Dual time Watches

For more than 180 years, Baume et Mercier has been creating iconic collections that combine design, elegance, and fine watchmaking. Creations that have evolved with the rise of society, expansion of travel, and a need to read the time simultaneously in several places around the world.  

The time zone watch continues to fascinate enthusiasts with its practicality. Since the 1950s, watchmakers have imagined various timepieces equipped with this complication, employing various names:  GMT, UTC, and dual time.  Their main differences?  In typical vocabulary, the acronym GMT, which stands for "Greenwich Mean Time", designates the mean time in Greenwich, the meridian which crosses the royal observatory of Greenwich in England. In watchmaking, so-called GMT watches are those whose dial indicates a second time zone, other than that of the wearer, without necessarily being that of Greenwich. However, this term has theoretically not been used since 1972, instead being replaced by UTC, which stands for “Coordinated Universal Time”.

Historically, equipped with two movements and two separate dials, watches with dual time zones now only use a single movement, equipped with a correction mechanism for the second hour hand. For the sake of readability and ease of use, most of these timepieces display the additional time zones with hands distinguished by their color or shape, or via an aperture. 

Appearance-wise, the GMT/UTC watch is easily recognizable. It features a second central hour hand, independent of the first, to indicate the chosen additional time. Some timepieces see the GMT hand moving on a discreet 24-hour scale, which helps to simplify the dial and avoid potential confusion between day and nighttime. 

The dual time zone watch was initially of great use to the aviation professionals who developed it. Its success went on to transcend borders, seducing globe trotters and frequent business travelers. The function allows them to indicate both a reference time and local time. No more jet lag confusion! An advantage that is further facilitated by the practicality of its adjustment. For GMT watches, the main time is set independently of the reference time, at the crown.

Dual time watches from Baume et Mercier focus on useful functions and the Maison’s athletic spirit, embodied by the Clifton Club GMT and its contemporary yet classic look. Set on a steel bracelet or black calfskin strap, the time of the second time zone is read by a central hand over 24 hours on a gradient blue aluminum bezel. Beating to the rhythm of an automatic movement, it has many assets, including a date aperture at 3 o'clock, blue Superluminova hands, and a 42-hour power reserve. An athletic DNA that evokes both refinement and exception. Baume et Mercier also has two other dual time models within the Classima collection. On the Classima Dual Time 10482, the second time zone can be read using a red hand that indicates the time on a 24-hour gradient scale. In all simplicity, the silver part indicates the hours of the day, while the blue part is devoted to the hours of the night. Features that can be found on the timeless Classima Dual Time 10483, a model that also boasts a steel bracelet.  

Baume et Mercier unites style and sophistication for a measurement of time that transcends borders.