Best Travel Watches

The best travel watches do one of two things: track a second time zone, or stay light, accurate and comfortable enough that you forget them on a long day. This guide covers both, from a $36.99 world-time digital to a $449 titanium GMT from our own line. Every pick is in stock at One Good Watch right now, and we only call a watch a GMT or dual-time if the product data says so.

What to look for

If you cross time zones often, a second time display earns its place: a dual-time subdial, a world-time digital or a 24-hour scale. If you do not, you are better off with a plain quartz with a date, because quartz keeps time on a plane and does not stop in a hotel drawer. Weight and thickness matter over a fourteen-hour day, so look for light cases, titanium or resin, and slim profiles.

Strap choice is about comfort and drying. Silicone, resin and mesh handle heat and rain. Leather is fine for city trips. Water resistance of a manufacturer-rated 50m or more means a pool or beach is not a problem. 30m means keep it to rain and sinks.

Our picks

DOM Dual-Time Day-Date Quartz Watch, 40mm

The cheapest true dual-time watch we stock. A half-dial layout with two extra time-zone subdials plus day and date, Japanese quartz, a 40mm alloy case at 11.5mm thick, hardened mineral crystal and a 20mm steel mesh bracelet. Manufacturer-rated 30m. Four dial and case combinations. $39.99.

SKMEI Dual-Display Quartz Sport Watch, 44.8mm

A 43.9g plastic dual-display watch with world time, daylight saving, chronograph, alarm, stopwatch, date and weekday. Japanese quartz, 5 BAR water resistance, roughly 18 months on a battery. It is the one to throw in a bag for a beach or backpacking trip. Five styles. $36.99.

Casio MTP-1370L-7A Day-Date Analog Watch, Black Leather

The plain quartz answer. Japanese quartz in a stainless steel case, silver sunburst dial, the day spelled out in full at twelve and the date at six, so you know what day it is after a red-eye. Manufacturer-rated 50m on a black crocodile-grain leather strap. One in stock. $79.00.

HM 1801 Automatic Dress Watch, 41mm

For city trips where the watch has to work with a jacket. A 41mm stainless steel automatic at 12mm thick, black or white baton dial with a date at three, brown 20mm leather strap and a manufacturer-rated 10 BAR, which is far more than most dress watches carry. No battery to fail abroad. $119.99.

Carnival Globe-Dial Automatic Watch, Steel Bracelet

The travel-flavoured automatic. A black dial with a globe display at twelve, a 24-hour register at nine that separates morning from evening, a power-reserve arc at six and a blue date window, on an integrated steel bracelet. Crystal-set markers keep a busy dial readable. One in stock. $229.00.

Maker's Watch Knot Ivory Titanium Solar Chronograph, 40mm

The lightest serious watch here. A 40mm titanium case at 11mm thick whose head weighs 32.5g, an Epson VR43 solar quartz movement that runs on light rather than a battery, a sapphire crystal, an ivory chronograph dial and a 100m rating. It ships with two 18mm straps, oak Tochigi leather and silver Milanese mesh, which is a dress setup and a casual one in one box. One unit. $420.00.

1GW Titanium Red GMT Automatic 36mm

Our own GMT. A 36mm titanium case at 14mm thick, a Japanese NH35A automatic, a sapphire crystal and a red gradient dial with a dual 1 to 12 and 13 to 24 numeral layout and a 24-hour dial scale. Manufacturer-rated 200m on a 22mm tan leather strap. Light on the wrist and bold on the dial. One unit. $449.00.

How to choose between them

If you need to read two cities at a glance for the least money, the DOM Dual-Time is the pick. If the trip involves water, sand or a backpack, take the SKMEI dual display. The Casio is the quiet, accurate daily watch for anyone who just wants the date right. The Hannah Martin and the Carnival are for people who want an automatic and either a clean dial or a busy one. The Maker's Watch Knot is for whoever counts grams, and the 1GW Titanium Red GMT is the one to buy if you want a mechanical GMT layout in titanium with real water resistance.