Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kanwar Sandhu, who writes:
I want to share some information, which may be interesting for SWLers.
It’s the Torgoen T9 GMT watch.
It has a Swiss GMT movement manufactured by Ronda that allows to set the GMT hand to a different time zone, which in the case of a professional pilot would be the Greenwich Mean Time or GMT.
This ability makes it a perfect fit for the shortwave listener.
Thanks for sharing, Kanwar. I love analog watches, but rarely wear them these days because I like tracking my activity levels (my current watch is the Garmin Instinct recommended by my friend Sébastien (VA2SLW).
Analog watches, however, appeal to me much more than digital watches. I do like the design of the T9 watch face and the GMT hand. (Although I bet our friend Jeff over at the Herculodge blog would argue it’s not nearly beefy enough!)
I checked prices and it appears the Torgoen T9 is widely available (with different colors/bands) for about $140 – $190 US. Reviews seem mixed. At least, on Amazon, some models have a very positive review thread while others less so.
Retailers:
- Torgoen
- Search Amazon (affiliate link)
- Search eBay
I could easily become a watch collector if I had the funds to do so. For now, that’s not a rabbit hole I’m willing to venture down because my radio passion pretty much consumes all “fun” money! Oh but I can admire from a distance–!
Post readers: Any other recommendations of analog GMT watches? Do you have the T9? Please comment!
I set my Torgeon t9 watch at 12 :00 then set the second gmt hand to 3:00 which is 3 hours ahead but it doesn’t stay 3 hours ahead.first one did the same thing called Amazon sent me another one does the same thing. Am I doing anything wrong?
I’ve used the Casio Forester FT-600W (body style 5155) for about 20-odd years (I’m on my third). These have an analog main face and an inset LCD at the bottom, which can be set to show stopwatch, date, local time or GMT. Along with a backlight, 100m water resistant case and a stainless back it can’t be beaten at about $24! In fact, these have been so popular that they started out being made in Japan, then were discontinued for 3-4 years, then came back again made in China. It’s not fancy but the gasket is good between the back and body AND you can replace the two batteries yourself using just a small philips screwdriver (one for time, one for backlight). No prying or messing. The downsides are that there is no second hand (but the battery life is extended by only stepping the minute hand every 15 seconds) and the strap will typically last about 3 years [the pins in the body are shorter than normal, but you can ‘adjust’ a new leather or cloth strap using your wire snips!].