How to set my Rolex GMT Master ii in the 21st Century

As a leading manufacturer of custom rubber watch straps, one thing Rubber B has is a deep and abiding appreciation for technology. More specifically, for the myriad number of ways in which technology helps to improve our lives and makes things easier, which then allows us to spend more time doing the things we are passionate about with the people we care about most.

A particularly fascinating example of this can be found in the Rolex GMT watch. Despite being known for the beauty of their luxury timepieces, Rolex has also been a leading pioneer with regards to implementing technology in watches that actually improves the life of the wearer. But how can simply wearing a watch actually make a person’s life easier, outside of telling the time

While that is a pertinent question, it is not a simple one to answer. In order to fully do so, we’ll have to take a look at the history of the watch itself, as well as how to operate, to fully understand what makes the Rolex GMT such a special watch and how to get the most usage out of it, even in the 21^st century.

What is the History of the Rolex GMT Watch?

In order to truly appreciate the full usefulness of the Rolex GMT watch, you have to have a least a little knowledge about the history of air travel first – as you’ll see in a few moments, the two things are very closely connected.

In the early 1950’s, international air travel was starting to become a more mainstream idea, and while certainly not cheap, it was affordable enough that many people who had never taken an international flight before were now able to do so for the first time. This resulted in the expansion of airline companies, who welcomed the additional business with open arms.

However, this additional business also created some new problems as well – not so much for the people who ran the airline companies, but the pilots. At this time, there was no way for the pilots to keep track of the time as they moved through different time zones across the world.  This was even further compounded by the fact that there are actually 24 different time zones, which is why we have 24 hours in a day. As you could well imagine, this would cause quite a headache for someone whose job is so dominated by being in a specific place at a specific time.

In 1954, the now-defunct Pan American airlines decided that they would solve this problem – with some assistance, of course. To do so, they sent out representatives to Rolex and asked them if they could design a watch that could keep track of the time in multiple time zones. Rolex had been featured quite prominently in the news over the last couple of decades by that point in time, as Sir Edmund Hillary had used a Rolex to help him summit Everest, and famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau had used one of the company’s famed timepieces on his deep-sea dives as well.

Being the type of company that is often excited at the prospect of tackling a challenge, Rolex quickly accepted Pan American’s offer and decided to create a timepiece that would be able to keep track of multiple time zones at the same time. Thus, in 1954, the first Rolex GMT Master was released, and it quickly became the watch of choice for pilots around the world soon after.

The watch would remain a very popular stalwart among Rolex’s product lines – so much so, in fact, that the Rolex GMT II would not be released until almost 30 years later, in 1983. This watch is notable because it was the first Rolex to have an independent 24 hour hand, which is crucial in order to keep track of the time in multiple time zones.

How Should You Use Your Rolex GMT Watch?  

This watch was specially designed with one very specific purpose in mind – to be able to tell the time from anywhere in the world. This is even evident in its name, as the “GMT” in its title refers to Greenwich Mean Time, which is the standard that the world has used for keeping time since the 1600’s.  As such, in order to get the most out of the timepiece, it is helpful to have an idea of how to actually operate it.

There are a couple of important things to know at the outset in order to be able to read this watch. The first is that, if you look closely at its bezel, you will see that it has dots and numbers that indicate 1-24. This is what is known as “24 hour time,” or as it’s more commonly called in some parts of the world, military time. If you have ever watched a war or action movie and heard a character say something like “Be ready at 16:00,” this is the timescale that they are using.

The other important thing of note about this watch is that it has a third watch hand, one that is separate from the hour and minute hand. This is called the GMT hand, and on several models of the GMT, it is often a different color, normally red. By using this watch and the rotating military time bezel in conjunction, you will be able to fully use your Rolex GMT watch and keep track of the time in multiple time zones.

How Can You Keep Track of Multiple Time Zones Using Your Rolex GMT Watch?   

Now that you have all of this information at hand, you can fully use the watch’s functions to be able to keep track of the time in multiple places at once. For the sake of simplicity, all of our hypothetical examples will start with CET, or Central European Time. Once you understand how to read the watch, you can try crafting some own examples of your own and seeing if you were right by verifying the time online.

Hypothetically, let’s say that you live in Geneva, Switzerland and you’d like to call your uncle, Tom, who lives in New York. New York runs on EST, or Eastern Standard Time, which is six hours behind CET. Furthermore, let’s say that it is 10:10 AM in Geneva at the time you would like to make this call.

At this point, the red GMT hand should be pointing to the 20 on the rotating bezel of the watch. By already knowing that New York is six hours ahead of Geneva, all you have to do is turn the bezel to the 2 by rotating it six dots in the counter-clockwise direction. It is important to note that rotating the bezel in the counter-clockwise direction will always move you forward in time, while rotating the bezel in the clockwise direction will always move you backward in time. This will never change, so keep it in the forefront of your mind when doing time calculations with your Rolex GMT watch.

To answer the question from our hypothetical example, your Rolex GMT will tell you that it is 4:10 PM where your uncle Tom is, and being that he is probably at work, it probably isn’t a great idea to call him just then.

The Rolex GMT can be used to calculate time across all 24 time zones, so let’s use an international setting for our second example. Let’s say that you are now located in New York and would like to talk to your aunt Madeline, who lives all the way in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and it is 4:10 AM at this time. You know from looking it up that Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of New York, so after rotating your bezel six dots forward in the counter-clockwise direction, you quickly realize that it is 6:10 PM in Tokyo, and your aunt is most likely able to speak with you.

In the age of smartphones and the internet, keeping track of international time may seem like an antiquated notion. However, if your smartphone were to ever fail and you were not near a computer, it is always great to have a failsafe in case of emergency.

Looking for a Custom Rubber Watch Strap For Your Rolex GMT Watch? Visit Rubber B Today

If you are looking for a custom rubber watch strap for your Rolex GMT timepiece, look no further than the Rubber B website, as we have a wide variety of elegant rubber watch bands for you to choose from. If you have any further questions about our catalog, please visit our website today and we will be happy to assist you.