Our Favorite Travel Watches, From $30 to $15K

With family homes in L.A., New York, and both ends of England (not to mention a travel-heavy job), I see more airports than a Boeing 737. My schedule doesn’t change much from year to year, so I’m pretty used to it. Still, one constant struggle is remembering what time zone I’m in at any given moment. I once flew from L.A. to Manchester, and upon landing, I took an espresso shot when I should’ve thrown back a scotch and melatonin. Suffice it to say, I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

So, I recently went on an epic quest to find the best watches for travel. Below, you’ll see some of my top choices—and they aren’t all GMTs, either. Whether you’re planning on hiking Angel’s Landing in Utah or relaxing under an Indonesian waterfall, all priorities, budgets, and personal styles are considered.

Not only is this handsome icon wallet-friendly at well under $50, depending on the model, but its travel-related functions are productively divorced from other devices. The last thing you need during a heads-down business trip is a smartwatch beckoning you to check your Instagram feed again. Style-wise, the Casio World Timer is for you international men of mystery. The LCD map, which indicates what time zone you’re in, reminds me of Cold War-era spy films. Impressively, you have access to four different cities out of 48 across 31 time zones.

Buy the silver-toned AE-1200WHD-1AV at Casio

Buy the black AE-1200WH-1AV at Casio

Between its water resistance and aquatic palettes, the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT would look right at home on a leisurely cruise ship or a rough-and-tumble expedition boat. If you’re going to use it as a dive watch, keep in mind that the bezel is bidirectional, which isn’t as foolproof as a unidirectional one (just use a modern-day dive computer like a normal person). Features like the double-domed sapphire and versatile 39-millimeter case harken back to the Golden Age of travel while maintaining modern comforts. The only challenge here is picking out a colorway. Shall I go with the maritime blue and teal, the deep-dive aesthetic of the gray and blue, or the orange and blue, reminiscent of an ocean sunset?

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In the digital era, the Seamaster Worldtimer’s mandala of laser-ablated city names is the time zone equivalent of a slide rule complication. Are there more efficient ways to achieve this function? Yes. Will any of them look as cool? Certainly not. Though the Aqua Terra’s signature boat-panel design frames the vision-of-Earth center plate, the dial leans more into the world traveler look. The nautical flair shines through via the blue color scheme, the Omega broad arrows, and the sophisticated basketweave rubber strap. I’m usually a Seamaster purist; I tend to steer clear of the subline’s extended family. However, I very much appreciate this luxurious timepiece’s graceful, balanced hybrid approach.

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The Longines Spirit Zulu Time is one of the best aviator watches ever. However, when the titanium variation graduated from limited-run into regular production, it may have become my very favorite. Pilots don’t need a bulky, heavy wrist tool weighing down the hand they’re using on the cyclic stick or control wheel. The hat-tip to Zulu Time, once the universal touchstone for the aviation community, is a fun Easter egg for both pilots and flight history buffs. And the dial’s flawless contrast applications and COSC-certified movement ensure clear, accurate time even from your periphery.

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Flight captains will get a kick out of the Citizen Navihawk’s incredibly technical watch face. Everything, from the high-contrast scales to the weight and fuel indicator, is modeled after navigation apparatuses in US military helicopters. Even the bezel (ion-plated for enhanced wear resistance and strength) flaunts a delightful slide rule. I don’t use this word often, but the Navihawk is a neat watch—just look at the airplane-tipped hands! Since this is Citizen’s Promaster line, all of the professional-level specs and functions are there too. The stealthy case is PVD-coated, the lume is brilliant, and the accurate Eco-Drive movement harnesses power from any light source.

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Known for exceptional GPS, sensors, and health tracking, Garmin offers some of the best purpose-built hiking and camping wearables on the market. The Fenix 7S Pro Solar’s Jet Lag Adviser even personalizes sleep, light exposure, and exercise schedules, making it an effective watch for your off-grid adventure and the flight itself. Its fiber-fortified polymer case and titanium bezel are tough but lightweight. Meanwhile, the display remains crystal clear, even in the sunlight. Don’t let severe rays stop you from reading those topographical maps or mountain bike dynamics. The 14 days of battery life will serve those in the most remote, electricity-free parts of the world, and be a boon to those who chronically forget their chargers.

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What’s really fantastic about the GBM2100A (other than its brawny yet sleek look) is that it connects to your phone but isn’t flooded with bells and whistles. I’m ashamed to admit that screentime has occasionally distracted me from the visual wonders that come with travel. Don’t you want to appreciate what’s in front of you when you’re somewhere new or exotic? As G-Shock is known to do, this watch is equipped with several useful travel features, including world time, 38 zones, and coordinated universal time. Moreover, its rugged build and double LED light make it more than sufficient for off-grid treks. Come on, our ancestors didn’t need heart rate monitors and step counters during their camping trips.

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The watch that launched a thousand Pepsi bezels. Historians recall that the original GMT-Master was a collaboration between Rolex and Pan Am Airlines. Today, it’s the reigning king of travel watches and comes in a few colorways, if primary-on-primary isn’t your thing. Though it was made for commercial pilots, the GMT-Master family came to represent the jetsetter. There’s something a bit more posh about it compared to the fliegers and aviator watches that came before. Don’t think the GMT-Master guy isn’t up for action though—he’s just more James Bond than Indiana Jones. Regardless of which iteration you go for, the GMT-Master II is an instant family heirloom.

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It seems like every timepiece in the luxury travel watch world is trying to be the GMT-Master II. So it’s truly refreshing that the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Geographic doesn’t fall into that trap, both functionally and visually. Read your second time zone using the 24-hour disc or the world time disc, cleanly situated at the bottom-dial aperture. There’s a lot going on here, but the space is efficiently and gracefully utilized, which is impressive but not surprising. (Jaeger-LeCoultre brought us the Reverso, after all.) The dial itself is a visual feast. Who thinks to combine a gradation and sunray effect, while finishing it off with a grainy opaline? This is a remarkably distinguished timepiece.

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