First-Class Travel, With Some Of Today’s Most Elegant GMT Watches

For frequent travellers or those who regularly find themselves in meetings on a global level, it helps to stay on time and in style. A GMT watch offers the perfect solution, but there are a ton of options to choose from. The majority of travel watches lean towards the tool-ish side of the spectrum, often using diver- or pilot-like designs such as the GMT Master II by Rolex, or the Longines Spirit Zulu Time. But what if you want something a bit more dressy and elegant? Or perhaps even fancy something slightly luxurious and expressive? We’re here to help, as we’ve selected six of today’s finest, ranging from relatively affordable to very expensive, but all with a substantial touch of class. 

Maurice Lacroix 1975 Automatic GMT Silver Mist

First up, and certainly not breaking the bank, is the Maurice Lacroix 1975 Automatic GMT. Introduced as part of the 1975 collection for the brand’s 50th anniversary, we’ve chosen the Silver Mist option for its excellent contrast and luxurious rose gold touches on the dial. On the outer perimeter, there’s a subtle 24-hour scale, and the additional GMT hand is easy to spot thanks to its red tip. At 40mm in width and 10mm in height, it’s a well-balanced wrist-companion when travelling, and it comes equipped with a Sellita SW330-based office-GMT type movement.  It’s limited to 200 pieces, worn on a black leather strap and retails for CHF 1,990.

For more information, please visit MauriceLacroix.com.

Quick Facts – Quick Facts: 40mm x 10mm – stainless steel case – domed sapphire crystal front – solid engraved caseback – Vagues du Jura dial in silver – PVD gold-tone dauphine hands and markers – red-tipped openworked GMT hand – ML165 automatic movement (Sellita SW330 base) – 56h power reserve – hours, minutes, central seconds, GMT, date – black alligator-style leather strap – Easy Strap Exchange system – limited edition of 200 pieces – CHF 1,990

Grand Seiko Elegance GMT SBGM255 Snowdrop

Next up is one of the latest Elegance GMT watches by Grand Seiko, the SBGM255 Snowdrop, to be precise. Building on the already excellent design of the SBGM221, the SBGM255 Snowdrop features a textured dial in wintery-white, with polished applied markers and hands, a blue 24-hour scale and an easy-to-spot arrow-tipped GMT hand in blue as well. It also shows you the date in a framed window and is backed by the brand’s Calibre 9S66 automatic, which is a Traveller’s GMT movement. It comes on a black crocodile leather strap with a three-fold clasp, is part of the permanent collection and has a price of EUR 5,200.

For more information, please visit Grand-Seiko.com.

Quick Facts – 39.5mm x 14.1mm – stainless steel case, Zaratsu-polished – angled bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – pull-out crown – 30m water-resistant – white textured dial – applied markers & hands, polished – blue 24-hour scale & GMT hand – framed date window – Calibre 9S66, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 72h power reserve – true GMT function – black crocodile leather strap with three-fold clasp – Ref. SBGM255 – permanent collection – EUR 5,200

Schwarz-Etienne 1902 GMT

The 1902 range is Schwarz Etienne’s youngest collection and offers a stylish and slightly contemporary take on the classical dress watch. Next to the Petite Seconde and Réserve de Marche, it welcomed a titanium GMT model in late 2025. Available in silver or blue, it features a multi-level dial with a distinct 24-hour scale and an elegant set of hands to tell time both at home and abroad. The splendid in-house Calibre ASE 320.00 is a modular micro-rotor automatic, with an independently adjustable GMT hand. Worn on a blue alligator leather strap with a signed titanium pin buckle, it retails for CHF 19,850 excl. VAT.

For more information, please visit Schwarz-Etienne.ch.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 10.9mm – grade 5 titanium, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – blue or silver multi-level dial – grained centre – recessed small seconds subdial – central GMT hand with 24-hour scale – Calibre ASE 320.00, in-house micro-rotor automatic – 201 components – 21,600vph – 86h power reserve – blue alligator leather strap with titanium pin buckle – permanent collection – CHF 19,850 excl. VAT

Moritz Grossmann GMT

We turn to Germany for the next entry, with the absolutely gorgeous Mortiz Grossmann GMT in lush green. The high-end Saxony Manufacture offers an abundantly elegant watch with a stainless steel case of 41mm in width and 11.85mm in height. Time is set with the brand’s clever crown-and-pusher system, and a secondary crown at 10′ for the GMT indication. The dial is a thing of beauty, with a soft green colour and hand-guilloché engraving. The manufacture calibre 100.8 is finished to absolute perfection, with the hand-engraved balance cock stealing the show. Only 8 will be made, with a black alligator leather strap, and a price of EUR 52,800.

For more information, please visit Grossmann-Uhren.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 11.85mm – 3-part stainless steel case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 2-crown set-up with start-pusher – solid silver dial with guilloché decor and matte green finish – heat-eannealed hands – 24-hour scale reference time with peripheral indicator – Calibre 100.8, in-house – manual winding – hand-finished – 18,000vph – 42h power reserve – black alligator leather strap with prong buckle – limited to 8 pieces – EUR 52,800

Louis Vuitton Escale Twin Zone

With this year’s Escale novelties, Louis Vuitton also introduced a rather brilliant Twin Zone model. This cleverly uses two sets of central hands to indicate all 38 global time zones, while most other GMT watches are limited to just 24. The solid hands run on a 12-hour scale for local time, while the openworked hands can be adjusted to indicate home time, with the minute hand making 15-minute jumps when you set it. The home time hands can also be hidden behind the local time hands. At noon, there’s a discreet day/night indication. The LFT VO15.01 is made in-house and delivers 68h of power. Worn on a grey Saffiano leather strap, the price is set at EUR 58,000 (a platinum and blue aventurine gemset version is also available, for EUR 230,000)

For more information, please visit LouisVuitton.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 12.52mm – rose gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – silver dial with engraved meridians and parallels – twin rose-gold minute & hour hands for local (solid) & home time (openworked) – LFT VO15.01 calibre, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 68h power reserve – rose gold rotor – Arroyo grey saffiano calf leather strap with rose gold pin buckle – ref. W3PG71 – EUR 58,000 (platinum & blue aventurine gemset option also available)

Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance Rose Gold

To round things off, we take a look at the expressive Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance Rose Gold. Revered for its ability to harness the resonance phenomenon, Armin Strom’s Dual Time GMT also splits time into two independently adjustable indications. Both black gold-coloured grenage dials have their own crown to adjust the hands and day/night indications. The in-house manually wound movement is regulated by two independent regulating systems connected with a clutch spring, visible in the upper part of the watch. This striking watch is limited to 50 pieces, is worn on an anthracite alligator leather strap and retails for CHF 115,000.

For more information, please visit ArminStrom.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 9.05mm – 18k rose gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & black – 50m water-resistant – black gold-coloured grenage dials – applied rose gold indices & hands – engraved day/night indicators – Calibre ARF22, manufacture – manual winding – 25,200vph – 42h power reserve – independent dual-regulating systems with resonance clutch spring – independently adjustable time displays – anthracite alligator leather strap with rose gold pin buckle – limited to 50 pieces – CHF 115,000