Worldtimers Then and Now

<p>As any collector realizes, the rich history of horology allows each watch to act as a snapshot into the past. Watches can tell us so much about the role of technology in society, the design language of a time, and societal values at any moment. They serve us lessons in both art and history, and have the ability to tell us about geopolitical events and innovations. No subset of watches can do this quite like a worldtimer.</p>
<p>World time watches are unmatched in their capacity to serve as time capsules reminding us of our own history in timekeeping and global geopolitics. As we return to travel, the worldtimer is the perfect complication with which to understand today in a global context.</p>
<h2>Origins of the World Time Function</h2>
<p>Prior to a well-defined and agreed-upon framework for international time zones, travel schedules were a nightmare. A universally coordinated timing system wasn’t important as horses and carriages could only travel so far each day. With the advent of train travel, time zones became more important.</p>
<p>Back then, time zones were subjective, and locations could choose their own meridian as a basis for timekeeping—enabling large jumps between time zones. Most European capitals used their local observatory’s time, regardless of timing in other capitals. At one point, North America had a whopping 74 local time zones recognized.</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>Use of Greenwich Meridian</h3>
<p>In 1871, the International Geographic Congress held in Antwerp agreed to start using the Greenwich meridian as a zero marker for time and charts. This foray led others to adopt the Greenwich meridian. This includes railroad executives, who gathered in Chicago in 1883 to help set cohesive schedules for railroads. They set five time zones across North America, using the Greenwich meridian as their base, ensuring travel and timing was much smoother for all purposes of train travel.</p>
<p>In 1884, the world finally unified on the Greenwich meridian. At the behest of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur, the International Meridian Conference decided that the United States and 26 other signatory nations would use the Greenwich meridian as the zero stop for time setting. Moving forward, time in each of the world’s 24 principal longitudinal time zones would be decided from the Greenwich meridian, with the world divided into 24 principal longitudes, separated by 15 degrees. This agreement greatly simplified life, travel, and our understanding of global time.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-1163905 size-full" src="https://watchbox-blog.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Patek-Philippe-5131-World-Time.jpg?max-w=1024&q=50&auto=format,compress&usm=10&usmrad=3" alt="Patek Philippe 5131 World Time" width="1200" height="800" /></p>
<h2>Development of Worldtime Functions in Watchmaking</h2>
<p>This standardization presented a new challenge to watchmakers: who would be first in the race to identify 24 principal time zones on one watch? Many watchmakers took up the call, including Emanuel Cottier, who was enamored with the concept. Cottier toiled away for years, attempting to develop a system to display the world’s time, yet remained unsuccessful.</p>
<p>Inspired by his father, Cottier’s son, Louis, became a watchmaker to take on the challenge himself. By the early 1930s, Louis had developed the “heuers universelles” movement. Here, local time was displayed on a standard inner dial; the hour hand was linked to an outer ring that would rotate counterclockwise once every 24 hours.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Louis’ success in developing the “heures universelles” movement garnered attention, making him a very sought-after watchmaker. It’s no surprise that Patek Philippe approached Cottier wanting to use his movement. As a leading name in horology, they wanted to encapsulate a global spirit in their watches. It should also come as no surprise that Vacheron Constantin sought out Cottier’s movement for their line of worldtimers as well. And with a single innovation, after his father’s failure, Louis Cottier had written himself into horological history.</p>
<h3>Patek Philippe Worldtimer Evolution</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/patek-philippe/">Patek Philippe</a> continued to build upon the success of their first worldtimer using the “heuers universelles” movement. Though as the complication has evolved, its rich heritage is still palpable.</p>
<p>The Patek Philippe 5131 1P is the modern expression of world time watches. Combining the heritage of the Patek Philippe range, and a cloisoneé enamel dial, it is not far removed from the original 96 HU. The 5131 1P is powered by the 240 HU micro-rotor movement, with the HU standing for “heures universelles,” as a nod to Cottier’s innovation. The platinum case and platinum bracelet balance perfectly against the enamel dial, and “Patek Philippe” and “Geneve” are engraved in the case; giving the watch an extra special feeling. With hardly a sharp edge to be found, the watch feels like a faithful vintage companion with all the benefits of modern watchmaking. It is a thing of beauty—true to the original—making it a work of art and an incredible piece of Patek Philippe history.</p>
<h3>Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Time</h3>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1163910" src="https://watchbox-blog.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Vacheron-Constantin-Overseas-Worldtime-Watches.jpg?max-w=1024&q=50&auto=format,compress&usm=10&usmrad=3" alt="Vacheron Constantin Overseas Worldtime Watches" width="1200" height="805" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/vacheron-constantin/">Vacheron Constantin</a> has also since evolved the world timer, in this case, it is presented in the modern guise of the Overseas collection. Like others in the collection, the Overseas Worldtime maintains a modern aesthetic, seamlessly blending onto the wrist with a quick interchange strap system, though Vacheron Constantin opted to display 37 time zones. With 150-meter water resistance and the ability to change straps, this watch is perpetually ready for any adventure, anywhere.</p>
<h2>Modern Brands Embracing The Worldtime Complication</h2>
<p>Modern horological innovators like F.P. Journe and Richard Mille have also worked to evolve Cottier’s invention.</p>
<h3>F.P. Journe Octa UTC</h3>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1163903" src="https://watchbox-blog.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/F.P.-Journe-World-Time-UTC.jpg?max-w=1024&q=50&auto=format,compress&usm=10&usmrad=3" alt="" width="1200" height="800" /></p>
<p>It should come as no surprise that <a href="https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/f-p--journe/">F.P. Journe</a> used two subdials to declutter the world timer in the Octa UTC, separating the map of the 24 principal time zones and the watch dial. The offset nature of these dials immediately draws you in for a closer look. Checking the map, you can make sure that you are in the correct time zones, with quick references for -1 and +1 hour. The gold 24-hour time zone hand is easy to locate against the dial and makes read time incredibly simple. The subtle changes and improvements F.P. Journe employs with the Octa UTC makes this timepiece easy to fall in love with.</p>
<h3>Richard Mille 63-02</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/richard-mille/">Richard Mille</a> created the perfect innovative and lightweight watch for the modern traveler. The 63-02 uses a pusher at 4 o’clock to change the function that the crown is setting, preventing user error in setting the watch. The skeletonized dial reveals the intricacy of the movement below and, combined with the reference city chart on the outer ring, the dial feels like a modernized version of the classic time-only watch.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1163906" src="https://watchbox-blog.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Richard-Mille-World-Time-Watch.jpg?max-w=1024&q=50&auto=format,compress&usm=10&usmrad=3" alt="Richard Mille World Time Watch" width="1200" height="800" /></p>
<p>This is where things really get fun, because as you rotate the bezel counterclockwise, the reference city changes, thus changing the hour hand to correspond with local time for a selected reference city. This modern world timer may be the easiest to read, and makes a perfect pairing for the jet-lagged traveler who simply needs to know what time it is in whatever city they have just landed.</p>
<h3>Girard-Perregaux WW.TC</h3>
<p>When material innovation and movement innovation are required, look no further than the <a href="https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/girard-perregaux/">Girard-Perregaux</a> WW.TC Shadow (World Wide Time Control). This watch, with a ceramic case, rubber strap, and titanium buckle is nearly indestructible, and perfect for the adventurer.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1163904" src="https://watchbox-blog.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Girard-Perregaux-World-Time-Watch.jpg?max-w=1024&q=50&auto=format,compress&usm=10&usmrad=3" alt="" width="1200" height="800" /></p>
<p>The dial has a lot going on, with a quick set date, flyback chronograph, and world time feature. Like most other world timers, this watch features cities representing the principal 24 time zones. The monochromatic tones keep everything legible, while the rubber strap and rubber-coated pushers ensure a very sporty feel.</p>
<p>It took the world years to agree on a universal time standard, and years to develop a mechanical watch to display world time. With Universal Coordinated Time kept by atomic clocks, it’s easy to ask the question, “are mechanical watches are still relevant today?” The answer to this is that they are relevant and remain a fantastic part of horological history. The world time watch is a story of a son, born to a watchmaker, carrying forward his father’s legacy.</p>
<p>While you may not need a mechanical wristwatch to tell you the time, the genius required to develop this movement at the time was as exciting in 1931 as it is now. Many modern watchmakers continue to run with the idea of world time and as we return to global travel, it will be interesting to see more of the world time’s evolution. Explore the entire collection of <a href="https://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/gmt-watches/">Worldtime and GMT watches</a> at WatchBox.</p>

F.P. Journe Girard-Perregaux Patek Philippe Richard Mille

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Todd Searle

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