ReviewWorld Time, Two Ways: Introducing Raymond Weil’s Freelancer Worldtimer GMT
With an in-built world-timer and GMT function, this Raymond Weil Freelancer is the latest travel timekeeper that is also an excellent daily-wear piece. Here’s why
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Few timepieces offer both world-timer and GMT functions, as both seemingly serve the same purpose. But what happens when one needs to keep track of multiple events in different time zones all over the world? This is where Raymond Weil’s Freelancer Worldtimer GMT comes in: with both functions in one timepiece, it allows for dual time—local time and the time in another zone—and all 24-hour time zones, all at once. With international travel and correspondence at an all-time high, after the pandemic-slump, world-timers and GMT functions are among the most useful complications to have on the wrist today. Raymond Weil seem to have noticed that this feature has been missing from their repertoire for some time, and hence the three magnificent new models in the brand’s uber-successful Freelancer series.
Easy Legibility, Despite The Worldtimer GMT Data
Available in black, green and blue, the Freelancer Worldtimer GMT is ‘ideal for wearers who juggle life in different regions of the world’ according to the brand. Naturally, it is an information-heavy timepiece, but all the data on the dial is neatly arranged in concentric rings, making it easy to read. The outer rotating track has the names of the 24 main time zones marked on it, with a 24-hour scale parallel to the city track. The next circle has the hour and minute markers, treated with Super-LumiNova, as are the barrel-shaped hour and minute hands.
To set one’s local time, one must rotate the crown at four o’clock, with an embossed globe symbol—for the Worldtimer function. The city ring rotates to the wearer’s local location at 12 o’clock, and subsequently, the 23 other zones align on the 24-hour scale—which also has an approximate day/night indicator. The black GMT hand, tipped with a red triangle, tells the time at a specific second location.
Uber-Useful, Uber-Wearable
The black steel case is treated with a DLC coating, with a black gradient dial to match. The black model comes with a matching black calf leather strap with an alligator pattern. The green dial, interestingly, is offset by a bronze bezel and bronze crowns. With time, this bronze will most certainly acquire a beautiful patina, as the timepiece ages with grace. The green-and-bronze model comes with a matching green calf-leather strap.
The newest model in this collection, blue with a similar dark-light gradient, also comes with a matching leather strap, and the 24 time zones marked on a ring, but without the track with the city names, like the other two Worldtimer GMT models.
What makes this Worldtimer more practical is how wearable it is, sized at an agreeable 40.5mm case, only 9.7mm thick. Inside the case is the automatic self-winding movement, the new calibre RW3230, with a power reserve of 50 hours. With a sapphire crystal caseback allowing a view into the inner mechanics of the movement, the rear is just as cool as the watch face.
