Is this Superb GMT “Coke” style Dive Watch worth it?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- If you love watches and want to try your hand at making your own, you might be interested in this video. I will show you how to build a GMT dive watch kit from DIY Watch Club, a Hong Kong-based company that provides high-quality kits and tools for watch enthusiasts. You will learn how to assemble the movement, dial, hands, case, bezel, and bracelet of this beautiful watch, which features a white face, a red-and-black “Coke” bezel, and a stainless steel case.
But before we get into the details of the kit, let’s talk a bit about the history of the GMT dive watch. GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, which was the standard world time until 1972. A GMT watch is a watch that can display two time zones simultaneously, usually with a fourth hand that points to a 24-hour scale on the bezel or the dial. GMT watches were originally developed for pilots and travelers who needed to keep track of different time zones.
One of the first and most famous GMT watches was the Rolex GMT Master, which was introduced in 1954 at the request of Pan Am Airways. The watch had a blue-and-red “Pepsi” bezel that could be rotated to adjust the second time zone. The watch became an icon of aviation and was worn by many celebrities, such as Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood.
Another legendary GMT watch is the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M GMT, which debuted in 1993. This watch was designed as a dive watch that could also function as a GMT watch. It had a helium escape valve, a screw-down crown, and a water resistance of 300 meters. It also had a black-and-red “Coke” bezel that matched the color scheme of the dial and hands. The watch gained fame when it was worn by Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in GoldenEye.
Other notable GMT dive watches include the Tudor Black Bay GMT, which has a vintage-inspired design and a “Pepsi” bezel; the Oris Aquis GMT Date, which has a ceramic bezel with three colors (blue, black, and green) to indicate day, night, and twilight; and the Seiko Prospex Diver GMT, which is Seiko’s first mechanical dive watch with a GMT function.
Now that you know some background information about GMT dive watches, let’s get started with the kit. DIY Watch Club is a company that offers various watch kits for different styles and levels of difficulty. You can choose from classic, diver, chronograph, skeleton, or GMT models. Each kit comes with all the parts and tools you need to build your own watch from scratch. You also get access to online tutorials and customer support.
The kit I have here is the GMT dive watch kit. It has a Seiko MH-43 automatic movement, a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a stainless steel case with screw-down crown and caseback, a stainless steel bracelet with solid end links and folding clasp, and a unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic insert. The dial is white with 3-d indices and hands filled with Super-LumiNova. The fourth hand is red and points to the 24-hour scale on the bezel.
The kit also comes with all the tools you need to assemble the watch: a case opener, a case holder, a movement holder, tweezers, screwdrivers, hand setting tools, spring bar tools, bracelet tools, and cleaning tools. You also get some spare parts in case you make any mistakes.
The kit is suitable for beginners who have some basic knowledge of watchmaking or who are willing to learn from the online tutorials. The whole process takes about two hours if you follow the instructions carefully. You will need to work in a clean and well-lit environment and be patient and precise.
In this video, I will guide you through each step of building the GMT dive watch kit from DIY Watch Club. You will see how to install the movement into the case, how to set the hands and align them correctly, how to attach the dial and secure it with screws, how to install the crown and stem, and how to fit the bezel .
By the end of this video, you will see how to make your own fully functional GMT dive watch that you can wear proudly or give as a gift to someone special. You will also have learned some valuable skills and knowledge about watchmaking that you can apply to other projects in the future.
I hope you enjoy this video and find it helpful. If you do, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel for more watch-related content. If you have any questions or comments about the kit or the process, please leave them below and I will try to answer them as soon as possible.
Thank you for watching and happy watchmaking!
Neat kit, cool to see the assembly process!
Yes it came together really well. Very happy with it!
I was kinda expecting someone with minimal skill but you seemed quite proficient. Nice work.
Thanks, I really appreciate it!
Good job
Thanks, it’s such a cool watch!
What does the GMT hand do? I’m new to the watch game😂 is that the date?
Great question Bob!
The GMT hand is an additional hour hand that stands out visually from the rest of the hands due to its size and usually distinctive color, and can be moved dependently or independently, depending on the type of GMT watch. Unlike the normal hour hand, the GMT hand needs 24 hours to circle the watch face once.
The GMT hand is used to track a second time zone, usually Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which are the same for most practical purposes. The GMT hand points to a 24-hour scale on the bezel or the dial of the watch, which indicates the time in the second time zone.
To set the GMT hand to your desired time zone, you need to know the difference between your local time and the second time zone. For example, if you are in New York and you want to track London time, you need to know that London is 5 hours ahead of New York. Then, you can pull the crown out to the first position and turn it clockwise or counter clockwise until the GMT hand points to the desired hour on the 24-hour scale. Make sure to adjust the GMT hand only and not the regular hour hand. If your watch has a rotating bezel, you can also use it to set a third time zone by aligning the bezel with the GMT hand. For example, if you want to track Tokyo time, which is 9 hours ahead of London, you can rotate the bezel 9 clicks counter clockwise. Then, the GMT hand will point to Tokyo time on the bezel
Also, to set the GMT function on a Seiko / TMI NH34 movement, like the one used in this build, you need to follow these steps:
Pull the crown out to the first position. This will allow you to adjust the GMT hand independently from the regular hour hand.
Turn the crown clockwise or counter clockwise until the GMT hand points to the desired hour on the 24-hour scale. Make sure to align the GMT hand with the correct half of the day (AM or PM) for the second time zone.
Push the crown back to the normal position. The GMT function is now set.
There are some cautions around setting the GMT and date complications for this specific movement:
Do not set the date between 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM. This may cause damage to the movement or incorrect date change.
Do not turn the crown too fast or too forcefully when adjusting the GMT hand.
This may cause skipping or misalignment of the hand.
Make sure to fully wind the movement before setting the time and date. This will ensure accurate timekeeping and smooth operation of the complications.
Great info! I would not need a GMT as I rarely travel outside of the US or my time zone for that matter. Great info though and I will subscribe and follow your channel!
@@Bob_Weir617 thanks Bob! I have family in the uk so it’s handy for avoiding calling in the middle of the night :)
@@Bob_Weir617gmt’s just look so cool.