Time Around the World

Time Around the World

By Roberta Naas
 
Dating back to the dawn of time, the sun was the only indicator by which to estimate time. When it was directly overhead, it was noon. As the world’s people began to traverse the oceans, it became more and more important to recognize the existence of different time zones.

In 1883, standard time was fixed to prevent the differences of time that resulted in different localities around the world. In fact, it was the International Meridian Conference in Washington – in an effort to help establish guidelines for cohesive time zones globally -- decided to divide the Earth into 24 time zones according to longitude, with the Greenwich meridian as longitude zero (GMT). Each zone differs from the preceding and following zone by one hour. By referring to a map and making minimal calculations, seafarers and other adventurous travelers could calculate time differences, although these differences were of little significance to them at that time because travel was slow and communication was not instantaneous.

Many things have changed since 1884 when the standard took effect, including the number of zones in the world (some of which are on 15-minute or 30-minute time zone differentials). Recognizing the busy, world-travel paces in today’s lifestyles, the genius watchmakers at top brands have devised interesting and elaborate methods for the simultaneous readings of a second time zone, of multiple zones and even world-wide zones on a wrist watch.
 
Thanks to the creative innovations of watchmakers today, these coveted horological complications come in many forms. Essentially, a GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) watch offers either a second time zone on it, or a 24-hour indication with am/pm readout. Dual- and Triple-time zone watches offer alternative second or third time zone indications in a variety of ways. World time watches have the 24 different world time zones indicated on them (each zone referenced by a city name) and allow for instantaneous viewing of the time in any of the different zones in the world.

Not only do these timepieces provide a vast amount of information, but also they are doing so with new technology that makes the indications ever more inventive and easy to use, with many watches offering quick or instant-set buttons to allow for ease of changing time zones. Indeed, with operations that include city disks, day/night indicators and more, knowing the time from New York to Dubai and around the world has become almost as simple as a flick of the wrist.

Up until about a dozen years ago, most dual time zone watches were timepieces that featured either two faces on the main dial, one subdial on the main dial, or reversible dials (with the second time zone on the flip side of the watch). The past decade’s technology has allowed for more adventurous design, bringing forth the hidden hand, wherein the watch features traditional hour, minute and second hands, and has another hour hand tucked away beneath the top hour hand. The lower hand is the second time-zone indicator. Typically, to activate the second time-zone function, the wearer simply adjusts the lower hour hand, which is a different color than the others. The watch functions automatically until the wearer no longer needs the second time zone and then hides the hand away again. (Some of these designs also offer an instant set button that allows the wearer to change the hour of the second time-zone hand without moving the main hands.) Triple time zones have also become a reality, often with the third zone being read off of a digital display window or the bezel, as is the case with many 24-hour watches. These tools of the trade typically feature a 24-hour ring as the outer bezel, which indicates the time in third location.

World Timers have also come a long way so that today they feature disks that name the world’s key cities in each of the 24 zones, or have outer chapter rings or bezels that indicate this information. Throughout the past few years, several brands have even unveiled watches with 36 time zones on them – taking into account the areas of the world where 30-minute differences occur. In fact, Blancpain’s Villeret Time Zone 30 Minutes Half-Hunter watch is a half-hour time zone piece – a rare creation. This watch enables travelers to countries such as India, or Venezuela, where there is a half-hour time zone – to track the time as easily as one tracks it anywhere else in the world. The watch is simple to use with all adjustments off of the crown.

Also available are GMT or Universal Time watches that enable the wearer to calculate the time in any of the 24 time zones around the world. On wristwatches, GMT is indicated in a variety of ways, depending on the manufacturer, and typically requires some calculation on the part of the wearer.

Just unveiled at the 23rd edition of the Salon International d’ Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) was a host of elegant new multi-timers. Among them: Richard Mille’s newest 50mm World Time watch (whose bezel operates the world time indication); Ralph Lauren’s Sporting World Time watch (which is created with an alluring blue dial and blue strap that make it at once both rich and chic); Cartier’s Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon Second Time Zone (four years in the making); Montblanc’s new TimeWalker World Timer (with northern or southern hemisphere engraving on dial).

Jaeger-LeCoultre, celebrating its 180th anniversary this year, has also unveiled its newest Duometre Unique Travel Time watch. In typical Jaeger-LeCoutlre style, this timepiece is a superb work of craftsmanship and technology. The Duometre Unique Travel Time houses Jaeger-LeCoultre’s revolutionary Dual-Wing movement and, for the first time ever in a wristwatch, enables the wearer to adjust the time in the travel time zone to the nearest minute. The regulator dial of the watch features a subdial at 2:00 to display the hour and minute hand, and a subdial at 10:00 to offer the hours and minutes (in a jump-digit format) for the second time indication. A distinctive globe in a subdial at 6:00 offers the day/night indication.

So, for those who travel frequently (or like to say they do): fear not; a multi-time-zone watch that is perfect for you, exists.