I recently picked up a Great White SMP GMT PIC 2538.20 as it is one of the few SMP variants I haven't tried and I have always been intrigued by the dial. The quirkiness of the GW has always appealed to me in that it has a bespoke dial and bezel and possibly case, different in dimensions and finish to all other SMP models, including perhaps surprisingly the black dial GMT. It is hard to think it was worth the expense of tooling it up as they aren't exactly commonly seen vs the 2351 and 2254. It was launched in 2002, 4 years after the black dial version, perhaps to stimulate flagging sales of that iteration or perhaps SMP sales overall but they are seldom seen in the wild so it possibly wasn't a hugely successful plan if so.
I have been on the look out for the right one for a few years, I love the basic SMP design, especially the sword hands versions. In addition to several 3 hand SMPs, I previously owned the Black 50th Anniv GMT SMP and also, usefully for comparison, a black dial 40mm Rolex Exp-II too which is obviously a close competitor. Neither are still with me but between those two I preferred the Omega GMT interpretation overall, the lume on the Rolex was very poor and the plain gloss dial lacked character. I wonder if I would think the same with this vs a Polar EXP-II, quite probably.
Here it is, fresh from a full overhaul at STS who never fail to do a tidy job: it looks and feels brand new The cost of the service was eye wateringly expensive as the bezel and crystal were replaced but this does have the advantage that it is now truly mint. The fully brushed finish is very very impressive in the flesh. It is a trick Omega repeated with the Speedy Tuesday 1 and really adds to the tool watch aesthetic, though ironically a fully polished finish would be easier to maintain as a wipe with a Cape Cod can sort most things on a polished finish, not so here. The titanium models have a similar matt look and it does suit the sword hands (Blake) dial well. I don't think this finish would work at all well with the Bond dial though as that is a much blingier design.
On a very crip frosty morning:
Margo looks pretty unimpressed by it though:
One thing I hadn't figured before I got this is that the lume compound used on the GW isn't the same as that used on the other sword hands variants like the 2254 or 2255. Those, presumably using C3 or C5, look to a greater or lesser extent yellow-green or pale green under most conditions. Presumably for reasons of aesthetics, the GW seems to use a much whiter compound, C1 perhaps? It's a subtle thing but it does mean that the GW looks very different to the others in daylight, they both still glow green at night though.
Here is a side by side with a 2265 for comparison. Note how unbalanced the He valve makes the 3 hander look vs the GMT case, they really should have ditched that for all the Sword hands releases, imagine how good a 2254 would look sans wart:
Just a titanium one to try and that is pretty much the full SMP set done.
