I owned that Tissot for a while. I liked it but it was just a tad too big for me at 43mm. The sad thing is that my aging eyes (even with glasses) had a hard time reading the city disc. But it looks nice and sports a chronometer grade movement, which is nice at this price. It's a remake of a watch they made in 1948, I believe.

The Seiko just has a bezel ring that you rotate. As you saw, super affordable, but not really a complication compared to the others, though you can get essentially the same functionality. I had a version and it was pretty neat for the price.

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Thanks, I had a feeling the Seiko 5 Sports "Worldtimer" wasn't actually a real worldtimer. I removed it from post #1.

 

OP, excellent post! 😎 I love worldtimer and you've found nearly all of the affordable ones already.

I own the Alpina WT which is great - very similar to the IWC and runs it close on quality but available for close on a third of the price.

I also have my eye one one of the few that isn't on your list, the Ball Engineer Master ii Diver WT which I think is gorgeous with the blue dial on the bracelet, good for swimming/diving (300m WR) and I guess a similar price to the other Balls if the UK prices are anything to go by:

 

OP, excellent post! 😎 I love worldtimer and you've found nearly all of the affordable ones already.

I also have my eye one one of the few that isn't on your list, the Ball Engineer Master ii Diver WT which I think is gorgeous with the blue dial on the bracelet, good for swimming/diving (300m WR) and I guess a similar price to the other Balls if the UK prices are anything to go by:

Thanks! As for Ball, yeah, I had an inkling I hadn't found all of their worldtimers. They definitely seem to have the most out of any brand available; I guess this is one of the things they're known for? I can't say I have much familiarity with the brand but I'm definitely going to take a closer look now. They also seem to do a lot of moonphases, another complication that is frequently more expensive than need be. It seems like Ball occupies a niche of providing typically high-priced (but not actually that complex) complications at more affordable prices? I wish someone would do that with precious metal watches too!

 

And here's a good write up of the Ball Diver WT (as you can probably tell, I'm pretty keen on it):
Engineer Master II Diver Worldtime (42mm)

Review on YT here:

 

A Freddy service will set you back $700 +/- so the upfront cost is affordable but the cost of ownership is not. And it tends to be this way for most “affordables”.

 

A Freddy service will set you back $700 +/- so the upfront cost is affordable but the cost of ownership is not. And it tends to be this way for most "affordables".

Ooof, that's a lot relative to its value. You think that's the same for the other watches on here?

 

Great post and thorough list!

There was an FC on watchrecon recently for just under $2k. I had to talk myself out of it, as I really never wear a yellow gold (or in this case plated) watch. It was still a good looking watch for the price

 

The reddish-brown/gold-plated Frederique Constant is beautiful too. So many good color options with this one. I don't know if I could ever get over the date subdial at the bottom though. It's too busy, it obscures part of the world time track (the entire reason to buy this watch!), and I've never really seen the point of a date display like this anyway. Put the date in a window; I don't ever need to see the dates that it's not. I'd seriously like this better without the date complication at all vs this, or alternatively, make that a seconds subdial and make it smaller so it doesn't obscure the 24 hr world time ring. With the design as is ... I don't know if I could ever love it, as cool as it looks.

 

I had the B&M. It punches well above its weight (though it's a big watch). I did not like the FC. It's quality and finish was poor. The IWC is underwhelming in person at its price. The Tissot is pretty well finished for a Tissot. My experience with Ball is that once the tritium starts getting weak it's a bit disappointing.

That said I don't really recommend worldtimers since you find out real quick that the inability to know who is doing what in terms of DST makes a worldtimer quite useless.

The Omega is worth it. Very well finished, and does not feel as thick as it does. The world is well done, and it does (somewhat) alieviate the DST issue as you can see the cities are different colored. The white are DST cities; the blue are not. it still doesn't tell you WHEN they switch to DST though, so it's still not very good.

Also keep in mind a worldtimer costs more to service.

 

I had the B&M. It punches well above its weight (though it's a big watch). I did not like the FC. It's quality and finish was poor. The IWC is underwhelming in person at its price. The Tissot is pretty well finished for a Tissot. My experience with Ball is that once the tritium starts getting weak it's a bit disappointing.

That said I don't really recommend worldtimers since you find out real quick that the inability to know who is doing what in terms of DST makes a worldtimer quite useless.

The Omega is worth it. Very well finished, and does not feel as thick as it does. The world is well done, and it does (somewhat) alieviate the DST issue as you can see the cities are different colored. The white are DST cities; the blue are not. it still doesn't tell you WHEN they switch to DST though, so it's still not very good.

Also keep in mind a worldtimer costs more to service.

Agree they have their drawbacks as you mention above, but they are also useful despite those. I work in a multinational where it is handy to be able to do a quick check of times in different countries and you do start to memorise the DST changes that are relevant.

Plus they look good IMO ?

Re: Ball, to be fair it took 15 years for the tritium tubes to fade on my current one and you can have them replaced.

 

I was actually considering this citizen to travel with since it's not expensive and if I lost it no big deal. It's not half bad looking either although it's not my typical style.

 

I was actually considering this citizen to travel with since it's not expensive and if I lost it no big deal. It's not half bad looking either although it's not my typical style.
View attachment 15711284

Are you sure this is actually a worldtimer? It doesn't look like one to me; I don't see how to tell the time in many timezones simultaneously. In particular I don't see a 24 hr ring.

 

You could check out a used Girard Perregaux WW.TC... might sneak in below your $%k threshold.

 

Good call, it looks like some of these can be had for around $5k used (ouch if you were the initial buyer on these!).

 

Christopher Ward also has their Worldglow - C1 Worldglow | Christopher Ward

 

I thought “oooh, Chris Ward does a nice WT” but you’ve already looked there.

 

like the FC, and might also consider Mido multifort GMT, has 2893 mvmt.

The Midos newer seastar GMT has a jumping hour hand, but I think it's it 21k beats...

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Only one I can think of that hasn't been named so far is the Montblanc Orbis Terrarum. While the newer Star Legacy Orbis Terrarum with the full blue dial is $7k at MSRP, you can find the older model (with the color-terrain map) around the $4k-5k mark on the grey/secondary market for the previous generation like this one:

Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum for $4,133 for sale from a Trusted Seller on Chrono24

That being said, I think some of the other models already listed provide nicer options at better values. I'd personally go for the Aqua Terra World Timer or for that Girard Perregaux WW.TC, although I think I would want the panda dial variant of that particular model (as the white w/ black chronograph subdials and a black/white 24 hour ring cleans up the design a bit compared to the red/blue half rings)

 

There's another that is very affordable if you can find it. Bulova AccuSwiss World Timer. I had this one for a short while. Well made for the price (under $500) and the two-tone look actually wasn't bad. I'm not sure what movement was in it but it ran well.

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Montblanc do my favorite world timer under 5k. The day night rotates under the map and shows which portion of the world is currently day/night. Very visual.

There was also a more colorful version:

Unfortunately montblanc recently discontinued (i think) these models for a slightly uglier version (below):

 

I just put in an order for the steel Omega AT Worldtimer today with my Omega AD! These watches are apparently pretty scarce nowadays, so I’m happy I acted! Purchased the steel bracelet version, but also ordered the blue strap “on the side” and the AD is throwing in some Omega “swag” all at under MSRP (although, I know discussing particulars when it comes to purchases may not be kosher, I won’t say more)

The AD had the gold version in store and the dial is SUPERB! I cannot wait to see the blue!

I’m not sure if I would call it affordable, but all things are relative, and compared to the Vacheron and Patek, it’s a steal!

I’ll likely post some unboxing photos in the Omega forum and I’ll post here too, if there’s interest.


EDIT:

I actually really like the look and finish of the FC! If someone had a strict budget of $5k or less, that’s the one I’d recommend.

Further, I agree with some above posters regarding the IWC. I was interested in the Timezoner le petit prince limited edition, but $15k USD (with taxes) was too much for the complication. It’s also technically not a true Worldtimer, either. I tried on a 46mm IWC and it was definitely too large for my liking. And the midnight blue dial that looks striking in photos left me extremely underwhelmed. IWC is not for me…

 

I just put in an order for the steel Omega AT Worldtimer today with my Omega AD! These watches are apparently pretty scarce nowadays, so I'm happy I acted! Purchased the steel bracelet version, but also ordered the blue strap "on the side" and the AD is throwing in some Omega "swag" all at under MSRP (although, I know discussing particulars when it comes to purchases may not be kosher, I won't say more)

The AD had the gold version in store and the dial is SUPERB! I cannot wait to see the blue!

I'm not sure if I would call it affordable, but all things are relative, and compared to the Vacheron and Patek, it's a steal!

I'll likely post some unboxing photos in the Omega forum and I'll post here too, if there's interest.

EDIT:

I actually really like the look and finish of the FC! If someone had a strict budget of $5k or less, that's the one I'd recommend.

Further, I agree with some above posters regarding the IWC. I was interested in the Timezoner le petit prince limited edition, but $15k USD (with taxes) was too much for the complication. It's also technically not a true Worldtimer, either. I tried on a 46mm IWC and it was definitely too large for my liking. And the midnight blue dial that looks striking in photos left me extremely underwhelmed. IWC is not for me…

Following up, it finally came in!

I'm not sure if I would call this piece "affordable," but value for money, I don't think it can be beat. I would argue it delivers superior craftsmanship and quality to the more affordable Worldtimers discussed here, and it can go toe-to-toe with the more expensive Worldtimers of the likes of Patek and Vacheron!

 

6117-6400

 

I had already investigated this one but it's not actually a worldtimer. Neither the city ring or 24 hr ring rotate via the mechanism.

 

Longines also makes a nice relatively inexpensive world timer which can be found for under $2k. Best to see one in person before buying tho bc with a lot of these world timers the text of the cities is SMALL and depending your eyes you may or may not be able to read it!

 

Nice. Agreed that the text looks small and on such a small watch already it would have made more sense to go with three letter airport codes.

Fwiw my main heuristic now for determining whether a watch is a real world-timer or not is looking at a variety of photos of it and seeing if either the 24-hr or city ring is frequently seen in a variety of orientations, and also that it appears controlled by the watch's movement itself (i.e. it's not an externally rotatable bezel or, rarely, manually rotated by a second crown/button).

 

SALVADOR 40MM WORLD TIMER AUTOMATIC STEEL DRESS WATCH (BLACK DIAL)

Features: 40mm case size Automatic Movement Black Dial Sapphire Crystal Steel bracelet Water Resistant to 5 ATM/165 ft/50m Vintage-inspired polished World Timer bezel Luminous hour and minute hands Movement Information: 21,600 bph/3 Hz -20 to +40 seconds per day Date window display 40-hours...

shop.ibarrawatches.com

 

That doesn't appear to be a real worldtimer though? That's just a normal watch with a fixed 24 hr ring printed on the dial and city names engraved on a manually rotating bezel. In fact I don't think that's even a functional GMT watch as I don't see a 24 hr hand, so it's really just a normal watch with extra printing on it that isn't functional.

 

Super affordable. $213 USD on sale right now.
I own 3 Jack Masons. I think they are good value.

Pursuit World Timer Watch | Jack Mason

Track multiple time zones on one watch face thanks to the rotating bezel design of the Pursuit World Timer Watch. Shop the perfect gift for the word traveler.

jackmasonbrand.com

 

Quick thread revival as I've decided my next purchase will be this one: Ball Engineer Master II Diver Worldtime.

Very likely in the blue dial version on the bracelet.

Just need to be patient as I still have another watch on order and want to get that in the door before pulling the trigger again!

 

 

I'd say I really enjoy reading this topic. Omega Seamaster Worldtimer is the one I'm look but over my budget. Not sure have you ever try Bremont ALT1 ? Colour is optional.

 

I’m on the hunt for a world time watch as well. I currently have a Hamilton auto GMT with a second time zone in 24hr format. I honestly can’t remember when I got it, but it has been flawless since day 1. This worked great when I worked mostly with people in the US ET time zone. Now I’m dealing with people in India, Israeli, GB and US. The US time zones are no biggie but the most of world gets to much for me.

I really really like the Ball Engineer Master II Diver Worldtime Automatic and the Montblanc 4810 Orbis Terrarum. Dropping multiple Ks on a watch is a big deal for me and I’m thinking of trying a more budget version first.

I prefer watches that are less cluttered and more on the actual functional side. The watch doesn’t need to present the exact time around the world. I just need the basics, but at a glance. If I really need the exact time I’ll puts out the iPhone or conversion website.

I found the two following watches that could work as testers.

Citizen Eco-Drive Calendrier Quartz Mens Watch, Stainless Steel with Leather strap, Classic, Blue (Model: BU2020-02A) - Amazon

The dial is a little busy, but I like that the 24 clock is next to the city list. I haven’t checked the manual, but I assume the city list rotates and the 24hr bezel is set via a crown. I also read that the glow in the dark hands don’t last on this watch. This would be a long term deal breaker for me.

Havok World Traveller - Havok Direct

I like the clean design, but I’m concerned with having in the 24hr clock so far from the city ring. I get the ideal of the hour marker pointing at the inner 24hr ring, however it seems a little weird in my mind. I do like the city names vs the abbreviations. The blue version is very pretty, but sadly it didn‘t come in a stainless case.

https://www.elliothavok.com/products/onyx-black-world-traveller-42mm

Thoughts ….. suggestions …. experiences ….