But, Warren, as I am sure you know there are actually time zones that are 15 minutes and 30 minutes apart, not just 1 hour increments globally. See the map around India and sailing across the Indian Ocean...
http://www.worldtimezone.com/
So, whether the Captain set the time changes for the ship this way or not, you would have had to deal with the flaw in the watches. Actually, I do see it as a design flaw in the watches, because in reality time zones are not only in 1 hour increments. That is just the way the world runs. Sorry, I know you must have been really looking forward to giving your new watch a workout! Also, if I may say, having done a world cruise, I believe at some point you will find yourself adrift from the world and settle in to not really being concerned with the exact time anywhere except on the ship! Soon, the only time you will find yourself worrying about synchronizing your watch with the local time zone will be when you are ashore and by then it will be a strange thing to worry about! Enjoy your cruise, Debbie