How do I work with time zones?

All LuxeLion watch faces include robust support for displaying multiple time zones on your watch.

Setting the Zones

Each of the two included zones (”Custom Time Zone 1” and “Custom Time Zone 2”) can be independently configured to show time at different locations. You can select among the following main ways to configure a zone:

LuxeLion’s time zone system are specified in one of two ways. The first is by a latitude and longitude, in which case Garmin’s software calculates the offset from UTC at that pinpointed location on the map. The second way to specify a time zone is via a manual offset from UTC.

In the section below, you’ll learn how to configure your time zones to improve your global awareness.

System clock time (current TZ)

This reads the time from the watch’s current clock. This is useful if you want to display details about your current time zone, such as the current UTC offset or provide a digital readout.

Keep in mind that Garmin watches vary in how they detect the current time zone. Many get the time from your paired phone, so the time zone only changes when your phone time zone changes and your watch syncs with it. But most devices also offer an ability to manually sync via GPS. Refer to your device instructions for more details.

Time at recent GPS location (if avail)

As an alternative to the above, you can use the time zone specified by your most recent GPS position. LuxeLion will try to obtain a GPS coordinate from a variety of different systems, including your live positioning (if during an activity), your most recent stored location, or the location of your nearest weather station.

Given a valid GPS coordinate, LuxeLion will use Garmin’s in-built system for pinpointing the time at that location. Garmin’s system should automatically detect and compensate for seasonal variations, including daylight savings time, which may be observed for different periods of time.

Depending on a variety of factors, a position may not be available, in which case you will see “GPS?” instead of the desired metric. You can facilitate your device acquiring a GPS position by starting a GPS-enabled activity, like a run.

Custom offset from UTC (in minutes)

If you would like to specify a direct offset from UTC, you may do so directly. Update the setting labeled “TZ 1: Custom UTC Offset (Minutes)” or “TZ 2: Custom UTC Offset (Minutes)”. Use positive numbers to indicate time east/ahead of UTC. Use negative numbers to indicate time west/behind UTC.

For example, if you’d like to specify a time that is 1 hour ahead of UTC (i.e. Central Europe Time, CET), you would enter 60. If you would like to specify a time that is 5 hours behind UTC time (i.e. New York City), you would specify -5 * 60 = -300 minutes. When entering a number, just include the number itself (no units).

Time at custom Lat & Long

An alternative way to obtain the time at a given location is to specify that location directly using custom latitude and longitude coordinates. To set them, look for the settings labeled “TZ 1: Custom Latitude (e.g. 38.85)” and “TZ 1: Custom Longitude (e.g. -94.79)”. (Time zone 2 has its own pair of coordinates).

Specify these coordinates using decimal notation. For example, latitude “38.85” and longitude “-94.79” would correspond to Garmin International’s US Headquarters and provide the time at that location.

Remember that latitudes range from -90 degrees to +90 degrees, while longitudes range from -180 degrees to +180 degrees. Typically, one or two decimal points will be more then sufficient to specify a location within the desired time zone.

An easy way to obtain a latitude/longitude is to use a mapping software of your choice, like Google Maps. Selecting a location on the map provides the GPS coordinates, as shown below (see the blue coordinates on the bottom):

Location Preset

The last (and easiest) way to set an alternate time zone is to pick from among the built-in options. Inspired by the time zones provided on popular watches with time zone support, this is LuxeLion’s list. Note that daylight savings time will impact the stated offset.

Selecting a Metric

For each of your two available zones, you can select from the following options:

(12h digital, 12h analog)

If the metric is applied to a complication with a digital readout, the 12h digital setting will display in a 12-hour format, like “6:30p.”

If the metric is applied to a complication with an analog readout (e.g. a tiny hand or progress bar), the 12h analog setting will treat midnight as 0%, 6am as 50%, and 12pm as 100%. Then it will reset back to 0% past noon, progressing again to 50% at 6pm and 100% as time approaches midnight.

(12h digital, 24h analog)

If the metric is applied to a complication with a digital readout, the 12h digital setting will display in a 12-hour format, like “6:30p.”

If the metric is applied to a complication with an analog readout (e.g. a tiny hand or progress bar), the 24h analog setting will start at 0% just past midnight, treat noon as exactly 50%, and move towards 100% as the next midnight approaches.

(24h digital, 24h analog)

If the metric is applied to a complication with a digital readout, the 24h digital setting will display in a 24-hour format, like “18:30.”

If the metric is applied to a complication with an analog readout (e.g. a tiny hand or progress bar), the 24h analog setting will start at 0% just past midnight, treat noon as exactly 50%, and move towards 100% as the next midnight approaches.

(24h digital, 12h analog)

If the metric is applied to a complication with a digital readout, the 24h digital setting will display in a 24-hour format, like “18:30.”

If the metric is applied to a complication with an analog readout (e.g. a tiny hand or progress bar), the 12h analog setting will treat midnight as 0%, 6am as 50%, and 12pm as 100%. Then it will reset back to 0% past noon, progressing again to 50% at 6pm and 100% as time approaches midnight.

Offset Hours from UTC

This choice will display the currently-observed offset from UTC in hours. For example, when daylight savings time is not in effect, UTC will display 0.0, PAR (Central Europe Time) will report +1.0, and NYC (US Eastern Time) will display -5.0. Daylight savings time will impact the displayed numbers.