A sub-$500 automatic GMT that’s worth its “metal”

Specs
Diameter: 42.5mm
Lug to lug: 46mm
Thickness: 13.6mm
Lug width: 22mm
Movement: Seiko 4R34, 41hrs power reserve, automatic, 21,600vph

TLDR

This is one of the greatest value watches I’ve seen in a while. It comes with an all new, in-house automatic GMT movement, an impressive solid link jubilee bracelet, and a stunning sapphire-covered bezel insert. But it’s so… big. And I’m just so…small. At an astoundingly average 5′ 10″ and 6.5″ I can’t pull off this beefy, heavyweight chonkster. I think I’ll have to downgrade to an SKX013 or perhaps be forced to upgrade to a GS 9F quartz GMT. Poor lad, me.

GMT, or not GMT?

That is the question I will try to answer…

This is the first GMT watch that I’ve owned. I tend to like simpler watches. Life is already complicated enough, so why add more complications to my wrist? But when Seiko announced that they were releasing new automatic GMT’s in the iconic SKX case for under $500 I couldn’t resist getting my grubby little hands on one. I have family on the other side of the continent, after all. How will I know what they’re up to if I don’t know what time it is in their neck of the woods? One simply must have a GMT!

But is this a GMT? While it is certainly an incredible deal, the SSK001 is not what we’d call a “true GMT” because it doesn’t have an independent hour hand. Rather, it is an “office GMT,” meaning the GMT hand, not the local hour hand, can be moved independently. This is actually more practical for everyday usage unless, of course, you are a pilot or flight attendant (looking at you, dad and mom, respectively) because unless you’re moving across timezones, it doesn’t make sense to have a feature that allows you to change the local time so quickly. This is all kind of hard to explain with writing honestly, so if you’re a visual learner or simply find my non-explanation lacking, go ahead and check out this video by Mark at Long Island Watch explaining the difference.

None of this is really a big deal to me as I spend most of my time in one timezone and if I want to start tracking another I can simply move the GMT hand or turn the bezel. In fact, because it features a rotating bezel, unlike a Rolex Explorer II or Grand Seiko SBGN003, the SSK001 can actually keep track of three time zones: TZ1 local time, TZ2 on the inner chapter ring, and TZ3 on the outer bezel insert. I recently had mine set to Pacific, East Coast, and Istanbul time just because, why not?

There are only a few sub-$1000 automatic GMT’s out there, to my knowledge, so the fact that Seiko now has an in-house, albeit “office” style, GMT for under $500 is very impressive to me. I got mine brand new from a jeweler, my first experience ever buying new at a store, for $325 including tax. That’s a steal for such an incredible package! Speaking of packages, what else comes with this thing?

Quality construction

The SSK001 comes on a solid link (including end links) jubilee bracelet with a folded metal clasp. Unlike the folded clasps of vintage Rolex/Tudor, this thing is thick and durable and doesn’t feel at all cheap, and when paired with the nearly 43mm watch head, it has a noticeable heft to it that I think many will appreciate. The most stunning aesthetic feature of the watch has to be the sapphire-coated bezel insert. I haven’t seen a watch with such an application before and it really is beautiful in person. While it often looks like glossy-black ceramic, if you catch it at the right angle in the right light, the bottom (daylight) half of the bezel reveals its beautiful mirror finish that can occasionally blind the wearer with one’s own frightening countenance. The bezel is bidirectional, as this isn’t a dive watch and doesn’t need the safety feature of a unidirectional one, and it isn’t ratcheted. No clicky bezel here, sadly, but on the plus side, it means that you can line that arrow up with the chapter ring perfectly. No more quality control complaints for Seiko. Smart move, guys. It also means that if you have business associates in Tehran you can keep track of timezones that are offset by half an hour. Ok, considering the state of the world, you probably don’t have business there, but to all my lovely Glendale Persian neighbors, this is the watch for you!

The red GMT hand adds a lovely pop of color to the otherwise black dial and it matches the red GMT text. I almost wish that they’d taken the red GMT theme a step further and painted the chapter ring numbers the same color, but perhaps that would just distract from the beauty of the hand.

The perfect travel watch?

Speaking of that neck of the woods (Persia, not Glendale), one of the main reasons why I decided to get this watch (other than to write a blog about the hot new thing) is because I am about to go overseas for the first time since before the pandemic and I thought it would be fun to use a GMT as a travel watch. My girlfriend and I will be headed to Turkey for a tour of the Kurdish regions and while I own and love a G-Shock, I wanted a mechanical companion as well. Well, after wearing it for a couple weeks I think it’s quite clear that this one won’t be coming with me to Mesopotamia.

First of all, it’s just too much. When traveling I don’t think it’s a smart idea to attract too much attention to one’s wrist and this thing, especially when on its bracelet and taking into account its blinding mirror-finished bezel, draws eyes that not even the Nazar Boncuk, the “evil eye” of Istanbul could ward off. While I know it’s a safe country, especially in the region I’ll be visiting, I don’t think it’s smart to wear an expensive-looking watch in any country as an obvious tourist. While any aficionado would know it’s “only” $300, to its credit, it doesn’t look like it’s just $300. And still, it’s $300!

But more importantly, it’s just too damn big. Not only is it 42.4mm across, it’s a whopping 13.6mm thick and has an imposing presence on my wrist. While it looks beautiful sitting on my wooden table or held aloft in my hand, it looks silly and obtuse on my wrist, and so I never find myself reaching for it. If you prefer larger watches, then this isn’t an issue for you, in fact, I think you’ll love the way this wears and feels. But if you’re like me and you like dainty little flower watches like my 34mm Tudor Prince Date, this watch probably won’t work for you.

Perhaps, someday soon, Seiko will release a 37-38mm version with an all new in-house GMT movement. All my Seiko CEO readers, take notes.

To my Glendale friends and lovers, mamnoon and khouda hafez…

To everyone else, cheers, chinchin, şerefe, Godbewithye aka goodbye (I learned that recently), etc…

-G

Sources