What is GMT? What is GMT Time?

Although technology has advanced to the point where the popularity of wristwatches has been jeopardized in recent years, these accessories, which have been used by people to control time for a very long time, have stubbornly managed to maintain their popularity and constantly adapt to the developing technology.

This is because wristwatches are versatile accessories. It manages to adapt almost every technology to itself. The ever-evolving industry also adds new features and functions to wristwatches, ensuring that wristwatches still serve a purpose for millions of people.

GMT watches are not a new type of watch. Watch brands have been making GMT watches for generations. GMT watches are the most preferred watch type, especially for pilots, businessmen and frequent travelers.

What is GMT? What Does GMT Mean?

For centuries, as the world expanded, governments and scientific institutions have sought to establish a basic global timescale. For a very long time, time zones were different all over the world. It was even different in different towns in the same country, and you couldn’t trust time at all.

Over time, it became common for the Royal Observatory, a scientific institution located in Greenwich, a suburb of London, to be used as a prime meridian. In 1884, GMT was officially adopted as the international time standard, and the International Meridian Conference established the 24-hour time zone around GMT.

While GMT is a western-based invention, it has been accepted globally. In modern times, GMT has been replaced by Universal Time Coordinated (UTC; also known as atomic time) as a result of higher accuracy thanks to atomic clocks. However, the prime meridian established at Greenwich for GMT remains the center for UTC.

To summarize briefly;

GMT: Greenwich Mean Time (Greenwich local time) . It represents the time zone in which the town of Greenwich in London is located.

UTC: Coordinated Universal Time . It is an accepted time standard around the world.

What is GMT Time? Is it Easy to Use?

To understand what a GMT time is, it is important to first know what a GMT time is not. Clocks that have a 24-hour timetable, a 12-hour or 24-hour function are not inherently GMT clocks. Clocks that show time as standard are not the same as GMT time.

The feature that distinguishes a GMT watch from others is an extra indicator. With this indicator, it shows the time of a different place. Most analog watches have three hands, hour, minute, and second, that show the time. GMT watches, on the other hand, have a fourth hand that rotates separately from the others and shows another time zone you have set.

Another extra feature of the GMT watch is the rotating bezel. The bezel is the bezel that surrounds the glass of the watch. All watches have bezels, but not all of them rotate. When it comes to GMT time, the bezel rotates and thanks to this bezel, you can adjust your GMT time according to different time zones.

How to Read GMT Time

Now that we know about the extra features of the GMT watch, the hand and the rotating bezel, we can give a brief introduction on how to use a GMT watch. The first thing you need to know is that you need to know the basic calculator to use the GMT time. 

With Greenwich as the zero point, knowing a particular time zone is calculated by adding or subtracting the time zone from the London time zones. For example, if you live in Edirne and want to know what time it is in Bulgaria, just subtract 1 hour from your local time. Because Bulgaria is located in the west of Turkey and there is only one hour difference between the local times of the countries (Turkey: GMT+3, Bulgaria: GMT+2).

It’s a very simple process. GMT clock does this basic math for you. No matter where you are, you rotate the bezel so that the fourth hand points to the same time as the hour (at 2 o’clock the 4th hand corresponds to 14 o’clock). Then you rotate as many bezels as necessary to know the time zone of another location.

Of course, this math may seem easy to do, but for those who are constantly traveling, having a reliable vehicle to do it is certainly nicer. Who wants to ponder math on their fourth trip in the same week?

Who Are GMT Watches For?

As we mentioned in the paragraph above, people who constantly travel to places with different time zones will find the features of GMT watches useful. For frequent travelers such as pilots and flight attendants, business and salespeople on the go, GMT time is a must.

Also, if your job is to communicate with people around the world, GMT watches can help make your job easier. If you have a job like this, the last thing you want to do is call someone in a different country while they’re asleep in the middle of the night.

There are numerous GMT-capable wristwatches. Therefore, it would not be right to suggest a model here. We have prepared this article only for the question of what is GMT time. Therefore, with a little research, you can find a GMT watch among countless GMT watches to suit your style and budget.

You can also review our website for the Best Watch Brands.