Hi all,

I've been very quiet on the forum of late as I've had a busy couple of months moving my family and I across the Atlantic to start a new life in the USA (from the UK).

Now things have settled, the big purchases have been made, and it looks like I may be coming into some extra cash in the near future (a month or two, maybe).

Although I'm now in the States, I need to keep track of time in the UK, for work and personal reasons.

I therefore must have a GMT watch, clearly!!

I have been looking for a while, but I'm open to suggestions.

My criteria - must be a sports or semi-sporty watch (nothing too dressy, I'll be using it for work and needs to be able to take the occasional beating). Must be automatic. Date preferable. Bracelet preferable. Non-black dial preferable (but will consider black). Budget is around £3500/$4600 and can be new or pre-owned.

Front runners at the moment are Rolex Exp II polar (16570) and Omega 2538.20 ('Great White'). I've also looked at the Sinn 856 UTC new. The only one I have actually seen and tried on is the Rolex, and really liked it.

I open the floor to you guys - anything else I should be considering? Thanks!

 

Go to Bobs Watches... Lots of used Rolex there and they have a pretty good rep. Also Crown and Caliber.

 

I find these GS's pretty darn attractive.

 

Absolutely...How could I forget Seiko. These are stunning.

 

Why not put the Rolex 16700/10 in the mix as well. They are the quintessential GMT. If you're patient you can find one around $4500-$5000 range.

 

Well, with only a 5-8 hour difference, why not consider something with a 12 hour bezel?



Or if you're really on a budget, repurpose a dive bezel (rotate like a 12 hour bezel, then multiply bezel number by 2 when reading). This for example was when I was keeping track of NZ time for a few days.

 

*cough* FLIGHTMASTER *cough*

 

The 5th in Line of Succession to the British Throne would be pleased with your 1st choice @Maximus84

 

http://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-seiko-navigator-timer/

I got one of these off of eBay earlier this year. Needs a service though. Wears a bit small so under 7.5 inch wrist.

 

Creative!

Actually, when wearing my Speedy Pro for work (and if I remember!) I will start the Chrono at midnight GMT. I can then use the 12hr register as my 2nd time zone!

Useful, but only if I remember, and I don't really want to run the chrono all the time!

 

They look good! I'll check out Seiko (have a trusty SKX009 as a beater) but something I should've stipulated in my original post - I really need some decent lime as well for work!

 

Never noticed that before! If it's good enough for him....!

 

http://www.hamiltonwatch.com/collection/american-classic/jazzmaster/gmt-auto/h32605551

at about a grand and a bit it falls well within the budget.

 

The market has been brutal on the Rolex 16570 model. Incredible that this model can be had in the < $4k range, which appears within your budget. I would not pay more than that and with patience you could pick up a full set w/box and papers. It is a sport's model and obviously the polar/white dial is the popular of the two.
When considering your purchase, check on the service history as this could set you back a few hundred +.
Excellent beater and great entry point!

 

Polar Explorer II is so hard to beat. At current prices I can't see how it can ever be a bad investment. I'm currently looking for a nice tritium example.

 

Sean - thanks, I'd forgotten about Hamilton! They're on my radar!

The Polar Explorer is definitely in the lead at the moment. I've been casually perusing the market for some time and I can see that with patience you can get a good example (I'd probably be looking for a SEL, no holes case version, so 2002/3 or newer?) for $4-4.5k.

I just want to make sure I'm considering all options, and not be blinkered by the lure of the Rolex!

Any views on the Sinn?

 

The Sinn are all big watches.

 

I had that Sinn. The build quality is great, very solid and sturdy. It didn’t work for my style so it’s gone now.

My only complaint is how the 2893 movement works: contrary to the Rolex and Omega GMT you set the main hour and minute hands and then adjust the UTC/24h hand indipendently. This means it’s slightly annoying when traveling because you have to adjust both the main hands and the 24h hand every time, as opposed to just jumping the local time.

Other than that it was very good build quality and I was impressed with whatever treatment they do to the steel, it just wuldn’t scratch, even on the clasp.

 

I owned numerous Sinn models including the 857UTC and UTC TESTAF models which have a quite easy to use GMT function. The non-TESTAF version runs around $1,500 with TESTAF at $1,900. They both sport a beautiful and quite durable Di modell Chronissimo leather aviator band. The watch itself is quite durable as it's meant to be a tool watch. I love the clearly organized dial and the date at the 5 marker. The crystal is one of the most clear glasses I have ever seen on a watch and is antireflective. I will say that the bezel can easily get scuffed, the tiniest bump will remove a piece of the black color. The movement is quite solid, never have had any issues, and easily serviced.

It's a lot of watch for the price, can't go wrong with Sinn.

Good luck in your search.

 

Hard to give meaningful advice when people have such different preferences.

All I can speak is of my own experience, and I've had the new Explorer II black dial for a year and absolutely love it. I always leave the GMT hand on my home time zone (EST) and then use the quick set hour feature to set a local time.
While on the wrist I've never run out of power reserve. I know there are many here who claim to enjoy winding their manual pieces daily but for me having an auto that keeps going is much better. The date is quick to adjust whenever the EXPII comes out of rotation and the 2 day reserve runs out.
I like the added security of the lock-down crown (even though I've read respected members here who dispute that a lock-down really gives a better water resistance level), but when wearing a nice watch the piece of mind is nice (even if only imagined).

I find the dial of the Rolex very nice to look at, and the date/time are easy to read with even a quick casual glance at my wrist (unlike my Speedy) and so this piece is a perfect fit for what I like and what I use it for.


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