9 of the best world time watches for globetrotters and desk jockeys alike

Jamie Weiss

In the watch world, practical solutions often evolve into intricate complications. Back in the late 1800s, Swiss watchmaker Emmanuel Cottier tackled a challenge posed by the Canadian Railway: tracking time across multiple time zones during cross-country journeys. Although Emmanuel’s initial attempt fell short, his son Louis – also a prize-winning watchmaker – turned the idea into reality in 1931 with the heures universelles complication. It featured a rotating 24-hour ring displaying various time zones, framed with different locations across different time zones.

Patek Philippe went on to commission Cottier to create the brand’s first world timer wristwatch, the reference 515, and thus the problem was solved. Other brands followed suit, producing their own world timers with Cottier’s input. Today, this solution lives on in what we call “world time” watches, or “world timers”. Here are some of the best on the market.

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Worldtimer

As broad as the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra range is – encompassing a kaleidoscope of case materials, dial colours and layouts – it contains surprisingly few true complications. The Aqua Terra 150M Worldtimer is a standout, however. The Aqua Terra 150M World Timer is a 43mm sports watch, embodied in the classic Aqua Terra case shape, featuring svelte, twisted lugs and refined finishing throughout. For most world timers, the most important part is the dial, with some going overboard with the amount of detail and information, leading to confusion, and ultimately creating something that fails to draw the right attention. Omega, however, nailed this dial, with all the required information laid out so that it’s not distracting or gaudy.

Not everyone is a fan of having colourful world maps on their wrist, but with the Aqua Terra 150M World Timer, it’s managed in a way that’s subtle enough to be a pleasant detail, rather than the main event. The topographic map of Earth, viewed from a North Pole position, is carefully executed via a process called laser ablation, gradually chiselling away at the titanium dial material with a laser beam. Pretty high-tech stuff. Inside, the watch is fitted with the Calibre 8938 movement, a METAS-approved master chronometer. So, not only are you getting an exceptional world time watch, but it’s also tested to much higher standards than most COSC-certified pieces. Price: US$9,900 (Summer Blue, on rubber).

Chopard L.U.C Time Traveller One Black

World timers are inherently intricate complications: they display a lot of information, and consequently, their dials can often be a bit confusing to look at. Throw additional complications into the mix, and things can get even more distracting. The Chopard L.U.C Time Traveller One Black’s concentric design, however, solves this problem: despite featuring a monochromatic colour scheme and date hand, it’s an easy-to-read, mature and contemporary take on a world timer.

The case itself is simple and contemporary, at 42mm by 12mm and fits nicely on the wrist. Being ceramised titanium, it’s also lightweight and sporty – perfect for the rigours of international travel. Underneath the dial sits an L.U.C 01.05-L calibre, a COSC-certified movement with a 60-hour power reserve. Price: US$17,600.

Patek Philippe Complications 5231G

As mentioned in our intro, Patek Philippe’s relationship with world timers goes way back. These complications are favourites amongst collectors and enthusiasts and represent some of the most important watches in the brand’s history. We couldn’t complete this list without looking at the incredible Patek Philippe 5231G, a white gold piece with a dial so recognisable that you could remove the brand name from the watch, and most people would know what this watch is.

The dial itself is a grand feu cloisonné enamel dial, created by hand by a highly skilled artisan adding gold and enamel to depict Southeast Asia and Oceania in stunning detail. Not many dials see this kind of care and attention, and it’s easy to see why – it’s beautiful. The movement is the hand-finished, self-winding Calibre 240 HU, with a pusher at the 10 o’clock position for time zone selection. At 38.5mm in diameter and 10.23mm in height, the 5231 is subtly sized, which is impressive considering its complication. If you appreciate the complexity and aesthetics of a world timer, you’ll have a tough job finding something that beats this. Price: US$92,150.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf World Time

World time complications are typically associated with high-end watchmaking – however, not all world timers are completely inaccessible to the Average Joe. Case in point: the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf World Time, which is based on the design of the Swiss brand’s heritage Super Sea Wolf platform, swapping out the watch’s usual unidirectional diving bezel for a bidirectional bezel listing the traditional world time cities and adding in a GMT hand.

Decked out in an archival reissue colourway, under the hood beats an updated Soprod C125 automatic movement. It maintains much of its dive watch credentials, too, boasting a 200m water resistance rating, screw-down crown and foldover clasp. Price: US$1,996, available from the Time+Tide Shop.

Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1

You know how I was saying that world timers are sometimes a bit complicated? This Bovet steps things up further, being the first world timer that can mechanically adjust for daylight savings time. Specifically, Bovet covers most of its client base with adjustments for American and European daylight savings. You can have either, both, or none of them active, allowing for reliable time conversion between American and European locations at any time of the year. (If your country uses daylight savings and isn’t covered, like Australia, then you still have to make the adjustment in your head. Quel dommage.)

Cramming a perpetual calendar and a brand new form of world timer into a wristwatch was never going to be easy, so you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that this is quite a big watch: its diameter comes in at 46.3mm and at its tallest, the height is a whopping 17.85mm. The price tag is similarly big, making this a world timer that’s truly for the jet-set. Price: US$650,000.

Nomos Zürich

World timers are inherently somewhat maximalist – so here’s a minimalist take on a world timer. The Zürich from Nomos is dripping in Bauhaus cool, featuring a pared-back design where the world time disc runs in a deep channel cut into the watch’s dial, the date wheel stacked on top and running beneath the small seconds indicator at 6 o’clock, which cantilevers out over the “ditch”. It’s aesthetically restrained, but still extremely legible.

Powered by the in-house Calibre DUW 5201, a pusher at 2 o’clock allows the wearer to advance the world time disc city by city. At 39.9 mm in diameter and just under 11 mm tall, this is one of the most discreet mechanical world timers one can wear and a personal favourite of mine. Price: US$6,100.

Bulgari Octo Roma WorldTimer

In 2021, Bulgari added the WorldTimer to its Octo Roma collection, and in doing so, created one of the more unique pieces in this list. The Octo Roma is a more circular watch than the Octo Finissimo, lacking the octagonal dial shape, in favour of a traditional circular shape inside the bezel. This works well with the concentric dial details of the WorldTimer, such as the 24 cities and rotating 24-hour ring. Inside sits the BVL 257 automatic movement that operates at 4Hz with 42hrs of power reserve. You can admire the nicely finished movement through the sapphire crystal caseback.

Available in brightly brushed stainless steel with a blue dial (as pictured here), or a DLC-coated satin black finish with a black dial, the case is 41mm wide and 11mm thick, with a choice of a stainless steel bracelet or black rubber strap depending on the colour you go for. A fun touch is that Bulgari has eschewed some of the traditional world time cities for its own picks – for instance, using Rome to denote Central European Time, while luxurious St. Barth indicates the time in the Caribbean. Price: US$9,150.

Farer Roché II

Named after Anthony de la Roché, an English merchant and explorer, the Farer Roché II is a recently-refreshed take of the British brand’s popular and affordable Roché world timer, which features shortened hands to make reading the world time ring easier and a more efficient Sellita SW330-1 ‘Elaboré’ movement. Farer has upped the concentricity factor with the design of this watch, with the Roché II featuring a rotating 24-hour disc at the centre of its dial.

Unlike most world timers – which typically eschew using too much lume in favour of a dressier look – the Farer Roché II is positively incandescent, with the city and 24-hour discs both coated in bright blue Super-LumiNova, flanking the watch’s lume block indices and numerals. This gives this Farer an almost tool-watch-like appeal, as well as a distinct aesthetic. Price: US$1,695.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone

 

Technically one of the younger brands in this list, A. Lange & Söhne makes up its years of obscurity with refinement. The Lange 1 Time Zone stands proudly as one of the most highly refined world time watches available, and it’s an uncanny implementation of a practical complication. The dial is somewhat busy at first glance, with numerous sub-dials, markers, and hands – but the more you study the dial, the more it makes sense. Everything is placed in a certain way to deliver critical information about local time and home time, and the time in all the numerous cities that fill the slim outer ring perfectly. We shouldn’t expect anything less efficient than this from the renowned German watchmaker.

The case is typically Lange, sized at 42mm, yet is perfectly comfortable and not too hefty, considering it’s made from solid 950 platinum. Despite this piece being very much in the heights of haute horlogerie, there’s a casual style about it: it’d look just as cool paired with jeans and a t-shirt as one rolls off a long-haul international flight as it does with a suit and tie one might don after checking in at your 5-star hotel. Price: upon request.