The best affordable GMT watches: under £500 and £1,000 (UK, 2026)

The best GMT watch under £500 is the Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT: an automatic with Seiko's GMT movement and a two-colour 24-hour bezel. For less, the Rotary Seamatic GMT adds a sapphire crystal and 300 metres of water resistance. The best Swiss GMT is the quartz Certina DS-X GMT, and for a luxury GMT, the Longines HydroConquest GMT.

A GMT watch shows the time in two places at once. It's the classic travel watch, made famous by airline pilots in the 1950s, and it's just as useful if you have family in another country or work with people abroad. This guide covers the best GMT watches under £500 and under £1,000, quartz and automatic, and a few luxury ones worth saving for.

All the watches below are sold new by Goldsmiths, a UK authorised retailer. Prices are Goldsmiths' own on the date shown, and they update when we re-check them.

How we chose

We picked GMT watches with a real second-time-zone hand (not just a world-time bezel), sold new in the UK. We read each brand's own product page for the movement, crystal, power reserve and size. Where the brand's page couldn't be read (Certina, Casio and TAG Heuer), we used Goldsmiths' listing and say so. We don't feature Rolex, Tudor or Grand Seiko, because Goldsmiths pays us nothing on them.

Best GMT watch under £500: Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT "Blueberry"

Best GMT under £500Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT Blueberry SSK003K1 · 42.5mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £430Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The easiest way into automatic GMT watches. Seiko's page lists the 4R34 automatic movement with a 24-hour hand for a second time zone, a rotating 24-hour bezel, about 41 hours of power reserve and 10 bar (100 metres) of water resistance. The case is 42.5mm across, 46mm lug to lug and 13.6mm thick, on Seiko's "beads of rice" bracelet. The blue and purple bezel is a playful take on the classic two-colour GMT look.

Good to know: the crystal is Hardlex, Seiko's hardened mineral glass, not sapphire. If you'd prefer green, the bi-colour SKX GMT is the same watch with a green dial and a green and black bezel.

Seiko GMT 12 watches at Goldsmiths, £410 to £1,700. Shop the GMT

Best GMT watch under £350: Rotary Seamatic 300 GMT

Best GMT under £350Rotary Seamatic 300 GMT GB04378/95 · 42mm · Automatic · 300 m water resistant £329Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A lot of watch for the money. Rotary's page lists a sapphire crystal, 300 metres of water resistance, a 42mm steel case and a red and blue 24-hour bezel that turns both ways, on a three-link steel bracelet. It's an automatic, and Goldsmiths gives a two-year guarantee (Rotary adds a third year if you register the watch, according to its site).

Browse all 35 Rotary watches£149 to £329 at Goldsmiths→

Good to know: the red and blue bezel is the "Pepsi" look made famous by the Rolex GMT-Master. Rotary doesn't name the movement or its power reserve on this watch's page.

The most affordable GMT: Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT

Most affordable GMTTimex Waterbury Traditional GMT TW2U99100 · 39mm · Quartz · 30 m water resistant £180Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The least expensive GMT at Goldsmiths when we checked. Goldsmiths sells it as the Waterbury Traditional GMT "Pepsi": a 39mm stainless steel case with a white dial, a quartz movement and a leather strap, water resistant to 30 metres.

Good to know: Goldsmiths' description doesn't explain how its GMT display works, and we couldn't read Timex's own page, so look closely at the photos before you buy. With 30 metres of water resistance, it's not one to swim in.

Best GMT for smaller wrists: Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT

Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT HDB001K1 · 39.4mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £410Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The same 4R34 GMT movement in a smaller, field-watch style. Seiko gives the case as 39.4mm across (Goldsmiths lists 42mm; we go with Seiko's figure), 47.9mm lug to lug and 13.6mm thick, with a curved Hardlex crystal and 10 bar of water resistance. See our small wrists guide for more on fit.

Best Swiss GMT under £500: Certina DS-X GMT

Best Swiss GMT under £500Certina DS-X GMT C0474521701100 · 41mm · Quartz · 200 m water resistant £495Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A Swiss GMT that just keeps going: being quartz, it doesn't need winding or wearing to keep time. Goldsmiths lists a 41mm steel case and bracelet, a white dial, 200 metres of water resistance and a two-year guarantee. Goldsmiths' description says it uses Certina's "DS Concept Extreme Shock Resistance", which makes it a good choice for outdoor trips.

Browse all 42 Certina watches£400 to £1,230 at Goldsmiths→

Good to know: Certina's own site couldn't be read, so we haven't checked the crystal or thickness against the brand.

Looking for a Swiss automatic GMT under £1,000? Certina's DS Action GMT Powermatic 80 is back in stock at Goldsmiths: 41mm, water resistant to 200 metres, on a calfskin strap, according to Goldsmiths.

Best Swiss automatic GMTCertina DS Action GMT Powermatic 80 C0329292605100 · 41mm · Automatic · 200 m water resistant £820 £1,025Sale price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Best luxury GMT: Longines HydroConquest GMT

Best luxury GMTLongines HydroConquest GMT L37904566 · 41mm · Automatic · 300 m water resistant £2,650Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A proper luxury travel watch that's also a serious diver. Longines' page lists an automatic GMT movement with a silicon balance spring (which resists magnetism) and up to 72 hours of power reserve, a sapphire crystal, a 41mm steel case and a steel and ceramic bezel, water resistant to 30 bar (300 metres). Goldsmiths names the movement as the L844 and gives a five-year guarantee.

Good to know: its bezel turns one way only and is marked for diving (60 minutes), so you read the second time zone from the 24-hour scale on the dial rather than the bezel. The product data on Longines' page gives the calibre as the L844.5 and the thickness as 12.9mm. For every HydroConquest version compared, see which Longines HydroConquest to buy.

Best luxury GMT on a strap: Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm

Longines Spirit Zulu Time L38024632 · 39mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £2,900Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

"Zulu time" is the pilots' name for GMT. Longines' page lists a 39mm case, a sapphire crystal, up to 72 hours of power reserve, a ceramic bezel that turns both ways and 10 bar (100 metres) of water resistance. Goldsmiths' description adds the L844.4 movement, a green ceramic bezel and a brown leather strap. At 39mm it suits more wrists than most luxury GMTs.

The best GMT watches on a leather strap

Most GMT watches come on steel bracelets, but a leather strap makes a GMT easier to wear with a shirt or a jacket.

Seiko Prospex Alpinist GMT. Seiko's page lists a 39.5mm case, 13.6mm thick and 46.4mm lug to lug, a curved sapphire crystal, an automatic movement with about 72 hours of power reserve and a 24-hour hand, water resistant to 20 bar (200 metres). Goldsmiths' description says the Alpinist was first made in 1959 for mountaineers; this version has a green dial and a leather strap.

Best GMT on a leather strapSeiko Prospex Alpinist Automatic GMT HBC007J1 · 39.5mm · Automatic · 200 m water resistant £1,100Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Also on leather: the Certina DS Action GMT and the Longines Spirit Zulu Time (both above), and the Frederique Constant Runabout GMT, a 42mm automatic water resistant to 50 metres, according to Goldsmiths.

GMT watch brands

Which brands make GMT watches, and where each starts at Goldsmiths: the least expensive GMT or world-time watch we found from each, when we checked.

We don't feature Rolex, Tudor or Grand Seiko, because Goldsmiths pays us nothing on them.

More GMT watches

• Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT, bi-colour (£430): the "Blueberry" GMT's twin, with a deep green dial and a green and black bezel.
• Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 (£3,750): a 39mm automatic GMT with a silicon balance spring and up to 72 hours of power reserve, according to Goldsmiths' description.
• TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 GMT (£4,050): a 42mm GMT diver with TAG Heuer's calibre TH31-03, an 80-hour power reserve and 300 metres of water resistance, according to Goldsmiths, with a 5-year guarantee.
• Breitling Navitimer Automatic GMT (£5,400): a pilot's GMT with a COSC-certified chronometer movement and a 42-hour power reserve, according to Goldsmiths. 41mm, but only 30 metres of water resistance (Goldsmiths' figures), so keep it dry.

Side by side

What is a GMT watch?

A GMT watch tells the time in two time zones at once. It has the usual hour, minute and seconds hands, plus a fourth hand, usually in a bright colour with an arrow tip, that goes round once every 24 hours instead of every 12. You read that hand against a 24-hour scale, either on a rotating bezel or printed around the dial.

The name comes from Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. For most of the 20th century, every time zone in the world was measured as so many hours ahead of or behind GMT, which is why pilots, sailors and travellers used it as a reference.

How to use a GMT watch

1. Set the local time with the normal hands, as on any watch.
2. Set the GMT hand to the time in your second time zone (home, or where your family lives), using the 24-hour scale. If it's 3pm there, point it at 15.
3. Read both at a glance: the normal hands show where you are, the GMT hand shows the other place. Because it's a 24-hour hand, you know whether it's day or night there.
4. For a third time zone, turn a two-way 24-hour bezel by the difference in hours (each number on the bezel is one hour) and read the GMT hand against the bezel instead of the dial.

The colours on two-tone bezels like the Rotary's or Seiko's usually mark day and night on the 24-hour scale, so you can see which it is in the other place at a glance.

What to look for in a GMT watch

Automatic or quartz

Most GMT watches are automatic (powered by the movement of your wrist), like the Seikos, the Rotary and the Longines. A quartz GMT like the Certina DS-X is more accurate and keeps going in a drawer, but has a battery to change every few years. Our movement guide explains the difference.

Size

GMT watches with bezels tend to be big: most here are 41 to 42.5mm. For smaller wrists, look at the Seiko Field GMT (39.4mm) or the Longines Spirit Zulu Time (39mm).

The bezel

A two-way 24-hour bezel (Rotary, Seiko SKX) lets you track a third time zone. A one-way diving bezel (Longines HydroConquest GMT) times dives instead, and you read the second time zone from the dial. Neither is better: it depends on whether you'll dive or fly more.

Where to next

For Longines' Zulu Time and every other Longines, see our best Longines watches. For TAG Heuer's GMT and divers, best TAG Heuer watches.