Two watch features that are a traveler’s best friend are the quick set hour hand and the 24-hour hand. Some watches have a quick set hour feature allowing the hour hand to be changed forward or backward without moving the minutes or seconds hands. This is not to be confused with the quick-set date feature where you can change the date using a position on the winding crown without moving the hour hand around the dial.
The quick set hour hand is useful when traveling between time zones as you can change the watch to the new time zone easily. It’s usually accompanied by a separate 24-hour hand that continues to track your local time. The 24-hour hand is vital for everyone whose life leads them to landscapes where it’s difficult to determine night and day – like in caves, underwater and on the North and South Pole – as the ring showing hours is shaded light for day and dark for night.
This feature was created in the 1950’s when the Boeing 777 ushered in the jet age. In 1954, Pan American, the then largest international airline, bought 20 Boeings 777 for transatlantic flights. The company realized that a new need for time tracking emerged, with long-haul pilots and world travelers being able to cross multiple time zones in a matter of hours. Pan Am approached Rolex with a commission for a watch that could easily track two time zones. The result was Rolex GMT Master.
What Rolex did was create a fourth hand, the 24-hour hand, which runs half as fast as the regular hour hand. The 24-hour hand made sense in conjunction with the rotating bezel – dubbed the Pepsi bezel because of the red and blue color combination. This hand pointed to the corresponding hour on the bezel.
You’d be surprised that not many watches have the individual quick set hour hand. Here are some of the best.
Rolex Explorer II & GMT Master II
Robust, peerlessly functional and with a rugged appeal, these tough watches have never outgrown their target users. Their supreme functionality is matched only by their versatility, which makes them perfect companions. They will rise to every occasion, every time.
Omega Seamaster Professional GMT
A sporty watch with a pioneering and adventurous spirit and a prime example of Omega’s renowned watchmaking. Originally designed to accompany wearers on their diving ventures, this watch is suitable for anyone with an enterprising outlook on life.
Blancpain GMT Alarm
Not only can you track home time away from home with this timepiece, but you can also be woken up or reminded of an engagement with this practical and multifaceted wristwatch.
Ulysse Nardin GMT +/-
With the flawless mechanism of this timepiece and the rich legacy of haute watchmaking, this watch is a prime match for a traveler who needs quick adjustments of the hour hand and two time zone tracking. What’s particularly comfortable is the fact that this piece uses two pushbuttons to move the hour hand in forward or backward jumps.
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