How to Set and Use a GMT Watch Like a Pro
Mastering your dual-time companion: a practical guide inspired by the Seals Land // Sea GMT.
For watch enthusiasts and frequent travelers alike, few complications are as useful—or as satisfying—as the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) function. Whether you’re tracking home time while abroad or coordinating across time zones, learning to use and set a GMT correctly transforms your daily experience with your watch.
In this guide, we’ll use the Seals Land // Sea GMT as our example—an automatic, true-GMT field watch built with purpose and precision.
What Is a GMT Watch?
A GMT watch tracks more than one time zone simultaneously. It features an additional hand—often styled distinctively and pointing to a 24-hour scale—that completes one full rotation per day. This 24-hour hand allows you to monitor a “home” time while the main hands show your local time.
- Local hour hand: Standard 12-hour display for your current location.
- GMT hand: Indicates a second time zone on the 24-hour ring.
- 24-hour chapter ring: Displays day/night cycles clearly for your home zone.
True GMT vs “Office” GMT Movements
The Miyota 9075 movement powering the Land // Sea GMT is a true traveler’s GMT. That means the local hour hand is independently adjustable in one-hour increments, allowing seamless updates as you change time zones—without stopping the watch or disrupting the GMT hand.
In contrast, “office” GMTs adjust the 24-hour hand instead of the local hour, which is better suited for tracking distant time zones from a single location.
How to Set Your GMT Watch
- Unscrew and pull out the crown to the second position (time-setting mode).
- Set the GMT hand to match your desired “home” or reference time, using the 24-hour ring as your guide.
- Push the crown back to the first position and adjust the local hour hand in one-hour increments to your current local time.
- Set the date if needed (the Miyota 9075 changes the date with the local hour hand).
- Push the crown fully back in (and screw it down, if applicable) to ensure water resistance.
With both zones set, your local time reads on the main hands, while your home or second time zone is displayed on the GMT hand against the 24-hour scale.
How to Read and Use the GMT Function
Suppose you’re based in New York but traveling to London. Before departure, set your GMT hand to New York (EST) time on the 24-hour scale. When you land, adjust your local hour hand forward five hours to London time. The GMT hand remains fixed on home time, letting you easily reference it at a glance.
Practical Uses for a GMT Watch
- Track your home and travel time zones while abroad.
- Coordinate with colleagues in different countries.
- Monitor market hours across global exchanges.
- Add functional utility and aesthetic depth to your collection.
Why the Land // Sea GMT Nails It
The Seals Land // Sea GMT combines modern tool-watch aesthetics with old-school utility. The granulated dial texture, domed sapphire crystal, and lollipop-tipped GMT hand are all thoughtful design cues that enhance both form and function. Inside, the Miyota 9075 delivers precise, reliable true-GMT performance—a feature usually reserved for far pricier Swiss movements.