I have sung the praises of the Charlie Paris Concordia on these virtual pages before. In my first review of this French watchmaker’s dive watch, I noted its quality and attention to detail. Afterward, I became a proud Concordia owner and discovered that the watch consistently drew admiring comments from both watch nerds and civilians alike. Today, I have in hand the latest incarnation of that model, the Concordia GMT, and it may be even better than the three-hand original.
Now that I have pronounced this watch as being “better,” I need to prove it. To be honest, my conclusion is almost entirely subjective, which should come as no surprise. I am a self-appointed critic, after all. Still, I feel there are aesthetic elements novel to the GMT that make it particularly appealing, as well as one or two functional improvements.
The most obvious change is the GMT complication, but I’ll get to that in a moment. I’ll start instead with the case, which measures the same 40mm wide, 47.5mm long, and 12.5mm thick as the earlier incarnation, and wears the same beautifully executed combination of brushed and polished finishes. The GMT has added a redesigned crown and a pair of guards. I focused on this right away because the crown was one of my only complaints about the three-hander, as its conical shape is broader at the base than the head, making it a tad awkward for me to use. The Concordia GMT’s crown features the same attractive ships-wheel decoration, widely-spaced fluting, and dark central groove as the last one, but in a bun shape that proved far easier to screw and set, even with the additional hurdle of the crown guards. Incidentally, I’ll note that the guards, while modestly sized, go far to mask the size of the crown, therefore achieving the same visual transition from crown to case as the conical one did. I consider this to be a solid win all around.
Returning to our GMT function, Charlie Paris provides this complication via a Swiss Soprod C125 automatic (24 jewels, 28.8k bph, 40+ hour power reserve, decorated rotor) that you can appreciate through the sapphire display window. While additional complications do not always equal improvements, a fourth hour hand is essential when traveling, and I have come to rely on it in the comfort of my own home as more of my business calls are scheduled with parties overseas. If a watchmaker is handing out complications, I’ll take a GMT over a moon phase or power reserve indicator any day of the week.
Charlie Paris placed the 24-hour day/night index on the rehaut, and I think this is one of the most appealing design decisions they made. It occupies no additional space, preserves the timing bezel, and provides a lovely touch of color that coordinates with your chosen dial: green and tan on this Latitude 0° limited edition model, brown and tan on the Dune, blue and white on the Blue, and black and white on the Black. The Blue and Black look perfectly handsome, but I lean toward the less common emerald green and chocolate colorways.
The added complication demands no compromise. The GMT is every bit as capable as the last Concordia, and that one made it all the way to the South Pole. You get a 300m water resistance, an ISO6425 dive standard rating, an AR-coated sapphire dome, two-tone Super-LumiNova, and a 120-click unidirectional bezel with excellent action.
Note the contrasting blue lume on the GMT hand and 24-hour index. Some watches lose their dual-time utility when the lights go down. Not this one. Granted, if your eyes are as old as mine, you may need to squint a bit at those fine-lined numbers, but the lume on index and arrowhead goes a long way.
As you have no doubt noticed from the photos, the dial on this Latitude 0° is outstanding. That crinkled texture is evocative of tree bark and creates a delightful range of shade and tint as the light plays across it.
The markers are applied and filled with beige lume (except for the aforementioned GMT head), which suits the green and tan combination. The hands are long and sufficiently broad to accept a healthy application of lume. You will note the stem of the GMT is dial-colored, which reduces the clutter of the extra hand while its prominent head keeps it visible. All in all, it is as tastefully executed as the simpler three-hand, even though it adds a rich array of detail. Bravo!
Charlie Paris always offers a nice variety of bracelets and straps. For the press sample, they provided two 20mm straps that were of high quality. Quick-release bars made for easy swaps between the buttery tan and chocolate brown leather. Their construction was top-notch, and they secured with signed buckles.
I enjoyed my time with the Concordia GMT every bit as much as I do my personal Concordia. Perhaps even more so, as I loved the revamped crown and gorgeous colorway. The bark dial and extra function didn’t hurt either. It cut an attractive figure on my 6.75″ wrist, too.
The Charlie Paris Concordia GMT Latitude 0° is available for pre-order now for €1,183.29 on a steel bracelet. They will make only 50 of the green bark Latitude 0° and the brown Dune, and 100 on the Blue and Black, so if you want one of the hotter colors, I strongly recommend you act soon. This is a truly lovely piece, and I expect it will be gone in a flash.
For more information, visit CharlieParis.com or, if you happen to be in Paris, the Charlie Paris boutique at 53 rue Saint André des Arts.
