Happy Anniversary, Greenwich Mean Time!

October 13, 1884 is the date that “Greenwich Mean Time,” or GMT, was adopted as the reference point for the world’s time zones.
Sanford Fleming suggested in 1879 that we divide the world into 24 hour time zones to have a standard point of reference. Each time zone would equal 15 degrees of longitude where Greenwich London, England would be the standard time reference. In Fleming’s time, everyone had a different “local” time reference which made arrivals and departures by train interesting, to say the least. In 1884, delegates at the International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. voted to recognize Greenwich Mean Time as the standard time from which all other time zones would stem.
For watch enthusiasts, the acronym GMT signifies dual time. Whether you’re a jet setter who travels to exotic destinations, a career business traveler, or a dreamer of foreign locales, there’s a bevy of watches to keep you in a dual time zone state of mind.
Here are a few favorites:

The Ulysse-Nardin GMT Executive Dual Time offers both men and women a trend-setting timepiece available in either steel or rose gold. Shown at far left is the men’s 43mm steel case featuring an edgy black ceramic bezel and a bold black dial with a big date display and a magnified 24-hour window. In the middle, the lady’s piece mirrors the men’s with an only slightly smaller 40mm steel case with a chic white ceramic bezel and gorgeous lilac mother-of-pearl dial.
New to the Corum watch family, the Admiral’s Cup GMT 44, pictured above right, sports all the Admiral’s Cup hallmarks with the addition of a red GMT hand. Available in either steel or red gold, the bold 44mm case is a perfect watch for sports enthusiasts and avid travelers alike.

Girard-Perregaux’s WW.TC collection offers one of my favorite watch complications: world time where multiple time zones are available in a single timepiece. Introduced in 2000, the Girard-Perregaux WW.TC collection quickly became a brand icon. Whether you’re a savvy businessman who needs to keep track of global stock markets or a fashionista who keeps time with the latest hot spots, the WW.TC Financial USA and the WW.TC Lady will keep you perfectly coordinated to GMT.