Let’s peek behind the Chrono24 curtain. The marketplace shuffles through a lot of watches, and one of the most popular categories is GMTs. These watches, of course, allow you to tell the time in multiple time zones at a glance—whether you’re traveling, calling a foreign country, or just curious how late it is in Tokyo.
The watches featured here are the top 5 revenue-leading GMT watches under 20,000 EUR on Chrono24, and one can assume that this list gives a pretty accurate reflection of the secondary market as a whole. These are not the most expensive GMTs and not necessarily the best-selling GMTs, but rather, they’re the GMTs that cause the biggest waves in terms of total market value. If you’re looking for a luxury GMT that would be easy to sell later if needed, then this list will be a great resource for your search. A couple of them may be obvious, while others will surprise you.
Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLNR
You thought #1 would be the red and blue “Pepsi” GMT, right? That’s the most traditional and most recognizable version of the famed Rolex GMT, but it’s no longer the most popular on the secondary market. Instead, the black and blue “Batman” has taken the top spot—specifically, the current generation ref. 126710BLNR (aka “Batgirl”). This reference carries with it all the incremental improvements of the GMT’s 60-year history and comes on either a sporty Oyster bracelet or a dressier Jubilee.
Call it a twist on a classic, call it “stealthy,” call it whatever you want. The Batman is steadily cementing its status as a modern icon in Rolex’s catalog, and it’s already a crowd favorite, as the data shows.
Tudor Black Bay GMT 79830RB
One reason why the Rolex “Pepsi” GMT may have fallen out of the top spot might be this watch right here. Tudor and Rolex are often mentioned in the same sentence, and look, we’ve done it again! If you want the functionality of the Rolex without all the fuss, then this Black Bay GMT is your best bet. The watch comes with either a black or an opaline white dial, and the signature snowflake hour hand maximizes legibility.
And the best part? The market rate for this watch is about 80% less than the Rolex. It’s certainly not the only GMT watch that Tudor offers, but this one has gotten on more wrists and made more waves in the market than the Black Bay Pro or the BB58 GMT.
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SBGE285
The SBGE285 might be the most Grand Seiko watch from Grand Seiko. What do we mean by that? Well, it’s got all the GS signatures: snowflake dial, Spring Drive movement, power reserve indicator, titanium case, Zaratsu polishing, and that perfect balance between sportiness and dressiness.
If you were going on vacation tomorrow, this could very well be the only watch you need because you can wear it to dinner, you can wear it in the ocean, and you’ll always know what time it is back home. Also, for those of you who aren’t really Rolex-types or Tudor-types, Grand Seiko offers the same strengths in a more “if you know, you know” kind of package.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Duoface Q3848422
Two time zones in one? Sure. How about two watches in one? Even better. On one side of this watch, you have the classic Reverso styling of a clean white dial, blued-steel hands and hour markers, square motifs, and some guilloché in the center for some intrigue. Flip the watch over, and you’re met with the watch’s dark alter ego: black dial, luminous hands and hour markers, circular motifs, a reversed guilloché pattern, and of course, a GMT subdial. The lug-to-lug measurement is nearly identical to that of the Rolex, and it’s plenty capable too.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronometer GMT 220.12.43.22.03.001
We’re calling this watch underrated only because it’s #5 on this list. Omega’s answer to the GMT is something other than your typical GMT. With this Aqua Terra Worldtimer, you get not one, not two, but 24 time zones in a single watch.
There’s a lot going on with this watch, but thankfully, the information hierarchy is organized such that you see the most important information first and all the additional information upon closer inspection. Outside of the Reverso, this is the most architecturally interesting watch on the list. You have Omega’s beautifully curved lugs, the pointed features of the Aqua Terra lineage, a subtly striped ring around the dial, and that absolutely gorgeous globe as the centerpiece.
