Hot Take: Traska Announces A New Color For The Venturer GMT
If you follow the news from the independent watch market, you know there are many GMTs to choose from. I recently published a two-part guide on 16 GMTs from micro- and independent brands, in which I listed Traska. By all (somewhat subjective) measures, the Venturer GMT strikes the perfect balance between specifications and price. The original batch came in four colors, and today, Traska is announcing a fifth — mint green.
The Venturer GMT in a nutshell
At the risk of sounding redundant, let’s talk about the Venturer GMT first. As you may know, Traska was one of the first independent/microbrands to get its hands on the Miyota 9075. This is a “true” (or flyer) GMT caliber made by the Citizen group and released in 2022. Being a flyer GMT, the local-hour hand jumps back and forth, not the GMT hand. The latter simply rotates smoothly around the dial when setting the time. “True” GMTs seem more beneficial for those who regularly travel (for example, pilots.) Or, if you are like me, it is for those who like sound engineering and horological prowess.
As you might have read in my guide on GMTs, the Venturer has reasonable dimensions. It features a 38.5mm case diameter, a 46mm lug-to-lug distance, a 10mm thickness (excluding the crystal), and a 20mm lug spacing. The Venturer GMT is a robust timepiece with 150m water resistance, a box-style double-domed sapphire crystal, and a screw-down crown and case back. The bracelet has “female” end links and solid links that articulate nicely, held together with screws. Lastly, the case and bracelet feature a proprietary hard coating for great scratch resistance.
The 2017 Traska Freediver
Mint green: a true Traska color
Some brands are known for specific dial colors — for example, Rolex with “Hulk” green, Doxa with Professional orange, or Patek Philippe with Tiffany Blue. In the independent/microbrand watch world, Traska is known for mint green. The brand introduced this color in 2017 for its first model, the Freediver. Bringing it to the Venturer GMT fits the recent trend of making brighter and funkier watches, but it also speaks to Traska’s brand identity. Each brand seems to find its groove with a particular color and hue, and Traska found it with mint green. It’s bright, different, and has a couple of advantages.
First, it contributes to a legible dial. Since the hour markers on the Venturer are applied and polished, they contrast nicely with the mint dial. And distinguishing the hour markers from the painted minute track in black creates a subtle visual dynamism that works (at least for me). Furthermore, the tip of the GMT hand and the “GMT” text on the dial are executed in bright orange. This adds another layer of playfulness and dynamism to the dial, which I hope is something you are into. If you are, you will be one of the few sporting a flyer GMT with a mint-green dial and orange accents.
Final thoughts
If you are into funky colors and playful dials, then the Traska Venturer GMT Mint is for you. If you aren’t, be patient; the brand will restock the other colorways later this year. The first batch released two months ago came in black, blue, white, and dark green. If you want an immediate GMT fix, the Venturer GMT Mint Green can be purchased today, April 23rd, starting at 11:00 AM EDT (5:00 PM CEST) from Traska’s website. The retail price is US$695 (approximately €634).
What are your feelings on this latest release from Traska? Are you tempted? Or are you more traditional in your taste for dial colors? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
