The "Official" Watch Thread and all Things Horological | Page 73 | GTAMotorcycle.com

The "Official" Watch Thread and all Things Horological

Not in the market for a 'crazy' watch, though I will give them credit for doing something different in a sea of same-same. It's not just a wacky Mad Hatter dial, the movement sets the hour to the correct number in the wrong spot:


What I am in the market for is a GMT, curious about feedback on a few options. Looking for something somewhere around $1k if possible. Would really like a 24-hr two-way bezel, but in muted or neutral colours so it's a flexible wear with a variety of outfits. A traveler's movement (i.e. hour hand can be adjusted without stopping the watch) would be nice, but far from mandatory.

Right now the number one choice is the Squale Sub 39 GMT in black:

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It ticks all the boxes, and I really dig the faux-vintage vibe, based on a Squale model from the 60's before anyone says it's a Fifty Fathoms copy.

Second option is a Lorier Hyperion GMT. Harder to find, but doing it's own thing without being too much of a Rolex rip-off. Lorier is a microbrand out of New York, though as usual the bits are sourced offshore, I'm sure. Not a huge fan of the Pepsi-esque two-tone bezel, but the colours are muted enough to be workable:

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This Baltic is a contender, but I'm so in love with the blue dive version that I'd rather save room for one of those instead:

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Getting away from the dive-style watches into some that are at a crossroads between sporty and dressy are the Mont Blanc Heritage:

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And Frederique Constant Runabout:

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All of the above, bar the Lorier seem to go for just north of $1k CAD on the used market. The Lorier is less, but much harder to find, and has a Miyota movement while the rest use entry-level Swiss mechanicals.

Also, anyone want a fair price on a Laco Aachen 42 flieger or Citizen Fugu diver with black dial and red bezel? Trying not to accumulate, so needing to move things on to make room...
 
My money would go to the Squale first , Baltic second .
Mostly agreed, but deciding to stay away from the Baltic. Have a feeling the regular diver will be on my shopping list eventually.

Right now it's between the Squale and the Montblanc (not fussed about the pen thing - 1994 is ancient history compared to a lot of resurrected brands who bought history at a trademark office), though there's another Lorier (Hydra III GMT) that I like a lot better than the one above:

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It's not a patch on the Squale, really, but it's also less than half the price...
 
Not sure of the etiquette of this, so please let me know if this is bad form, but I do have a watch I want to shift to make room and would prefer to deal with slightly less rando folks here vs total randos via the usual online sales sites. I should probably post in classifieds, but I figure this thread is more appropriate.

It's a Laco Aachen 42mm, flieger Type B basically as-new with unworn strap and full set, 1 year left on 2 yr warranty. Will be posting on Chrono24 at $375, but GTAM price would be $300 as long as the plan isn't to flip it.

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Was also going to sell my Citizen Fugu diver, but got cold feet, especially when I looked at used values. I need a red watch for Liverpool match days, too...
 
Picked up a 1950's Cornell cheap. I was going to use it to practice polishing cases but I think it will look pretty good after cleaning if you aren't inspecting with zoom. It's really small (32mm). Surprisingly it has an adjusted movement.

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The Squale Sub-39 GMT arrived while I was away.

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Picked it up used on Chrono24, and the watch is mint except for one detail: the bezel is slightly wiggly, which drives me nuts. Considering I paid well below market rate, I'll live with it, and can always take it to a watchmaker for adjustment. The movement is a Sellita SW330-1, so it's a caller/office GMT rather than a traveller/pilot GMT (i.e. the 24-hr hand can be adjusted without stopping the watch while travellers can have their hour hand adjusted the same way).

I'm not a huge fan of the stock strap, so have to decide if it's worth ponying up for the factory bracelet (about $200 CAD) or looking for an alternative. I'm thinking a small-hole rally strap in black might look decent. Had looked at some more exotic materials more suitable for a dive-ish watch, but I find that sharkskin and stingray tend to look a bit too flash for my taste. Any suggestions are very welcome...
 

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