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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Glossary · Complication

World timer

A watch displaying the time in a selection of world cities or time zones simultaneously.

Explanation

A world timer shows the time in many zones at once, classically with a rotating 24-hour ring read against a fixed ring of city names — the system Louis Cottier developed in the 1930s. The wearer sets the local city to 12 o'clock and reads other zones directly. Modern versions add daylight-saving corrections; vintage Cottier-system watches by Patek Philippe and others are highly collectible.