5 Alternatives to the Rolex GMT-Master II | Crown & Caliber

Hey everyone it's Nathan with Crown & Caliber  and today we're going to be talking about the GMT   we are going to be talking about watches with the  GMT complication and you may be asking yourself   well actually you can't see these watches so  it doesn't matter so I'm going to tell you   what you should ask yourself where's the Rolex  GMT-Master II because it is not on the table and   that is because today we're going to be talking  about alternatives to the Rolex GMT-Master II   now when people think about the GMT  complication they often think of the Rolex   GMT-Master II and for good reason Rolex  introduced the GMT complication in the 1950s   in the GMT-Master and then now it's the GMT-Master  II but for the sake of this video we're just   going to refer to that as the GMT-Master and so  that is kind of the archetype of the GMT watch   the GMT-Master but there are other options and  let's be honest if you're not on a waiting list   and you don't have a bunch of disposable income  the Rolex GMT-Master II may not be an option so up   first in our alternatives to the Rolex GMT-Master  is this watch right here and we actually have two   and we'll get to that in a bit but this for  us is what we like to call the competition   so you want a GMT complication and you love  the robust design of the GMT-Master you love   that kind of sport watch DNA and you love the  brand heritage but you want something different   well this is the perfect watch this is the OMEGA  Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT and it is a mouthful   but this watch when it was released in 2013 was  no doubt OMEGA's answer to the Rolex GMT-Master   this is the competition and this watch takes  everything that was great about the Planet Ocean   and turns it up to 11. What we're talking about  is that classic Planet Ocean styling so definitely   a larger case 43 and a half millimeters kind of  that sporty case design if it's on a bracelet the   classic three-link bracelet design the dial is the  classic trapezoidal indices it is a Planet Ocean   but now it has a GMT complication and the reason  we went with the original that was released   in 2013 is because of the styling when it was  released you could have it in a black dial with   a black bezel or the navy dial with the navy bezel  and that was just like classic Seamaster styling   you had the black and you had the navy and what's  really cool is this navy is actually titanium so   even though it is a larger design if you go ahead  and get the navy design it kind of disappears on   the wrist and not for nothing but that larger case  design does give it a 600 meter water resistance   so on paper this actually as the competition does  beat Rolex out in some instances so again guys we   think this is the perfect option if you like that  sport heritage DNA and that classic brand heritage   the competition in the OMEGA Seamaster Planet  Ocean GMT next in our alternatives to the   GMT-Master is going to be the look alike if you  like the Rolex GMT-Master because of its classic   styling then we think the look alike is a perfect  option for you and for that watch we chose this   one right here that is going to be the Tudor Black  Bay GMT and this is kind of a layup because Tudor   is the baby brother to Rolex but it does check  those boxes I mean this inspiration seems to   come straight from the original GMT-Master it has  that classic red and blue bezel known as the Pepsi   bezel and the styling is there but nevertheless  this is its own watch this is a Tudor watch it   has that Black Bay case design that's a little  chunkier a little sportier it has the Tudor crown   it has the Tudor adornments on the dial it has the  classic Tudor snowflake hands so this is very much   a Tudor watch and it does have the in-house Tudor  GMT complication there's not much more I can say   about this watch that I haven't already said  so you can go check out this video right here   if you want to learn more about the Tudor Black  Bay GMT but ultimately if you are looking for   something that has that classic Rolex styling that  we think the lookalike in the Tudor Black Bay GMT   is the perfect alternative. Next up  in our alternatives to the GMT-Master   is what we call the innovator and a little context  to this the Rolex GMT-Master is tried and true and   up until recently the movements that were in the  GMT-Master were basically the same movement that   was introduced in the 80s and that's not a  bad thing that's classic Rolex it is slow   improvements at a glacial pace over a period  of time to ultimately end up where we are today   but if you want something that pushes  the envelope something that is innovative   then this watch right here is the perfect choice  and for the innovator we chose none other than   the Grand Seiko SPGE209 GMT Spring Drive this is  innovative because of the Spring Drive and yes it   took Grand Seiko nearly 20 years to come out with  the Spring Drive movement but Grand Seiko could   have just gone with the swiss lever escapement but  they didn't they decided to come up with something   wholly new the Spring Drive and what we have here  is the Spring Drive GMT and we'll have to make an   entire video on what the Spring Drive is but  I'll hit the highlights here what you have is   you basically have a mechanical movement that has  an electromagnetic escapement that is regulated by   a piece of quartz it is not a quartz watch it is  not a mechanical watch it is a Spring Drive it is   its own thing and it is truly innovative and  on top of that you get all of the classic Grand   Seiko fit and finish the dial on this is gorgeous  the polishing on the indices and on the case and   the interplay between brush finishes and polished  finishes is like none other I mean to me the best   way to describe this watch is it is the thinking  man's GMT it has that classic Grand Seiko   style where it flies under the radar but if you  know you know so if you love the GMT complication   but you just want that extra innovation then we  think the innovator in the Grand Seiko SBGE209   is the perfect alternative. So next up in our  alternatives to the GMT-Master is going to be this   watch right here so you love the GMT complication,  but you trend toward the dressier side and the   GMT-Master just doesn't have that then we think  that this is the perfect option for our GMT   dress watch alternative we chose this the Panerai  Radiomir 1940. The PAM 946 and we chose this for   a number of reasons and we'll hit the highlights  first and foremost this is the Panerai 1940 case   I've talked about how much I love this case it  is a slimmer case design it has a number of high   polished surfaces classic logs a traditional crown  so it foregoes the classic Luminor crown guard   it is just a more refined design this watch has  a beautiful blue sunburst gradient dial and that   paired with this dark navy alligator strap makes  this watch a dressier watch on top of that it   does have an in-house Panerai GMT complication and  this thing has the chops and there are other GMT   complication dress watches but we went with this  one in particular because it can be worn every day   it is a little sportier but I think that is kind  of the ethos of a GMT complication it's something   you need to be able to travel with and that's  why we think that the perfect option for a GMT   complication dress watch is the Panerai Radiomir  1940 PAM 946. So last up in our alternatives to   the GMT-Master and don't pay attention to  this watch is this one right here. So the   Rolex GMT-Master is an expensive watch and there  are a number of reasons why but in general a GMT   watch is an expensive watch to produce and more  on that in a second so you want a GMT complication   and you want it in a more affordable package then  we think this right here we affectionately call   this the look for less is the perfect alternative  and that is the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 7   Twin Time as I mentioned GMT watches are pretty  expensive to produce and there's a pretty clear   reason why this one is not as expensive to produce  and a quick aside on that GMT complications can   fit into two categories we have effectively what  is known as the traveler's GMT or the jumping hour   and the office GMT or the independent 24 hour.  The independent 24 hour that is the more common   one that is because companies like ETA in the 2893  make a GMT complication and often brands use that   as the base for their GMT watch how that works is  when you pull the crown out in the first position   you can move the GMT hand the independent 24-hour  hand and you can set the date now this option   effectively gives you the ability to time a second  time zone but it's maybe not as intuitive as the   other one which we'll get to in a second that is  the more common option though because companies   like I said ETA and Sellita make that and it's  easy to access so on the other side we have what   we call the traveler's GMT or the independent hour  and this is definitely the more intuitive option   it's called the travelers because you're not  sitting in an office you are traveling you need to   be able to use this when you pull the crown out in  the first position you can move the hour it jumps   it goes through the hours so it's easy to go  from time zone to time zone and if you cross   over into a new day the date automatically jumps  as well so it is much more intuitive to use but   it is much more expensive to produce because you  ultimately are having to heavily modify and add a   movement or as all of these watches have done have  your own in-house movement and that is how TAG   Heuer is able to keep the cost down on their GMT  complication all right back to you Nathan. Thanks   man. Okay so basically that is what we have in  this package right here you have the look and feel   of the Tudor so it's got that classic GMT styling  but you do have it in a more affordable package   and ultimately it functions as a GMT it has  that second time zone it has the rotating bezel   with the 24 hour scale but as we said this is that  office GMT it is better suited for someone that is   sitting in an office and is not a regular travel  but again it is the look for less and we think   it is a great alternative if you are looking for  that GMT complication in an affordable package.   Bonus watch! All right so this is my hot take  this is what I think is an awesome alternative   to the Rolex GMT and that is this watch right  here we're looking at the OMEGA Seamaster 300m   50th anniversary GMT. This watch came out  in 1998 to represent the 50th anniversary   of the Seamaster and with that came a GMT  complication and there are so many reasons I   love this watch it has a black wave dial it has  those classic trapezoidal indices on the dial   it has a GMT bezel and that kind of stark black  and white and it has all the sculpted case   designs of the Bond Seamaster of the 90s so it  is like 90s cool Seamaster right there but where   this thing really kicks it up a notch is in that  movement this is powered by OMEGA's caliber 1128   and remember how I was mentioning that these  all had in-house calibers with the jumping hour   this has the jumping hour 20 some years  ago this watch had that traveler's GMT   it has that classic 90s styling it still has a  pretty svelte case it's pretty thin it wears so   well on the wrist and all that is paired with a  movement that just kicks ass. I mean this watch   still hangs with all of these guys up here  and I mean this thing's old enough to drink   so guys there you go that is my hot take on an  alternative to the Rolex GMT-Master and that is   the OMEGA Seamaster 300m 50th anniversary GMT  and there you go guys there are alternatives   to the Rolex GMT-Master. There are plenty of  options out there if you want a GMT complication   and we would love to know what you think what did  you think about our alternatives what did we miss   what is your favorite alternative to the Rolex  GMT-Master and as always guys thanks for watching.

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Keywords: crown and caliber, rolex gmt master ii, crown & caliber, luxury watch, rolex gmt, rolex gmt master, rolex gmt master 2, rolex watches, gmt watch, tag heuer, omega watch, rolex watch, omega seamaster, grand seiko, panerai, tudor, Planet Ocean, Radiomir, Black Bay, Aquaracer, Seamaster, 5 Alternatives to the Rolex GMT-Master II | Crown & Caliber

Id: yj8GFxeX5EI

Length: 11min 22sec (682 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 23 2021