What Makes a Good Travel Watch (and why I didn’t buy a Tudor BB GMT….)
At least not yet….
Travel and watches just seem to go together. I never thought much about it until I found myself traveling around Japan as a college student and realized that the chunky Citizen dive watch on my wrist was every bit as essential to my survival as the dictionaries and travel books that I carried. Fast forward a couple of decades and smart phones have revolutionized international travel. Never before in human history has it been so easy to navigate your way around a foreign country.
Nevertheless, while I enjoy watches in my day-to-day life, travel remains one of the few times that I actually find myself relying on them for their intended use case. As a result, I have thought a lot about travel watches.
We also spend a lot of time talking about them as a community. However, this almost always boils down to some sort of debate as to whether it is absolutely essential to be wearing a Swiss made “Flyer Style” GMT when setting out to see the world. Spoiler alert, the answer is no. In fact, complications are only one of many factors to consider when choosing a travel companion and they are never the most important one.
To be more productive these discussions need to start with some honesty about how and why we actually travel. There are all sorts of questions that need to be asked that just never come up on most YouTube reviews:
-How do you travel? Planes, Trains or Automobiles?
-What type environment are you headed to? Urban vs. Outdoors?
-How long do you typically stay?
-Do you need a versatile watch or something specialized?
-How much will crime/violence factor into your decision?
-How many times a year do you actually travel?
It’s not uncommon for me to travel internationally a couple of times a year for a period of a week or more, as well as making several shorter domestic trips. These usually involve professional conferences in urban areas, but I like to get out and see the countryside when possible. I typically don’t want to carry more than one or maybe two watches with me so versatility is important. And because I frequently find myself in larger cities crime is certainly something I need to be aware of.
This, in a nutshell, is why I never bought a Tudor Black Bay GMT, even though it is basically the hero product a brand I enjoy. Wearing a Rolex in London or Paris can be dangerous. It is something we are universally advised not to do. So who really wants to get robbed over an homage?
Worse yet is that 14.5mm slab-sided case. I have tried these watches on several times and every time I do I find myself worrying that the watch will become uncomfortable while I am sitting in an airport, or on that 12 hour flight. I will end up fidgeting with it or, worse yet, feeling like I have to take it off for a bit. The very best travel watch is one that is so comfortable that you don’t think about it for days on end, but it is always there when you need it. Everything else is secondary to this.
In truth a GMT function is not really essential for the way that I travel. YMMV. It is nice, but honestly so is a timing bezel or a 12 hour bezel. While I have used all of these things when on the road none have proved to be vital. I decided a couple of years ago that the essential features that my travel watches needed to have were 1) comfort 2) easy legibility 3) a type of low key versatility.
So out of my current collection what is my favorite travel watch? My Frederique Constant Highlife with a slate grey face.
It is slim, rounded and comfortable meaning I can wear it for days on end. It has a larger face and is highly legible. Best of all, with its quick change strap chance system I can wear it on a bracelet, a more formal leather strap or a sporty rubber one. It looks appropriate in most settings without drawing attention to itself and I never find myself having to explain it to a customs officer. If I ever get stuck overseas and the watch needs to be serviced the Sellita SW200 movement can be worked on anywhere by any competent watchmaker. Nor is it expensive enough that I really have to worry about it.
Is it perfect? Nope. No watch ever is.
I wish that it had 100 meters of water resistance. Sadly, I don’t spend a lot of time headed to the beach when I travel as I am usually working. Still, the peace of mind would be great. Brighter lume would also be nice. But here is what I don’t miss, a GMT function. The mental math that it is meant to replace is just not that complicated.
Does this mean I will never buy some flavor of Tudor Black Bay GMT? Not at all. In fact, that watch makes a lot more sense to me when I accept that it is something I am not going to travel with. All of the things that make it questionable as a travel watch (its chunky diver profile, weight and Rolex adjacent colors) actually make it a very interesting daily wear when I am back home. I am just waiting for Rolex for actually follow through on its threats and drop the Pepsi GMT Master II for people to really start appreciating the more refined balance and colors of its dial.
Coming to terms with what I really need in a travel watch has been key to making peace with other pieces that don’t actually fit that use case. It has also turned some of my attention to Grand Seiko, but that is a subject for a different post….
What about you? What is your ideal travel watch and why?
A student of time and space with a watch on his wrist.
I have my eyes on the Vaer G5 for a trip to Europe we are going to take in 2024. I am drawn to the all black "tactical" version, the more classical navy/black bezel version is sharp as well. Vaer specs their watches to stand up to tough conditions.
I have my eyes on the Vaer G5 for a trip to Europe we are going to take in 2024. I am drawn to the all black "tactical" version, the more classical navy/black bezel version is sharp as well. Vaer specs their watches to stand up to tough conditions.
That back does look nice. Very under the radar.
Because of my versatile, small 4-piece collection, I don’t feel the need to subcategorize into “travel watch.” It’s simple for me: can I expect crime? If so, black G-Shock. Otherwise I can wear anything else.
A GMT hand doesn’t interest me enough to merit a whole watch purchase.
That back does look nice. Very under the radar.
I should have added I am looking for a bit of an "adventure" watch, we will be doing some hiking, etc. Also this watch has the true GMT function but I'm with you not necessarily a big deal for me.
I find one nice automatic watch and one digital beater to be the best combo for travel that I can switch between. (I would totally buy the Tudor, if I had the budget) I currently use a Seiko SSK001 GMT blackberry paired with a G-Shock GW-M5610U-1BER for the less desirable places I got to.
🔥
Most of the holidays I go on have a pool or the sea so I always take dive watches
My travel watch will always be g shock. I won't risk losing a $6k watch by mistake or accident. And the precision of digital is reassuring when you're rushing from airport to airport. Plus second time zone.
But I do bring my mechanical watches to enjoy once I get there.
Fav is the last one 😎. Even if I don't plan to wear it, still comes in the Prometheus Design Werx two watch case. Two is one, one is none...🤏🏻👌🏻🤘🏻
For me, low-profile and easy time-zone changes are important. G-Shocks fit the bill, as do some of my Citizens. I'll probably also pack an Aqua-Terra or a Planet Ocean as well, if in a low-crime area.
A G-Shock, maybe the GA-B2100 in yellow. It has bluetooth connectivity, solar power and has the home-city-travel-city swap with the press of two buttons. Plus no one's going to look at it twice.
I just got back from a ten day trip to Belize. My travel watch? My Vostok blue dialed Suba Dude on an orange NATO strap. Durable, reasonably accurate, water resistant enough for paddlesports, snokeling, and swimming; plus if it gets lost, stolen, or destroyed, I am out about US$100.
I do about 150-200K miles a year internationally and domestically. Ninety Five percent of that is for business. When you spend that much time in the air, in hotels and across multiple time zones, some of those things you list become important. In the past, I have normally brought two watches with me, a “work” and a digital . I recently purchased a GMT (JM Strat-o-timer) for a few of reasons.
I really do like the idea of traveling with one watch
Even though I am used to it after all this time..I am always a little annoyed having to check my phone to see what “off hours” are for calling home or my kids and grandkids
I like using the hotel pool to get a little exercise when possible.
So, I want to try using this complication to see if it clicks. When picking, the BBPRO and GMT were under serious consideration but I didn’t feel they were as versatile. I think they are both great watches but look and feel a bit more “Tooly” than what i think i need.
WR , reasonable slimness and easy strap changes are important for business and casual wear
Do I (or anyone) need a GMT? Obviously not as I have been traveling for the last 20 years and didn’t have one and functioned just fine. Can it make traveling easier /more convenient / less reliant on my phone?..I’m thinking maybe - we will see.. Heading out Tuesday 🤓
Good point. The 4th hand opens up a new world of creative opportunities for watch designers which is great for the customer. 🥳
I mostly take my Sinn 556. Under the radar tool watch. Do you really need a gmt? Having a timing bezel to mark timepoints is probably more useful to me than gmt but I can live without it.
I am confortable enough with the pricepoint that I can replace the watch if something happen to it. If I go in rougher parter of the world I would probably go for my dw5610 or even a f91w and call the day.
any watch will do to travel....GMT function is totally overrated...if you can´t add or substract a few hours you should go back to school.
That being said I got the Tudor BB GMT, but it´s more for the looks than for the use of the GMT function....it´s just a cool, beautiful and fun watch to wear....I wore in June on a 3 week road trip in the US.
And that fear of being robbed....I read this so much here and this is so getting out of control und unjustified.....just wear your watch and act normal....odds of getting robbed for a watch are about the same as the chances of being struck by lightning.
As you said it depends on how you use the watch and what is important to you. Some appreciate the design, others functionality and some just need a GMT to fill the collection void of having all complications. I travel for business quite a lot changing different timezones ( just in last few months visited 7 countries abroad ). In most cases I use BB Pro and ease of local time change is really important/convenient for me. I have my coworkers back at HQ and family home so having home time available at glance is great. Not to mention it is a beautifull watch ( for me ), very rugged and quite low key watch that you can use preety much anywhere.
I had originally bought a Tudor GMT for travel, but the fear of damaging it and the crime factor combined with the introduction of the Miyota 9075 led me to pick the one up instead:
This is now going to be my vacation watch. Nearly identical function to the Tudor, with the added bonuses of on the fly size adjustment and an extra 100M WR, all at around a $500 price tag, so if something happens, I don’t have to worry. I mean, I’d be pissed to lose $500, but it won’t break me.
GShock :)
GShock :)
Absolutely. Any resin #casio #gshock of your liking. The B5600 series have multiple time zone settings, Bluetooth, multi-band 6, tough solar. Don't have to stress so much on dings and scratches, tinkering your watch. Focus on the travelling experience.
Anything can be a travel watch, depending on how you travel and what you’re doing.
For example, I traveled with a Tag Monaco for years, since it was the only nice watch I had, and often stuffed my Timex Ironman in the luggage if I were doing anything particularly active. After I got my Omega SMP GMT, I subbed that in for the Monaco. I eventually got a Suunto (a Five, IIRC) after my Timex broke, and liked traveling with just that. The ABC functions made it an excellent companion for hikes; the compass in particular was great for navigating rabbit warren cities like Florence (the iPhone compass was pretty shoddy for a number of years; I didn’t like having to wave it around for a few moments to get a heading). The battery life on it was shoddy though (a couple times, the cell lasted less than a year), so I didn’t want to rely on it, and it ended up being nonfunctional after only three or four years.
More recently, the Apple Watch has been my go-to, especially on work trips and anything that’ll be active, since it did the Suunto but better (it is certainly smaller!). The reminders to get going when you have to get cross town for another meeting are especially useful, as are the turn by turn directions on the wrist; they mean you have to look at your phone a lot less; great for not looking like a complete tourist.
And now I have my Sumo Solar GMT, which is pretty great as a travel watch, if:
You don’t need the compass, activity tracking, directions, and calendar functions when you’re traveling
You don’t want to charge the watch every night (it’s solar!)
You like the way it looks, and don’t mind how big it is
But it really depends what I’m doing - just like watch selection at home. A work trip to a self contained conference? Any watch will do. A family vacation that will involve some activity (snow sports, swimming, and/or hiking? Something more rugged or the Apple Watch. A wedding? Something nicer. A combination? I try to go lowest common denominator and carry only one piece in addition to the Apple Watch.
Absolutely. Any resin #casio #gshock of your liking. The B5600 series have multiple time zone settings, Bluetooth, multi-band 6, tough solar. Don't have to stress so much on dings and scratches, tinkering your watch. Focus on the travelling experience.
Usually I buy one on holidays 🙂 Last time it was a Ranger duty free 🙂
“What about you? What is your ideal travel watch and why?”
Sure 🙂
GMT are good if you have to communicate between the place where you are and back home. Frequently in business discussion, there is a need to communicate back home and glancing back at the watch is very quick way to continue the discussion and planning for a meeting that will occur instead of doing mental calculation or getting a cellphone out and launching an app. On a vacation in most case a 3 hands watch is sufficient.
I travel by plane and public transportation (subways) in large cities. I travel a few times a year and duration of each trip from 2 weeks to 2 months. On one trip, I was gone for 4 months. I typically travel with 3 watches, 2 in a case which are with me at all times in my briefcase when I travel and 1 on my arm. I never do airport metal detectors wearing a watch. My briefcase containing the watches which will go threw X-Rays instead of the metal detector.
“This, in a nutshell, is why I never bought a Tudor Black Bay GMT, even though it is basically the hero product a brand I enjoy. Wearing a Rolex in London or Paris can be dangerous. It is something we are universally advised not to do. So who really wants to get robbed over an homage? “
Do you consider the BB GMT an homage to a Rolex ?
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I have worked a lot in Europe but I am mainly in Asia these days. Is wearing a Rolex a problem there on the subway or the city? No since the majority of the people are wearing either a real or fake Rolex. I see also some Omega.
“Worse yet is that 14.5mm slab-sided case. I have tried these watches on several times and every time I do I find myself worrying that the watch will become uncomfortable while I am sitting in an airport, or on that 12 hour flight.”
My BB Pro is 14.6 and it is very comfortable with its T-Fit bracelet. I do not find it uncomfortable. Heavy watches are uncomfortable but none of my Tudors have such a weight to become uncomfortable. I take it off before I set myself to go to bed on the flight just like I do at home.
"It looks appropriate in most settings without drawing attention to itself and I never find myself having to explain it to a customs officer.”
Why would you would have to explain yourself to a customs officer that you have a watch on your arm regardless of the brand ? I have never seen this happen in any country. Has this happened to you ?
"If I ever get stuck overseas and the watch needs to be serviced the Sellita SW200 movement can be worked on anywhere by any competent watchmaker. "
I would not have my watch repaired in a foreign country because there is no guarantee that it will be repaired in the estimated time. I have 3 watches when I travel so should one breaks then I would use the other ones and wait until I return home to have it fixed.