, I can’t fully assess a watch without going hands-on. Images can either disappoint or not quite do justice to a design, and the promises spelled out in specs need to be put to the test. Seeing a watch is the real make or break moment to determine if we’re a perfect match. I recently went through this dating ritual with Split watches, a London-based independent brand making its U.S. debut with a new GMT. A few things really stood out to me when I first received the announcement. The look of the watches was interesting, combining unique design elements, shapes, and colors. Reading about the vision behind the design was poetic, drawing from elements of music and nature – two of my favorite sources of inspiration. The watches are powered by the Miyota 9075 true GMT movement – calibers I’ve developed even more appreciation for after visiting Citizen’s movement factory earlier this year.  Beyond the watches themselves, I was equally impressed wit...

Seiko Expands the 5 Sports Field Affordable GMT With Two Military-Inspired Dials

The Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT gets two military colorways in Khaki Drill and Desert Sand. Here's what changed and what didn't.

The 5 Best GMT Watches of 2026 So Far

The best GMT watches of 2026 so far are compact and attainable. Seiko, Citizen, Timex, Unimatic, and Christopher Ward all delivered—here are our 5 picks.

Frederique Constant Adds A GMT Watch To The Classics Runabout Limited Series

Frederique Constant brings a GMT to its Riva-inspired Classics Runabout for 2026. Two dials, 888 pieces each, and a dressier take on the water watch.

First Look - The Norqain Freedom GMT Enjoy Life “Holiday” also Comes with a Golden Ticket to an Island Paradise

Norqain has never been afraid to inject colour and fun into its robust sports watches. The new Freedom GMT Enjoy Life “Holiday” is one of the brand’s most playful creations. Based on the Freedom GMT and its true GMT movement made by Kenissi, this new 500-piece edition is a colourful celebration of holidays, adventures, and […]