What size GMT watch should I get?

The median GMT watch in our catalog is 40 mm across with a 47.7 mm lug-to-lug and 12.9 mm thick. Lug-to-lug matters more than case size: for an ideal fit, keep it under 47.2 mm on a 6.5" wrist or 55.1 mm on a 7.5" wrist.

How much does a good GMT watch cost?

The 33 current GMT watches in our catalog run from $269 to $17,750 list, with a median of $2,790. The cheapest is the Timex Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000.

What is the smallest-wearing GMT watch?

By lug-to-lug, the Farer Lander IV GMT 36mm W-LCL at 41.2 mm, followed by the Doxa SUB 250T GMT Professional 855.10.351.10 at 42.9 mm.

Are most GMT watches automatic?

97% of the GMT watches in our catalog with a known movement are mechanical (automatic or hand-wound); the rest are quartz or solar.

What does GMT stand for?

Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, which was the world's reference time zone before UTC replaced it. On a watch it just means a second time zone.

GMT watches

A GMT watch shows a second time zone with an extra hour hand that goes around the dial once every 24 hours, read against a 24-hour scale on the bezel or the dial. Set it to home time, and the main hands can follow you wherever you land.

Current models

Median case

40 mm

Median lug-to-lug

47.7 mm

Median list price

$2,790

What makes a GMT watch

A fourth hand, usually an arrow, that makes one rotation a day
A 24-hour scale on the bezel or dial; a rotating bezel adds a third time zone
On a 'flyer' GMT the local hour hand jumps in one-hour steps without stopping the watch; on an 'office' or 'caller' GMT the 24-hour hand is the one you adjust
Often a two-color bezel that splits day from night, the Pepsi and Batman nicknames

Rolex made the GMT-Master in 1954 for Pan Am pilots crossing time zones, and its red-and-blue bezel became a design shorthand for the complication. Affordable automatic GMTs were rare until the 2010s; now Seiko, Tudor and several microbrands make flyer movements well under Rolex money.

Case sizes

36–38 mm1
38–40 mm12
40–42 mm9
42–44 mm9
44–46 mm2

Case width of the 33 current GMT watches in our catalog, from 17 brands. Of those with a known movement, 97% are mechanical.

Seiko 5 Sports SKX Sports Style GMT SSK003 — Live eBay listings for picks below. Photos from eBay.

Orient Kamasu GMT RA-BC0001B30B — Live eBay listings for picks below. Photos from eBay.

Best GMT watches under $500

Watch	Case	Lug-to-lug	Thick	Water	Movement	List price	eBay median
Seiko 5 Sports SKX Sports Style GMTSSK003	42.5 mm	46 mm	13.6 mm	100 m	Automatic	$495	$495
Orient Kamasu GMTRA-BC0001B30B	42.8 mm	49.5 mm	13.4 mm	200 m	Automatic	$495	$431
Timex Q Timex GMT 38mmTW2V38000	38 mm	—	12.5 mm	50 m	—	$269	—
Dan Henry 1963 Pilot GMT 'Pepsi'MicrobrandDH63-K11	42.5 mm	50 mm	13.9 mm	100 m	Automatic	$390	—

Best GMT watches from $500 to $1,500

Watch	Case	Lug-to-lug	Thick	Water	Movement	List price	eBay median
Seiko Presage Style60's GMTSSK009	40.8 mm	47 mm	13 mm	50 m	Automatic	$650	$695
Boldr Odyssey HorizonMicrobrandODY-TI-40-H-BL	40 mm	48 mm	13 mm	300 m	Automatic	$799	—
Lorier Hyperion GMTMicrobrandHYP3-BLK-DT-BRAC	39 mm	46 mm	12.2 mm	100 m	Automatic	$799	—

Best GMT watches from $1,500 to $5,000

Watch	Case	Lug-to-lug	Thick	Water	Movement	List price	eBay median
Grand Seiko Sport 9F GMTSBGN027	39 mm	45.9 mm	12.3 mm	200 m	Quartz	$3,700	$3,461
Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver's GMTSPB381	42 mm	48.6 mm	12.9 mm	200 m	Automatic	$1,500	$1,500
Longines Spirit Zulu Time 42mmL3.812.4.63.6	42 mm	49.2 mm	13.9 mm	100 m	Automatic	$3,550	$2,650
Farer Lander IV GMT 36mmMicrobrandW-LCL	36 mm	41.2 mm	11 mm	100 m	Automatic	$1,575	—
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT 39mmMicrobrandC63-39AGM4-S00B0-B0	39 mm	45 mm	11.3 mm	150 m	Automatic	$1,620	—
Monta AtlasMicrobrand168CH00SB	38.5 mm	47 mm	10.7 mm	150 m	Automatic	$2,150	—

Best GMT watches over $5,000

Watch	Case	Lug-to-lug	Thick	Water	Movement	List price	eBay median
Rolex Sky-Dweller336934	42 mm	50 mm	14.1 mm	100 m	Automatic	$17,750	$25,565
Tudor Black Bay ProM79470	39 mm	47.2 mm	14.6 mm	200 m	Automatic	$5,075	$4,295
Grand Seiko Elegance GMTSBGM221	39.5 mm	46.9 mm	13.7 mm	—	Automatic	$5,400	$5,045
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M GMT Worldtimer 43220.10.43.22.03.001	43 mm	50.3 mm	14.1 mm	150 m	Automatic	$11,200	$8,950
Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 44A32320101B1X1	44 mm	53 mm	12.1 mm	300 m	Automatic	$5,550	$3,600

One watch per brand in each price range, ordered by how many are listed on eBay right now, a rough measure of what people buy. List prices are manufacturer prices in US dollars.

Shortest lug-to-lug

Farer Lander IV GMT 36mm41.2 mm
Doxa SUB 250T GMT Professional42.9 mm
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT 39mm45 mm
Farer Lander IV GMT 39.5mm45 mm
Grand Seiko Sport 9F GMT45.9 mm

Thinnest

Monta Atlas10.7 mm
Doxa SUB 250T GMT Professional10.8 mm
Farer Lander IV GMT 36mm11 mm
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT 39mm11.3 mm
Farer Lander IV GMT 39.5mm11.3 mm

GMT watches by wrist size

Cheaper alternatives to the icons

Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives

Questions

What size GMT watch should I get?: The median GMT watch in our catalog is 40 mm across with a 47.7 mm lug-to-lug and 12.9 mm thick. Lug-to-lug matters more than case size: for an ideal fit, keep it under 47.2 mm on a 6.5" wrist or 55.1 mm on a 7.5" wrist.
How much does a good GMT watch cost?: The 33 current GMT watches in our catalog run from $269 to $17,750 list, with a median of $2,790. The cheapest is the Timex Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000.
What is the smallest-wearing GMT watch?: By lug-to-lug, the Farer Lander IV GMT 36mm W-LCL at 41.2 mm, followed by the Doxa SUB 250T GMT Professional 855.10.351.10 at 42.9 mm.
Are most GMT watches automatic?: 97% of the GMT watches in our catalog with a known movement are mechanical (automatic or hand-wound); the rest are quartz or solar.
What does GMT stand for?: Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, which was the world's reference time zone before UTC replaced it. On a watch it just means a second time zone.