A simple swipe of your smartphone may do the job, but why let modern technology get in the way of mechanical ingenuity and artisanship? For the globetrotting watch enthusiast who demands horological finesse, a multi-time zone watch is an indispensable travel companion.
Patek Philippe World Time Reference 5330G-001
Patek Philippe has been making world time watches since 1937, and the complication has been one of its strongest suits. Thus, it is no small matter that the brand hails this version as its new-generation offering.
The World Time Reference 5330G-001 boasts a more youthful demeanour compared to its predecessors. Its slim 40mm white gold case, gorgeous blue hues, decorative weave-style pattern on the dial and denim-embossed calfskin strap exude a fresh and almost sporty spirit.
This watch is also noteworthy for two reasons. First, it is Patek Philippe’s first world time watch with a date to enter serialised production. Second, it is equipped with an intelligent, patent-pending feature that allows the date display to be synchronised automatically with the local time. Definitely an invaluable companion when you travel.
Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1
There is an annoying inconvenience when you travel in Europe during a switch of the seasons. It’s called DST (daylight saving time) and it requires you to advance your watch by one hour during spring and set it back one hour in autumn—a system adopted in North America and Europe in 1966, ostensibly to maximise daylight hours.
This is not a problem, however, if you are among the eight watch aficionados who are lucky enough to own Bovet’s Récital 28 Prowess 1. The world’s first mechanical watch to circumvent the problem posed by DST, it allows you to set its world time display to any of the 24 global time zones, including Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), European and American summertime, and European wintertime.
Not only that, the Récital 28 Prowess 1’s hand-wound movement is equipped with a double-sided flying tourbillon that’s poised at the top of the dial, and a perpetual calendar that automatically calculates and shows the date, leap year and the month on a special slot machine-style roller display.
Cartier Santos de Cartier Dual Time
Considering that the Cartier Santos was created by Louis Cartier for his buddy, Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian engineering and aviation buff, it feels appropriate for the brand to finally introduce a two-time zone complication to the collection.
Awash in sleek silver tones and brandishing all the design hallmarks of the Santos collection, from its unmistakable square case to the riveted bezel and bracelet, the Santos de Cartier Dual Time is a welcome and familiar sight for its fans.
The second time zone is displayed via a subdial at 6 o’clock in 12-hour format, making it easy to ascertain and adjust. To make switching between styles effortless, the bracelet can be easily swapped for its accompanying grey alligator leather strap at a push of a button thanks to Cartier’s patented QuickSwitch system. Great for staying stylish when you travel.
Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Carbo2
An adventure-inspired watch for those with, well, adventurous tastes in watches, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Carbo2 will certainly catch your fancy. Montblanc introduced the zero-oxygen Geosphere model in 2023—meaning that the watches were assembled with all oxygen extracted from the case and movement to prevent fogging and oxidisation—but this year’s creation takes things a step further.
The Carbo2 suffix in the watch’s name refers to the case material. Appearing matte black with a hint of wood grain-like texture, the case is made of titanium and a carbon fibre-based material that incorporates CO2 reclaimed from the biogas production and mineral waste produced by recycling factories. It remains to be seen if there are performance benefits of Carbo2 compared to regular forged carbon cases, but the execution is novel and puts an environmentally conscious spin on Montblanc’s manufacturing process.
As for the world-time indicators, the watch features Montblanc’s unique globular indicators on the dial—two displays symbolising the northern and southern hemispheres, each framed by a 24-hour scale with day/night indication.
