Marloe GMT Day

Another GMT? Absolutely! Thanks to new movements from the Japanese horological heavyweights, automatic GMTs are now more affordable than ever, and the micro brand world has gone all in. It seems just about every small watchmaker has one in its stable, and I, for one, could not be happier. It is great fun to see how each designer has applied their talents to what is arguably the most useful of complications. Today, I’ve got the logically named Marloe GMT in hand, and it’s a beauty.

I’ve enjoyed Marloe watches since they released the Cherwell in 2016. This British brand has an uncanny knack for delivering tastefully handsome designs infused with delightfully creative details that set them apart from the crowd.

The Marloe GMT bucks the downsizing trend with a 42mm case. It sounds big but wears small. This is partially attributable to its compact 47mm length and pinched 20mm lug gap. I think it is more a function of the brushed steel bezel. Dark color bezels draw your attention to themselves, filling the space beyond the dial. Light ones take a step back so your perception of size stops at the dial’s edge. It’s a simple trick and highly effective. I confess that I unboxed the sample before reviewing the specs and was somewhat surprised when I took my calipers to it. On my 6.75″ wrist, the GMT projects a quietly sporty presence that is still dapper enough to wear with a coat and tie.

I measured the GMT’s thickness as 13mm overall, but the sapphire box crystal accounts for a little more an 2mm of that. The case employs polished bevels and short vertical brushing to keep your focus on its outermost surface, making the watch appear far thinner. Marloe has always delivered detailed crowns; this one is signed, polished, and features a pronounced, slanted coin edge matching the bezel’s.

Speaking of bezels, this one has 48 clicks, an uncommon number that makes perfect sense on a watch made for tracking multiple time zones. Its action is firm and precise. You only get lume on the pip; the other engraved 24-hour markings are painted black, a necessity given the brushed steel bezel.

On the underside, you’ll find an exhibition window for the Miyota 9075. It’s not the most decorated movement, but it is slim, smooth (28.8k bph), and drives that coveted second hour hand. Note that when traveling, you can set the GMT hand to home time, jump the primary hour hand ahead or back for local time, and use the 24-hour bezel to track a third zone if you like. Marloe uses the plain standard rotor, livening up the case back with a dial-colored ring instead. It’s a nice effect on the bright sky blue Day edition, more muted on the midnight blue Night model. Actually, Marloe has dubbed that darker color “twilight blue,” but I’d say we have very different ideas about how a twilight sky appears.

Notice the four screws securing the case back — never a sign of high water resistance. Indeed, the GMT will brave only 50m. That’s perfectly fine for daily wear, if perhaps not the best choice for snorkeling.

Turning back to the dial, we find some of the GMT’s most appealing bits. It has a 24-hour ring (of course), a sand-textured surface, a properly accented date window, and applied dot- and pill-shaped markers that stand proud. Text is minimal, and all of it is rendered in Marloe’s attractive, lightweight typeface. It is all conventionally handsome. Then, we get to the hands, which are cut above. Marloe calls them Jet Stream hands. Those oversized Alphas are polished, faceted, lume-filled, and have a neat little flourish in the minutes hand. The second hand terminates in a lumed diamond on its short tail. They are lovely.

Differentiating a GMT hand is always a design challenge. Some model them after second hands, others hour hands, still others select a totally dissimilar shape, like an arrow. Usually, a contrasting color is employed as well. On the Marloe GMT, they went with the long, skinny, second hand style but with a stealthy, color-matched shaft that blends into the dial, and a high-visibility red lume-filled tip. It was a good choice, drawing your eye right to the business end and eliminating any chance of confusing the second and GMT hands.

Marloe does not identify the lume in their spec sheet. It looks for all the world like BGW9 and glows like it too. I have no complaints.

You may only have two dial color choices. Still, the brand makes up for it with a veritable smorgasbord of 16 strap options, including nylon, leather, sailcloth, rubber, a stainless steel bracelet, and the Nytech cloth that arrived on the review sample. Nytech is a woven synthetic that strikes me as similar to Cordura, hovering somewhere between sailcloth and canvas. Marloe’s looks and feels like a top-quality strap. It is leather lined, fitted with quick-release pins, and secured by a signed buckle.