It’s The Year Of The GMT — Here’s Some Proof In The Shape Of Two Seiko 5 Sports GMT LE Watches
It’s a small world. No, I’m not starting a Disney song; I’m simply stating a fact. The world is a village. In other words, the two most recent Seiko 5 Sports GMT watches — the Ice Blue SSK029 and the Passion Red SSK031 — might be Asia-only limited editions, but if you set your mind to buying either one of these creations while living in, say, Bulgaria, that should not pose an insurmountable problem. The two newest travel watches from the Japanese watch powerhouse kick off 2024, the unofficial Year of the GMT.
If you’ve read Jorg’s “The Best GMTs Of 2023” article, you might be under the impression that last year was the Year of the GMT. But you’re mistaken. Last year was a warm-up year, and 2024 is going to be even hotter when it comes to travel-ready watches. That’s not only because of the rise of so-called “flyer” GMTs but also because up-and-coming microbrands and other brands in the sub-€1,000 sector will launch a plethora of dual-time-zone watches in the year ahead. We can see it in the Fratello crystal ball that we have here at HQ. Oh, and if you need to catch up regarding GMT watches and what the terms “flyer” and “caller” mean, please read Thomas’s “GMT Watches 101” article before finding out about the two latest Seiko 5 Sports GMT LE models.
Seiko 5 Sports GMT LE watches in Ice Blue and Passion Red
Back in 2022, Seiko launched the first trio of Seiko 5 GMT models in the SKX-style case. Nacho called them “the best budget-friendly GMT watch[es] out there,” and after the initial trio came more and more variations. For example, there were three US exclusives last year, and this year starts with two Asia-only variations. First up is the Ice Blue SSK029, which presents itself with a light blue dial, blue hour, minute, and second hands, and a contrasting red GMT hand underneath the Hardlex crystal. Black and blue are the colors of choice for the rotating 24-hour bezel.
The second limited edition is the Passion Red SSK031. This version is much bolder than the Ice Blue one. It all starts with a deep red dial that borders on burgundy. It continues with silver-colored hour, minute, and second hands, heats up with a gold-colored GMT hand, and becomes seriously hot with a black and bright red bezel — the two types of red either complement or clash with each other; you choose.
Two “caller” GMT watches that you can call on 24 hours a day
The basics of the two new Seiko 5 Sport GMT LE watches are familiar. You get a stainless steel 42.5 × 13.6mm case with a 46mm lug-to-lug length, combined with a five-row bracelet. And inside the 100m-water-resistant case beats the 4R34 movement. It’s an automatic caliber that you can watch in action through the exhibition case back. This robust GMT movement with a date function runs at a 21,600vph frequency with a 41-hour power reserve, and it has a claimed accuracy of +45/-35 seconds per day. As a caller GMT, it lets you set the 24-hour hand (rather than the 12-hour hand) in one-hour increments and independent of the other hands. There’s also Lumibrite on the hands and hour markers for readability in the dark.
The following characteristics are less standard. First, there’s the limited availability. Both the Ice Blue SSK029 and the Passion Red SSK03 will only be available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Brunei. Each version will also see a production run of just 1,000 pieces. The limited production might get in your way, but the geographical limitation surely won’t. The World Wide Web was invented for worldwide shopping, wasn’t it? These watches will be available starting January 8th. Pricing for these watches will be set to $460 (or about €425).
For more information about the Seiko 5 Sports GMT collection, please visit the Seiko website.
