If there is one complication (or class of complication) that I have become an ardent fan of, it is the world timer. While this often takes the form of a secondary hand to track another time zone, this can also take the shape of a cities disc that rotates around (as with this Baume & Mercier Capeland), or even a second time register. When we have a secondary time register, this is often synchronized to the main time display, as on this Techne. With the Ritmo Mundo Corinthian World Time, that second register can actually be independently set.
I will admit, I was initially a bit confused looking at the photos of the Ritmo Mundo Corinthian World Time. Around the outer edge of the bezel, you have the 24 major time zones represented by corresponding cities listed out. That by itself is fine – but there is no corresponding hand to mark out the hour for a city, nor is there a way to rotate that chapter ring that I can see. Instead, I see this being used just one way. For the main dial, could ostensibly just count out the number of time zones from where you are to where you are looking (for example, New York to London being 5 stops), and then add that number of hours to your current time.
I suppose if you really wanted to make things confusing for yourself, you could set the main dial to GMT, and rely on the smaller time display at 12 o’clock to your local time. If you do this, it might make some situations easier, but I think it really forces you to always do the math for the time, as well as re-learning how to read a 24-hour dial to get the correct local time. In short, I am really not quite certain how usable this particular world timer actually is for picking up the world times. Setting two separate time zones? Sure, easy enough. Reading out all the world times at a glance? Not so much.
The Ritmo Mundo Corinthian World Time also has some other tricks hidden in its 46mm case – a chronograph (ok, so that is not so hidden) and an alarm function. So, while at first glance you might think you have a tri-compax layout, it turns out only a single dial (over at 9 o’clock) is dedicated to the chronograph. The subdial located at 6 o’clock is where you set the alarm; all of this functionality is made possible by an Epson YM26 quartz movement. “What, no mechanical movement in a luxury watch?” I hear you ask? That’s true, but this was likely done in order to keep costs a bit more manageable.
That covers the hard functionality, which is (at least for my tastes) a bit of a mixed bag. In terms of styling, this is what originally grabbed my eye. The Ritmo Mundo Corinthian World Time is part of their Vintage collection, which these days is code for “looks old school”. Here, we have a very rounded case that calls to mind the shape of a pocket watch, with lugs coming off perpendicularly to the top and bottom of the case. While this is a look we certainly do not see these days, it means that a standard 22mm strap or bracelet can be fitted.
As shown here (which is the 704 series) on a leather strap, the Ritmo Mundo Corinthian World Time comes in at an asking price of $895 (regardless of finish, case size, or bracelet/strap). There is a lot on offer here (date, second time zone, chronograph, and alarm) combined with the vintage styling. As to whether or not it’s all wrapped up in a package that merits that particular hit to your wallet, well, that is up to the reader (and commenters) to decide. ritmomundo.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Ritmo Mundo Corinthian World Time
- Price: $895
- Who we think it might be for: You want vintage look, and you cannot quite decide on a single complication that you like best – so you want them all.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: While I really wanted to like the watch, it just is not clicking for me from the photos I have seen. We’ll see if we can get some hands-on time with one.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Either add a GMT/second time zone hand, or remove the world city chapter ring
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The style and world time capabilities initially drew me in
