LOOKING BACK: SOME OF THE BEST WATCHES OF 2023

Here we are at the beginning of the year with another “Best Of” list. This time, we are setting our sites on the best horological travel companions of 2023. And when it comes to travel watches, what better companion is there than a GMT? To narrow down our selections, we decided on what best constitutes a good travel watch: good looks, practicality, and a solid mechanical movement, and set off from there. With that in mind, here is our list of the 7 best GMT watches of 2023.

BULOVA OCEANOGRAPHER GMT 

Having already made our list of Best Budget Watches of 2023, the Bulova Oceanographer GMT makes another appearance here due to its capabilities and sheer value for money.  That’s right, just like the Bulova Milton GMT, Bulova gives us another value-packed travel watch that takes the format of their own well-loved “Devil Diver” and running with it.  

Further, the Oceanographer GMT is also a dive watch with 200-meter water resistance, which it marries with the tried-and-true GMT aesthetic in a manner not unlike the Black Bay GMT, all while costing less than $1,500.  Best of all, Bulova has delivered a full "flyer" GMT with local jumping functionality. This, including the attention to detail in the 70s-inspired design, makes this a real no-brainer of a choice.

GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE GMT “Mount Hotaka Peaks” SBGE295

Being a Grand Seiko (GS), the dial of this GMT got the most attention for its eye-catching emerald green colored texture.  It is finished in a dynamic marbled pattern that took its inspiration from the lush beauty of the face of the Hotaka Mountains in the summertime, which is within view of the Shinshu Watch Studio where Grand Seiko is based.

A flyer, or “traveler” GMT, the GS is capable of tracking of up to three time zones simultaneously courtesy of a 24-hour chapter ring, and a 24-hour bezel track.  Also of note is its unique two-tone bi-directional bezel, the top half of which is executed in a dial-matching shade of green, while the attention-grabbing bottom white section is swathed with the brand’s proprietary LumiBrite compound, which glows vibrantly in the dark, the same compound applied to the large applied indices and hands making for exceptionally legible reading – day or night.

Naturally, this GS also talks the talk with a 44mm stainless steel case that boasts the brand’s quintessential Zaratsu finish.  Making the Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT “Mount Hotaka Peaks” not only a very capable GMT but a real head-turner as well.

LONGINES SPIRIT ZULU TIME 39mm

The Longines Spirit Zulu Time made its debut in 2022 in a 42mm size, which is well and good.  But if you build it, WE will come, which is exactly what happened when Longines debuted the same watch in 2023, but in a smaller 39mm size.  

Still a traveler or “flyer” GMT with an independently adjustable local hour hand courtesy of the same COSC-certified Longines caliber L844.4 that powers its larger sibling, the Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm is still one handsome looking timepiece with three models in steel featuring a blue bezel and dial, and a black bezel and dial.  

The model with a green bezel and black dial with gold-tone elements is particularly striking but it’s the fourth, two-tone model with an anthracite-colored dial, gold-tone applied indices, logos and hands, and crown, as well as a gold-capped bezel with a brown ceramic insert that turned out to be the most charming.  It has a great vintage vibe that brings us right back to the charm of a classic traveler’s watch, especially when matched with a brown leather strap.  A Win-win at all fronts.

OMEGA SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN 600M GMT DARK GREY

A real beast of a watch, the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M GMT Dark Grey is everything you’d ever want from a robust, oversized, over-specced, and over-engineered GMT dive watch, and then some.  Don’t get us wrong, this thing is the real deal and it has a spec sheet longer than our collective arms.  

A real grey monster, this Seamaster comes in at a substantial 45.5mm in diameter and 17.4mm in height, but it does offset this girth with a dark grey silicon nitride ceramic composite case and caseback, then sheds ever more weight with a dial, crown, helium escape valve, and uni-directional bezel body all made from titanium.  Even the main plate and bridges of the METAS-certified Master Chronometer 8906 Ti movement are made from titanium.

All these have resulted in a watch with 60 hours of power reserve, 600 meters or 2,000 feet of water resistance, up to 15,000 Gauss of anti-magnetism, full traveller-GMT capability with an independent local hour hand, and weighing just about 107 grams despite its size.  Beauty and brawn, who would want for more?

ROLEX SKY-DWELLER 2023 CALIBRE 9002

The master of the slow burn was back for 2023 with plenty of unexpected evolutions such as the refreshed “Le Mans” Daytona, which immediately made everyone’s “must have” lists.  But the update that preoccupies us here is the 2023 Sky-Dweller, the update of which… can’t actually be seen.  And that’s because the 2023 Sky-Dweller’s raison d`être is the new Calibre 9002 movement, which now features the Chronergy escapement.  In fact, the only clues that something was different are the two small coronets flanking the month aperture at 6 o’clock (that and the new dial colors, of course).  Otherwise, the “new” Rolex Sky-Dweller is still the “old” Rolex Sky-Dweller, just better.

TUDOR BLACK BAY GMT OPALINE

Speaking of the Black Bay GMT, it was updated with an opaline (some people insist on calling it “polar”) dial in 2023, thereby qualifying it for this list.  And while dial color changes can often feel gratuitous and underwhelming, this new “polar” dial does a good job of changing the Black Bay GMT’s character.  Best of all, the new dial finally cast away the heavy Rolex GMT-Master shadow that it lived under all this time, despite still sporting a two-tone Pepsi-style rotating bezel.

Otherwise, this is the Black Bay we all know and love including the Kenissi-made calibre MT5652, a COSC-certified movement with an independent local ‘snowflake’ hour hand, and a red home hour hand.  This makes the Tudor Black Bay GMT Opaline a proper flyer GMT, and a smart new variant that has already garnered legions of fans.

CERTINA DS ACTION GMT

OK, we’re cheating here again.  The Certina DS Action GMT is another GMT released in 2022, but unlike the Longines above, which was updated in a new size in 2023, we included the DS Action GMT because of its sheer capability and its incredible value for money… just like the Bulova Oceanographer GMT mentioned above.  The difference here is the Certina is even more affordable than the Bulova while actually ADDING to the features.  

Modeled after Certina’s own Action Diver, the DS Action GMT features a dive style 43mm case with 12.6mm of thickness, which boasts up to 200 meters of water resistance.  It is available with 24-hour internal bezels in “Coke,” and “Pepsi” color varieties, the former with a striking black dial, and the latter with a more laid-back blue dial; as well as two black PVD coated variants, one with green highlights, and the other with orange.  Best of all, the DS Action GMT is powered by the Swiss-made ETA Powermatic 80.661, a variant of the Powermatic80 that adds flyer GMT capabilities to the mix.  This, plus its classic sports/action watch looks, as well as its won’t-break-the-bank price, makes the Certina DS Action GMT a proverbial no-brainer.