Hands-On With The Beaufort Fiordland GMT — An Affordable ’50s-Inspired Travel Watch
Until recently, I had heard of Beaufort but had never gotten the chance to check out the brand’s watches. Well, that changed with the introduction of the brand’s newest creation, the Fiordland GMT. This watch offers a good dose of vintage flair and combines it with a modern flyer-style GMT movement. Beaufort sent us two of the four variations to take out for a spin. It’s time to find out more about this traveler’s watch from Beaufort.
The Fiordland GMT is the fourth Beaufort model. Thor previously covered the brand’s Seatrekker dive watch and the Pulsatimer Chronograph. Both watches perfectly show how Beaufort gets its design inspiration from different eras of watchmaking. The Seatrekker is clearly inspired by the iconic dive watches from the 1970s, while the Pulsatimer is inspired by the great chronographs of the 1950s. With the new Fiordland GMT, Beaufort has once again used several ’50s design elements and combined them with a modern set of specs.
The details of the Beaufort Fiordland GMT
The Fiordland GMT has a 39mm stainless steel case with a 12.8mm thickness and a 47mm lug-to-lug. A 20mm strap or bracelet sits between those lugs, and the watch provides a 100m water resistance rating. Overall, the Fiordland GMT has nice proportions, and the substantial lugs help give the case its character.
The case is combined with a double-domed box-shaped sapphire crystal and a fixed stainless steel GMT bezel. The bezel features large engraved numerals and markings filled with white C1 Super-LumiNova, which glows green. This allows you to read both the home time and the local time in the dark.
Beaufort offers this watch with a choice of four dial colors. We had the Martini Grey and Negroni Orange in for review. Additionally, there are Mojito Green and Tuxedo Black versions. At first glance, the Martini Grey looks quite monochromatic, while the Negroni Orange version has a striking vibrancy. This gives a great impression of what the series is all about. Zooming in on the dials, you will see quite a bit of detail on them.
The detailed dials of the Fiordland GMT
First, there is a silver-colored knurled outer ring that holds the outer markers. The second ring, which takes on the main dial color, has another set of hour markers and the minutes/seconds track. If we move even further to the center of the dial, you will see a textured area with crosshairs and stamped text finished in white. The upper half features the brand and model name, while the lower half mentions the GMT function and water resistance.
Hovering above the intricate dial are dagger-style hour and minute hands, a slim seconds hands, and an arrow-tipped GMT hand. All the hands feature lume-filled parts and are a combination of silver and white.
Given that the GMT hand has no contrasting color, it’s a very homogenous set of hands. But thanks to the contrast between dark and light gray, you won’t have any problems reading the time in either of the time zones.
Overall, the dial has plenty of charm and detail. What also stood out was the rather straightforward execution of some details. Examples that stood out were the lume-filled arrow tip of the GMT hand and the white text on the lower half of the dial.
In addition, I could not shake the contrasting feel of the classically styled and refined dial and the oversized, modern-looking numerals on the bezel. While I do admit that this contrast provides character, I would have preferred a better balance between the two.
The Miyota 9075 flyer-style GMT
If you turn the watch around, you will see the Miyota 9075 caliber that powers it. Microbrands often use this affordable flyer-style GMT movement, which makes it easy to adjust the 12-hour hand independently for local time when traveling. The movement operates at 28,800vph, has 24 jewels, and offers a 42-hour power reserve.
The caliber’s finishing is all fairly straightforward and industrial. While I do understand that it’s fun for newer watch enthusiasts to see the movement, I would’ve preferred an all-steel case back because the movement’s finishing isn’t attractive enough to wow the wearer. In general, this also helps shave off some thickness from the case. Thankfully, though, the Beaufort Fiordland GMT does not have issues on that front. The overall profile is nice and modest, making it easy to wear.
A selection of bracelets and straps
The Fiordland GMT is comes standard on a black TPU Tropic-style strap with a stainless steel pin buckle. However, Beaufort also offers two bracelets and three leather straps separately.
The first bracelet option is an Oyster-style one with a folding buckle and push-button release. The second is an 11-row bracelet with a butterfly clasp that adds to the vintage vibes. Each bracelet costs €75.95. When it comes to additional straps, you have a choice of gray, brown, or black Italian leather with a two-stitch design. Eac of these straps comes with a steel pin buckle and costs €34.95.
We had the TPU strap and bracelets in for review, and it’s fun to see how the aesthetic completely changes depending on your preferred choice. In the Fratello office, most people preferred the Tropic-style strap. I happened to like the 11-row bracelet the best, though, as it adds retro character and fits the overall style best.
In terms of quality, both bracelets are decent at best. They are not the best we have seen at the €500–600 price point these watches come in at, but they are also not the worst. The strap is quite comfortable and perfectly balances the watch on the wrist.
Wearing the Beaufort Fiordland GMT
Thanks to the nicely proportioned case, the Beaufort Fiordland GMT sits well on the wrist. There is a distinct difference in presence between our two models. The Negroni Orange version brings a nice bit of color, while the Martini Grey version is monochromatic and subdued.
I liked the latter quite a bit because it’s easy to wear on a variety of occasions. Thanks to the quick-release system used for the bracelets, switching between the two is easy. I would have loved to see the same quick-release spring bars used for the straps, though.
If you switch from one of the bracelets to the black TPU strap, the presence also completely changes. The best way to describe it would be that the Fiordland goes from a daily wearer to an early dive-style watch. Of course, it’s not a diver, but the watch certainly has a sportier vibe once on the TPU strap. My favorite option, though, was the 11-row stainless steel bracelet. It maximizes the retro appeal, which best distinguishes the Fiordland from similarly priced GMT competitors.
Final thoughts on the Beaufort Fiordland GMT
Overall, the new Beaufort Fiordland GMT series stands out because of its 1950s-inspired design elements. They provide a look that plenty of people will like. Additionally, the watches offer the desirable practicality of a flyer-style GMT for those who travel a lot. So there is plenty to like for people looking for their next microbrand watch for around €500. At €529 on the TPU strap, these new Beaufort models are definitely great affordable pieces. But selling watches at that price level also involves making some sacrifices. The execution of the dial could be better, and the bracelets’ quality is decent at best.
This doesn’t make these Beaufort watches less attractive than other brands’ offerings in this price segment. There is a lot of competition on this end of the market, and most brands have to make do with standard solutions, especially regarding bracelets.
Considering that fact and the effort that Beaufort put in to make the Fiordland GMT’s design stand out, it can be a great choice for watch enthusiasts looking for a daily wearer or travel watch for less than €600. As such, the Beaufort Fiordland GMT is a welcome addition to the brand’s lineup.
For more information, check out the official Beaufort website. Let us know what your favorite version of the Fiordland GMT is in the comments section.
