I’ve Worn $10,000 Watches. None Have Gotten Me More Compliments Than This Affordable GMT

One of the best perks of this job (OK, probably the best) is luxury brands sometimes lend me expensive watches for review. I’m able to wear these watches around for a week or two as if I own them, and I’ve been fortunate enough to go about my daily life wearing watches from brands like Norqain, Omega and Zenith that are priced anywhere from $5,000 to $14,000.

As a watch nerd, I’ve cherished every moment I’ve spent with those watches. But here’s a secret about not only expensive watches, but watches in general: Most people don’t notice them. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve received compliments on any of the above watches during my time with them, or even watches from my own collection (which has included such brands as Omega, Grand Seiko and Tudor). Unless you’re hanging out with watch enthusiasts, most people just do not care about what’s on your wrist.

Or so I thought. For the past few weeks, I’ve been rocking the latest GMT from affordable Swiss brand Zodiac. And despite the fact that this watch costs under $2,000, making it multitudes cheaper than some of my other recent wrist candy, it has been an absolute magnet for compliments from both watch geeks and “normies” alike.

Zodiac

A New & Improved GMT

Before I get into some of the compliments this watch has received, let me first go over the watch itself. It’s the newest iteration of Zodiac’s Super Sea Wolf GMT, the brand’s dual-time version of its flagship dive watch that’s based on its Aerospace GMT from the 1960s.

The latest version, which just hit the market on April 8, maintains the same overall design, dimensions and specs of the existing Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT (it’s still an easy-wearing 40mm in stainless steel with a bidirectional bezel, a screw-down crown and 200m of water resistance). But it makes a few important changes, too.

The first and most significant of these changes is the movement. Rather than relying on the off-the-shelf Soprod C125 movement like before, the new Zodiac uses the STP7-20 automatic GMT movement from STP. STP and Zodiac are both owned by Fossil Group, effectively making the new engine a manufacture movement. The STP7-20 basically an ETA-2893-2 clone with around 40 hours of power reserve. Practically speaking, the user experience of the new movement isn’t so different from the Soprod (itself an ETA-2893-2 clone), but being pseudo-in-house the STP means it has a bit more cachet.

Zodiac’s class-leading Jubilee bracelet finally makes its way to the Super Sea Wolf GMT.Photo by Johnny Brayson

The bracelet is also new, or rather, borrowed. Previously, Zodiac’s GMTs were sold on an Oyster-style bracelet, while the brand’s beloved Jubilee was reserved for Super Sea Wolf dive watches. Now, for the first time, the Jubilee is included on the Super Sea Wolf GMT, and it’s excellent.

I’ve long been a fan of the Jubilee-GMT combo — it’s my preferred Rolex GMT-Master II setup — and it looks excellent on the Zodiac. The brand’s bracelet is well-finished and comfortable, with an elegant taper and a spectacular signed butterfly clasp with a spring-loaded system that allows it to stretch with your wrist. The bracelet also has quick-release spring bars for easy strap changes, though I’ve felt no desire to change the bracelet.

A Barbie Watch in a Barbie World

Zodiac’s new-and-improved GMT is available in two colorways to start: a ho-hum silver dial with a black and gray bezel and, my choice, a glossy black dial with a hot pink and white bezel. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up a big fan of professional wrestler Bret “Hitman” Hart or because pink watches have been having a moment in our post-Barbie movie, pop culture-driven world, but I felt especially drawn to the watch’s alluring pink-black-and-white combo. And I wasn’t the only one.

The pink colors of the watch really pop, both on the bezel and on the matching cigarette-style GMT hand.Photo by Johnny Brayson

I recently was in Geneva, Switzerland for Watches and Wonders, and the Zodiac was my watch of choice for the trip. It didn’t take long for the pink accessory on my wrist to start garnering attention. The man next to me on my transatlantic flight was a twenty-something German named Ruben who works in mergers and acquisitions and was wearing a vintage gold Omega dress watch. He quickly noticed my watch and asked me about it, raving about its “beauty” in one breath while telling me how his next watch would likely be a Patek Philippe Nautilus.

I’ve been on many flights. I always wear a watch, usually a GMT. No other passenger has ever commented on one before. But Ruben, it turned out, was no fluke. At Watches and Wonders, countless fellow watch journalists and representatives from seriously high-end brands like Hublot, Ulysse Nardin, Chopard and others were complimenting the Zodiac multiple times a day. Despite all of the crazy luxury watches on display, the modest Zodiac sometimes seemed to garner more interest than anything else in the room, with everyone seemingly enamored with its pitch-perfect color scheme and proportions.

A GMT watch doing GMT watch things in the Geneva airport.Photo by Johnny Brayson

Even after returning home and being away from the world’s greatest concentration of watch enthusiasts, the compliments kept coming. The most memorable came from a very unexpected source: a Gen-Z McDonald’s drive-thru employee. As I handed him my credit card while waiting for my McChicken, the Zodiac peeked out from under my jacket sleeve.

“I like your watch,” he said as he took my card.

He and everyone else, it seems.

Zodiac

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