: Could someone please explain to me in SIMPLE
: terms, how to use the 2nd. hour hand and the
: 24 hr. bezel. Pretend you're talking to a 5
: year old and keep it simple. I might not
: check the forum for a while, so please
: e-mail me. Thanks
The Mechanics...
OK, having had the opportunity to play with a GMT within the last 2 hours, allow me to modify my answer: Assuming that your GMT is the new Seamaster GMT, the crown has 4 positions:
1. Completely screwed in.
2. Unscrewed (winding).
3. Pulled out half-way (sets the standard hour hand, in 1-hour increments).
4. Pulled out all the way (sets all the hands).
** Incidentally, there is no way to advance the date, independent of the hands, so at the end of months with less than 31 days, you'll need to do some extra work than usual with the crown (which will be made a bit easier by the speedy whole-hour advance feature).
Setting the Watch...In order to get your watch set up, twist the 24-hour bezel so that 24 is at the 12 o'clock position. Then, follow the following steps:
1. With the crown completely pulled out, set the time in the time zone for which you'll be using the long, red 24-hour hand (only worry about the 24-hour hand, minute hand, and second hand;
In other words, disregard the regular hour hand during this step.
2. Push the crown in, by one position. Use this position to advance the hour hand and date until the date rolls over to display today's date (the only real way to know whether 12 o'clock is AM or PM).
3. Continue to advance the regular hour-hand in one-hour increments until it reads the proper time in your current time zone.
4. All done. Push in crown and screw down securely.
As for the 24-hour rotating bezel...This can be left aligned with the 24 at the 12 o'clock position all the time; It isn't necessary, and is more or less just there as a matter of styling and tradition... in fact, some GMT-style watches don't have rotating bezels, (take the Rolex Explorer II, for example). However, some suggested uses follow:
1. It can be used to quickly figure the time in a third time zone, by quickly turning it back or forward by the requisite number of time zones, and then returning it to it's original position (something that first-grade math usually renders unnecessary, but for some of us, it's been a while since first grade... also, even the best of us can get confused occasionally, when working with a base-24 numbering system, using our base-10 brains... after all, how many of us have miscalculated time changes and been late for a meeting? Or called a distant friend too late at night and woke up his kids?).
2. It can be used to safely change time zones, without compromising the water-resistance of the watch, if you happen to swim to another time zone and it isn't safe to unscrew your crown in the water in order advance the hour hand.
3. It's another great thing to play with, since you don't have a helium relief valve (the model with that ne'er-used feature costs nearly $1000 more); And it isn't just for you to play with, either! My five-year-old daughter simply can't resist the urge to twist my SMP's bezel every time she walks past me.
4. This one has got to be the most interesting of all: Click the link in my previous post on this subject, where you can find instruction on using the watch as a compass, combining the clock time, 24-hour bezel, and using the 24-hour hand to indicate an azimuth to the sun, in order to ascertain cardinal directions; Uses roughly the same principle as a sextant. Only try this if your watch is an automatic; If you're a quartz user, this will never meet your exacting accuracy requirements, and I'll be forced to listen to your griping, ad nauseum; If this is the case, just buy a GPS.
5. Probably the most practical of all: To make quick or temporary adjustments to your time zone (like a pseudo-third time zone function): Set the 24-hour hand to indicate GMT when the bezel is aligned 24/12. Then, use the regular hour hand to indicate your home time zone. Then, during frequent travel, simply align the bezel so that the 24-hour hand indicates your current local time (give it a quick twist back to check GMT).
Some additional notes:
1. Only use the middle crown position (regular hour hand advance) to advance the date; The watch is designed for frequent adjustments using this feature, and probably won't stand up as well over time if constant adjustments are made using the fully-out crown position. This reason (and also convenience) is why the watch was designed with that function more easily accessible than the position which sets all the hands.
2. The same applies when advancing the date; Use the hour-hand advance function; Why force the whole movement through several day's worth of exertion in only 10 seconds if you don't have to?
3. For the same reasons of convenience and not overstressing the movement, use the 24-hour hand (which is not as easily adjusted) to indicate the time zone used most often (read: least often adjusted). That way, the most frequent adjustments will be made using the speed-advance feature for the regular hour hand.
One last comment for you: You've got a great watch! After acquainting myself with it, for the purpose of writing this descriptin, I couldn't help but to negotiate myself a 10% discount and then put it on layaway, to give myself a few days to comparison shop... (and ease my wife into the whole idea, given the 3-month-old SMP that currently resides on my wrist). Cheers!
