Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky

I can’t believe it’s been four years since I reviewed the Straum Opphav, the debut model of the Norwegian brand. Since then, they have been releasing these Jan Mayen models, and twerking both the dials and the case along the way. Now they have new Arctic dials and have put them in both steel and titanium watch cases, and today I have one of the latest models in titanium, the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky. This gorgeous watch has a 39mm blasted and polished Grade 5 titanium case, with a dial patterned after the colors of the Northern Lights, the La Joux-Perret G101 no date movement, and a very unique quick-release strap system. There are other colors availbe and hopefully a titanium bracelet at some point, and the starting price is $2500.

Specifications

38.7mm Grade 5 Titanium Case

41mm (9-3) Including Crown

45.7mm Lug to Lug

11.5mm Thick Excluding Crown

82 Grams 

100m Water Resistant

Screw Down Crown

Double Domed Sapphire

Super-LumiNova hands and indices 

LJP G101 Automatic Movement

Custom FKM Rubber Strap System

Price $2500 Including Taxes and Duties Included 

https://straum.co/collections/jan-mayen-arctic-titanium

I was very enamoured with the Straum Opphav when I reviewed it, and at the time, it was quite a bold move for a debuting microbrand to hit the scene with a watch such as that, and that original model had a price tag of around $800. In the last four years, Straum has evolved even more with the Jan Mayen models, and this latest collection is really impressive.

The case on this Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky is all titanium, of course, grade 5 titanium. and it has an absolutely exquisite micro-blasted finish. This is an extremely smooth, blasted finish, with an almost satin feeling to the touch. To offset the light grey case finish are polished accents around the bezel area, on top of the crown, chamfers running the top and bottom of the case, and on the first link area below the lugs. Another improvement over the Opphav model-a screw down crown. While many may not care for a 100m watch like this, for me, this makes this watch with an art dial a piece that I can daily wear.

This case is also 39mm, a somewhat big departure from the Opphav, which was 41mm. I know I usually discuss the size and how it wears towards the end of the review, but being someone who does prefer a watch over 40mm, primarily in that 41-42mm size range, I was really surprised how well this watch wears. The Jan Mayen wears larger and measures 41mm east to west, including the crown, and at no point did I ever feel this watch looked small on my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist. This watch felt right at home the moment I put it on.

And while Straum is definitely more than just striking, out-of-this-world dials, their dials are still a huge part of what attracts so many to their watches. With their new Arctic dial collection, they have taken their dials even further, with more colors, more gradients, and new textures. The Straum Jan Mayen Titanum Aurora Sky dial mimics the night sky of the Northern lights with robust greens and blues and deep blue, almost black at the bottom of the chipped rock texture dial. While I love a basic diver or field watch, wearing this watch makes me feel like I have a $50,000 watch on my wrist. It’s just so beautiful, and I love how the dial plays with the light.

They also went ahead and made these dials as clean as possible. No text except the brand name, below the beautifully applied S logo, and there’s no date to interfere with this incredible dial texture. The indices curve from almost the underside of the dial, a unique concept, though I do miss the floating indices that they did on the Opphav. And while the dial is a work of art, the hands are bold, as are the indices, and there’s still a minute/second track running around the edge of the dial. Beauty meets function.

Straum has been using the La Joux-Perret movements since the introduction of the Jan Mayen models around three years ago, so more of an early adopter for this movement, as it seems like many brands are now using these calibers. This is the G101 example, Soigné grade, and it’s a nice enough looking movement, and overall I do like the case back, but feel something is missing. I think the movement could have used some blue screws or a little more decoration to the rotor, something to make this pop a little more. While the Opphav had a basic Sellita SW200-1 powering it, I loved the case back on that model, and was kinda hoping it carried on to the Jan Mayen models.

I’m sure I am in the minority on this, and either way, it’s a great movement, and has a 68-hour power reserve, meaning you could not wear it for a day, leave it on your nightstand or in your collection box, and pick it back up 2 days later, and it will still be running.

In the photo of the case back above, you can see the strap of the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky is removed, and yet, there’s still something attached in between the lugs. That would be a first link, as Straum calls it, and it’s their adapter for a unique quick-release strap system. The adapter can be removed, as there are drilled lugs on the sides of the case, though you wouldn’t be able to use an off-the-shelf strap due to the inner lug size. This type of case really needs the fitted flared strap, in my opinion.

On the front, it looks like the first link part would be the button, but actually, it’s on the back. Your thumbnail, or at least mine, should be all you need to press on that little thin rectangle, and the strap with prongs just releases. And it’s even easier to put the strap back on, as there’s no need to press anything; just insert the prongs back into the adapter, and it locks in. Unfortunately, optional colored straps (this is the green) will run you around $100, and that is a strap only, no adapter or buckle, and currently, there is no timeline for the proposed titanium bracelet.

There’s more to this FKM strap, though. Firstly, it’s a very attractive strap, and feels substantial while still being pliable, and it’s got quite an odd length,  100mm x around 190mm including the buckle. But if you have a smaller wrist and don’t want to have a lot of strap left over to slide into the keepers, Straum has engineered this strap to be cut. There are two spots on the strap that they label medium and small, where you can cut, then put the buckle back on through the provided holes, and you have made the strap a better fit for your wrist.

I did not cut the strap of the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky, but as you can see above on my wrist, I probably could cut it to the medium spot, as I am quite far up on the strap, but I like a good amount of tail left over, and didn’t find it to be an issue. As I said, I found this watch to be very enjoyable on my wrist and extremely comfortable.

And even though this watch has a striking dial, and some would consider it to be more of an occasional piece, Straum makes their watches to be worn, and even in the dark, you can easily tell the time with a strong amount of Super-LumiNova, and it will last about a good four hours or so.

I think it’s safe to say that I am pretty enamored with this Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky. The evolution from the Opphav is evident, and while this is a $2500 watch, expensive for what most will consider a microbrand watch, there’s just so much good here. The dial is incredible, the case design, reminiscent of Genta designs, is beautifully machined and finished, and the whole strap mod quick-release system is great as well. I am disappointed, though, that there’s no titanium bracelet yet. It’s in development on the Straum website, and they do have one for the steel version, but there are many who will prefer a bracelet and will probably hold off until one is available. That mistake aside, this is a lot of watch for the money, but not everyone’s money, as it may be too niche for them with these dials.

Straum

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Citizen Tsuyosa Shore

Citizen has added a rotating bezel and bolder dial to the very popular Tsuyosa, and this one is dubbed the Citizen Tsuyosa Shore. While at first glance it looks like a dive watch, it’s more what one would call a dive-style watch, or maybe a sports watch. Why not a true dive watch, and why bother with the bezel at all? My guess is just another variation of the Tsuyosa, as it’s been quite a big seller for Citizen since debuting in 2022 as an extremely affordable homage to the Rolex Datejust and Oyster Perpetual. This Shore model has the look of a dive watch, without being a true 200m diver, but let’s face it, many who buy dive watches never dive, and this Tsuyosa Shore is quite an attractive watch. While not a diver, it does have 100m water resistance along with an automatic movement and a sapphire crystal.

Specifications

40mm Stainless Steel Case

22mm Lug Width

45.3mm Lug to Lug

12.5mm Thick

164 Grams

Sapphire Crystal 

Aluminum Bezel Insert

3 Link  Bracelet (3.4mm Thick)

Push Button Clasp

Miyota 8210 Automatic Movement

Blue Green Color

Price from Sakura Watches: $304

MSRP $495

https://www.sakurawatches.com/citizen-collection-tsuyosa-nj0231-56l

This Citizen Tsuyosa Shore is based on the original Tsuyosa model, sized at 40mm with a 45mm lug to lug, and a barrel-shaped case and integrated bracelet/lugs. It currently comes in 4 colors, shown below, and I believe Citizen refers to this color as green blue, and in certain stock pics online, it can look more like a turquoise or aquamarine color, but it’s actually more of a subtle blue green, and I call it ocean blue. It definitely is lighter than the navy or standard model they sell. At this time, these are the only four colors.

The 4 colors of the Tsuyosa Shore

Case design and finish have remained the same on the Citizen Tsuyosa Shore. The barrel-shaped case, brushed steel on top, but the case sides are highly polished, as well as the edge of the rotating bezel and the push-pull crown. The crown remains unsigned, but I have to say the finishing here for a watch that is selling for the $300 pretty regularly, is really well done. Nice brushed lines, while high polish is prone to picking up marks and scratches more easily, this Tsuyosa model does not look all marred up, at least not with the time I spent with it. I love the case shape as well, especially from the side profile; it’s a flat slab with unique downturned ends, which flow nicely into the integrated lugs.

Of course, the big change here from the regular Tsuyosa model is the rotating bezel, and the dial has more sporty style hands, bolder and thicker polished hands, and thick applied rectangular indices. It has a gorgeous sunburst dial, really grabs the light, and because of that, the more light that is on it, the more it can give the dial that greenish hue. The carryover from the original Tsuyosa is the date magnifier, not my favorite on any watch, but it doesn’t look horribly out of place on this piece.

The bezel insert is aluminum, more than sufficient at this price point, and it really matches the dial well, both in color and material. And more interestingly, is the action of the bezel. Unlike the Citizen Promaster Dive, which has a 6o click unidirectional bezel, Citizen gave this Citizen Tsuyosa Shore a 120 click bezel, and the action is better in my opinion compared to the aforementioned dive watch.

The Shore has a budget movement, the same movement as the standard Tsuyosa, the Miyota 8210, and this is the latest version of the movement, which hacks, a big improvement over the older versions. And you can see the movement through the exhibition case back, though I believe the crystal here is mineral, not sapphire.

While there is lume applied to the dial indices and hands, the hands will glow a bit longer than the indices, and of course, the triangle on the bezel is not lumed at all. There’s lume, it’s decent, but don’t buy this watch for the lume at all.

The bracelet is solid, a good heft to it, matter of fact, I feel the Citizen Tsuyosa Shore is a solid feeling watch throughout, and more solid than I was expecting for a watch like this. The center links and high polished as well as the bracelet sides, the links are held together with the pin and collar system, and the links are 3.5mm thick. The clasp is pretty basic, a push-button style, though it does have a machined hinge opening, and is not stamped.

The fit of the Citizen Tsuyosa Shore is excellent. Even though it’s only a 40mm watch with a short lug to lug, I don’t find this watch to look small on my 7 1/2 inch  (19.05cm) wrist at all, and from the factory it should fit up to an 8 inch wrist. The bracelet flows perfectly from the case, and it’s extremely comfortable while looking good.

At full retail of $500, there are a lot of options out there these days from factory brands, microrands, and of course, buying grey market. At $304, its current price from Sakura Watches, this Citizen Tsuyosa Shore is not a bad deal at all. It has the look of a dive watch, has enough water resistance for day-to-day activities, and the design is suitable for both casual and dress, especially if you opt for one of the two-tone versions.

I was mostly surprised by the heft and overall build quality of this watch. For whatever reason, I was expecting a watch that was lightweight and rattled, and this is anything but. I’m still not sure what to classify this watch as; it looks like a dive watch, but it’s clearly not. It’s much better built than most fashion watches. Whatever the category, I do really like this Tsuyosa Shore, much more than I thought I would.

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Yema Navygraf Phantom

The Yema Navygraf Phantom is a limited edition of 200 pieces, which takes the standard Navygraf and gives it a stealth look with an all-black IP case and bracelet, a vertical brushed dial, a black matte ceramic bezel insert, and the Yema Manufacture Movement CMM.10, which can be seen through a tinted sapphire exhibition case back. It retains the iconic yellow hands that the Navygraf has become known for, and this is a more straightforward, and some would say sleeker, dive watch than the Superman Diver. With the Yema movement and only 200 pieces being made, it’s not exactly cheap, and it brings up $1000 more than the standard Navygraf at $2,099.

Specifications

38.5mm Case IP Black Plated

46mm Lug to Lug

19mm Lug Width

11..05mm Thick (excluding crystal)

2.5mm Double Dome Sapphire

132.5 Grams

Matte Ceramic Bezel Insert

300m Water Resistant

CMM.10 Manufacture Movement

H- Link Black IP Bracelet

Price $2.099 USD

https://yema.us/products/yema-navygraf-phantom-cmm-10-limited-edition-21-26-10-66-snl-m6

I have always had a fondness for the Yema Navygraf, as I love the vintage aesthetic to it, which is, of course, intentional, as it’s a recreation and redesign of the Navgraf model from the 70s, and this modern collection serves as an official partner for the French Navy. While the Superman diver is unique in its own right, I have always liked the classic and slim lines of the Navygraf and just always found the case and dial to be a very pleasing design, a design that can easily be worn daily, while also being 300 meters water resistant and ready for the sea or ocean, if one chooses to do so.

This Yema Navygraf Phantom takes it up a few notches, more so than I originally thought, and there are more differences from the Heritage model than I realized, which I guess justifies the $1000 price difference between the two models. The Heritage has a date window, an SW200-1 movement, a Hesalite domed crystal, and the bezel inset is enamel, and has a pretty standard flat painted dial.

This Phantom model, beyond the all-black case and bracelet, has no date due to the CMM.10 movement, for more dial symmetry, a vertical brushed black dial similar to the Superman Skin Diver I reviewed a few months ago, a double dome sapphire crystal, and a matte black ceramic insert.

I really admire the overall look of the case; it has a very industrial look about it, sharply defined lines, an all brushed case, vertical brushing on top with horizontal brushing on the case sides, and just a hint of high polish with a thin chamfer running down the top edge of the case. I also love the integrated crown guards and the taper from the lugs to create said crown guards, and the fact that this case is just a touch over 11mm, especially for a watch that is rated 300m. Despite this only being a 38.5mm case (more on that in a bit), the crown is still large enough and easy to grasp with my medium to large-sized hands, and has a great feel about it.

Same with the bezel. This is a steel bezel with the matte black ceramic insert, and while there are numbers and hash markers engraved on the bezel, Yema chose to stay with the phantom theme and only lumed or colored in the triangle 60 mark. This bezel, unlike the Superman divers, does not lock, so it’s your standard 120 click bezel, and yet I find it to be a great bezel with great action, easy to turn but not loose, and very crisp and precise.

The dial of the Yema Navygraf Phantom retains the now iconic yellow hour and minute hand, and has a tapered stick second hand, as well as the exclamation point marks, which are not exactly old radium lume paint colored, but more of a pale yellow. No date window here, which I personally like because it does not interrupt those markers, and I am just a sucker for no-date dials anyway. The big upgrade with this dial is vertical brushing, which I could just stare at all day, and looks great with that 2.5mm thick double dome sapphire above it. The dial is a definite upgrade over the standard Navygraf.

Turning the watch over, though, things start to get a little wierd. Yema chose to show off their CMM.10 movement here, which I understand as they are proud of their movement, and with great accuracy and a 70 power reserve,  they should be. That said, for some reason, they chose to do a black-tinted crystal, which I show in the above video, just how much this blacks out everything, unless you get just the right light and angle to see the movement. It’s called an exhibition case back for a reason, so this had me scratching my head.

I also have an issue with the size of the case in proportion to the bracelet. This Yema Navygraf Phantom is listed at a compact, refined 38.5mm case, yet I measured it with my calipers at 39.3 from 10-4, and since my calipers were correct in measuring the lug width and bracelet, I am not sure how they came to that measurement.

And that brings me to the bracelet, which has a few issues. The lugs are 19mm, and the bracelet starts out at 19mm and then tapers immediately to 18 and then 16mm towards the clasp. My preference for larger watches aside, I just feel the bracelet is much too thin for the size of the case and feels really off balance.

My issues with the bracelet, unfortunately, do not stop there. This is a sample piece from Yema, and as such, I am not sure if it was not finished to the same standard as the production models. The coating is listed as black IP, not DLC, which I do find disconcerting, but the coating and finish do look good until you get to the inner links, which were clearly not coated separately; they were coated with the bracelet assembled, as you can see the rainbow mark between the links. This is not something I would expect to be on a $2000 watch.

It doesn’t end there, though, as this is a very basic clasp, functional with an old school dive extension, yes, but again, considering the price, and that it is limited, I expected the new Yema quick adjustment clasp, which is available on the Pearl Navygraf, which retails for $2500.

And because it was a sample piece, it did not come with any extra links, and was extremely tight on my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist, and with issues I described above, along with not really being able to wear this Yema Navygraf Phantom for more than 5-10 minutes, I really did not enjoy how this Yema Navygraf Phantom looked on my wrist. I really like this design, but the thin bracelet width, coupled with the short bracelet, made it awkward-looking on my wrist. While this is a smaller watch, I do hope that production models come with more links; it would only fit up to a 7 1/4 inch (18.42cm) wrist.

On a brighter note, pun intended, the Super-LumiNova is pretty good on this Phantom model, especially considering these are painted markers instead of applied, and the thin area where it is applied to the hands. The second hand does not glow well at all, but it looks great in the dark with a nice bluish-green hue and lasts for around 4-5 hours.

The Yema Navygraph Phantom does have a lot going for it, and it has a lot of upgrades over the Heritage edition, more than I initially realized. I love all black cases and think the blackout theme works well for the Navygraf model, and I love the touch of color and contrast with the yellow hands and markers. The vertical brushed dial looks fantastic, and while I would prefer a bigger case for my wrist, this may be perfect for others. Everything is subjective at the end of the day. I do hope the bracelet links are evenly coated on production models, though, as I would be disappointed with an $800 watch with links like that, let alone $2100.

Yema 

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Canopy Field One

The Canopy Field One is the second watch from the young watch company, their first being a dive watch. Their take on a field watch is familiar but with some modern touches, such as a 1200 Vickers hard coating and Lumicast 3D numerals and indices. The design is similar to say a Hamilton Khaki field, but at $599 its much more affordable, and it is availbe in 4 colors, the green I have for review, as well as standard black, a blue, and a vibrant orange. The matching titanium bracelet has a tool-less on-the-fly adjustable clasp, and at 39mm, it’s a very wearable piece, and let’s be real, 39mm is a very popular watch size these days, so a smart move by the Texas-based company.

Specifications

Canopy Field One
Grade 2 Titanium case and bracelet
Clear DLC coating for hardness (1200 HV)
39mm case diameter
10mm case thickness
46mm lug-to-lug 
20mm bracelet width (lugs) tapering to 18mm (clasp)
99.6 Grams in Weight
100m water resistance
Miyota 9015 automatic movement
Double domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Forged carbon case back
Tool-less micro adjust clasp
SuperLuminova LumiCast C3 X2 numerals and indices

Price $599 
https://www.canopywatchco.com/collections/field-one

I think many will agree with me that in the watch world,  at the top of the food chain is dive watches, and then right below it are field watches. Now I neither dive nor have ever been in the “field”,  and I am betting neither are 90% of the population of watch buyers, but field watches are extremely popular for a reason. For the most part, they are timeless in appearance, simple and clean, and they are watches that can be worn in almost any situation, a perfect GADA watch. I would say that this Canopy Field One fits the bill, though with the bead blasted case and bracelet, it’s a little too rugged for a stand-in dress watch, but otherwise, this is a great piece to wear every day.

And because it’s grade 2 titanium, its extremely ligihtweight at just a tick under 100 grams, the case and bracelet weight combined, and with a clear DLC hard coating, its one that you won’t have to worry about too much as that clear hard coating should keep it looking new for longer, and this is especially great for blasted titanium watches such as this, as they aren’t so easy to remove scratches from, as most any home remedy would damage the blasted finish further.

The case of the Canopy Field One has classic lines, an ever-so-slightly curved case but with straight lugs,  and this is also a very thin case at just 10mm, so very easy to fit under a shirt or coat cuff, and it won’t get in your way either when you’re out in the field or on a hike, etc. The crown does screw down, a decent size for this 39mm case, and it has a cabochon of sorts, with a forged carbon piece on the inside. Not sure if this is sapphire or clear resin coated, but it’s a nice touch with the metallic Canopy logo.

The dial has a light gravel texture, and again, this is classic field watch design here. It’s a well-laid-out dial, with a date at the 6 o’clock position, a 24-hour scale on the inner part of the dial, a tapered index-style hour and minute hand, and a thin second hand with a red arrow tip, giving it the only other pop of color, besides the white date wheel. The big deal here on this dial is the Lumicast 3D lume numerals and dots. This is something we are starting to see more and more of on affordable watches, and I’m all for it. One thing of note, the color of the dial is more of an olive or moss green than what is depicted on their website, but I do quite like the shade of this dial.

The back of the Canopy Field One has a cool suprise and that is a disc of forged carbon fiber, looks like a marlbed carbon fiber to my eye, but maybe its just a standard forged CF, but either way, its a solid disc, and on top is a sapphire crstyal, and attached to the underside of the crystal is metaliic foil for the logo and the specs, making it appear like they are floating. It’s a nice look, something different to see with a case back, and it seems that Canopy is quite fond of carbon fiber, as their first watch, the Wake one, had a forged carbon bezel insert as well. Inside is a Miyota 9015, which I will say, the rotor is not as noisy as I thought it would be, especially with a slim titanium case. I thought it would be really loud, but it’s not that noticeable to my ear.

Of course, with Lumicast X2 C3 Super-LumiNova, I was expecting this lume to be amazing, and for the most part, it is. It will glow, at least from what I tested, pretty strongly for about 5 hours before fading out. Initially, I was hoping this would glow pretty much all through an 8-hour night, but the reality is the dial is on the smaller side, and those little dots and numerals are just that, small, so I needed to adjust my expectations. It looks amazing in the dark, though, especially if it has a lot of light throughout the day.

On my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist, this is an extremely comfortable watch. With the Canopy Field One being just under 100 grams and at 39mm, it really is a joy to wear, and for the most part, I forget I am even wearing a watch. While this watch only comes on a bracelet, putting it on a rubber, leather, or nylon strap would really make it feel like you are wearing nothing. The bracelet is an angled 3-link, has that more aggressive look, similar to bracelets we have seen from Helm watches and others, and it uses one-piece screws for the links, and has the on the fly adjustbable clasp, something that has pretty much become standard these days, at least with microbrands, and I’m all for it. I only needed one link out, though, so keep that in mind if you have a wrist larger than mine.

I said in the video review that I am quite fond of this Canopy Field One, and that is absolutely true. I love the texture of the dial, the Lumicast indices, and being a lightweight titanium watch with a hard coating, means I can wear this watch and not have to worry about babying it, and while the shade of green does not match the website, I actually much prefer this one, I wear a lot of olive or military green, a lot of camo etc, and this shade of green is one of my favorite colors. I think the black would be great as well, and blue is always a great dial color. The orange for this watch may be a little too much for me, but it’s nice that they have some color options to choose from.

It’s also hard to complain about the price. I’m sure some will, but at least from my perspective, this is a lot of watch for the money, and on par with what other microbrands would charge, if not a little under these days. I also get a Boldr and RZE vibe from this watch, especially with the Lumicast lume and the titanium with hard coating, but this model has a pretty classic field watch case, and I think that’s what I like most about this watch, how it manages to blend classic and modern, while still being a very attractive and functional field watch.

See more at Canopy Watches.

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Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT

There are quite a few iconic watches from film. James Bond’s Rolex, the TAG Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, the Seiko 6105 Captain Willard from Apocalypse Now, and even Marty McFly’s Casio Calculator watch from Back to the Future. Another would be Marlon Brando’s Rolex 1675 GMT Master from Apocalypse Now (yes, two famous watches from the same film), and that’s what this Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT was inspired by.

Marlon Brando with his bezel-less Rolex GMT Master

The GMT Master was Brando’s personal watch, and production was not sure it was appropriate for the film. They wanted him to take it off, but he removed the red and blue GMT bezel as a compromise, thinking it would be less recognizable with no bezel and on a leather strap. The opposite happened, and while the watch was thought to have been lost, it went up for Auction in 2019. Now, Vaer chose to do their version of this watch, but they made it their own. It’s a 39mm case with lyre lugs, crown guards, and a quartz movement, and it starts at $399.

Specifications

15ATM (150m) water-resistance rating

Locking screw-down crown

316L stainless steel

Single domed sapphire w/ AR coating

20mm lug width

39mm case diameter

Case thickness with crystal: 10.8mm

Lug-to-lug distance: 46mm

Weight: 75 grams

Swiss Ronda quartz GMT movement

40-month battery

FKM Ocean Strap

Multiple optional strap choices

Starting Price $399

https://www.vaerwatches.com/products/g2-apocalypse-gmt-39mm-usa

What’s fun and unique about this Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT is that they didn’t go the standard homage route. I’ve talked about how the word homage, especially when it comes to watches, has just become a word that means copy these days,  and this Vaer is more of what homage actually means: it’s a tribute, inspired by, but you really wouldn’t confuse the original and this for the same watch.

Vaer has been using the lyre style case for years now, on their dive watches and GMT watches, but now they have added crown guards, the first watch of theirs to have crown guards, believe it or not. These crown guards mimic the round crown guards on the original 1675, but aren’t as stout or blocky, matching better to the twisted lug case. The crown is ibber though at 6.3mm, and it does crew down, and along with the 150m of water resistance, this is a watch that you don’t have to baby, and can be worn daily or in almost any situation.

The other area Vaer needs to tackle is the lack of a bezel. In the film, it was just a Rolex with the bezel removed, which was not an astecihc choice. Vaer chose to go with a radial brushed fixed steel bezel, with a slim polished edge. While a GMT without a bezel is a little odd, it’s not completely uncommon, and I like how they made this area wider and made sure to finish it in a way that would catch your eye. When you look at it, it doesn’t look out of place or like something is missing. It’s intentional, even if it really doesn’t serve a purpose.

The rest of the case is similar to other Vaer models using this case, brushed sides, a thick polished chafer running the top side of the case, and a polished crown as well.

The dial of the Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT only comes in one dial color, matte black with old radioum or vintage color lume on the indices and hands. For the most part, this is pretty standard Vaer here; date at 6, sword hour and minute hands, a lollipop second hand, and of course, this one has a GMT hand. The GMT hand is orange and distinguishable from the second hand, though I do wish it were an arrow instead of just a rectangle.

Speaking of rectangles, you’ll see around the regular indices on the dial that there are small rectangle indices. These are the 24-hour indicators. Vaer chose to go this route instead of numbers, not sure I love it, but it is funky to say the least. I feel that at certain angles or in certain lighting, this is distorted because of the domed sapphire, and while it may keep the dial less cluttered, they could have just done the standard 24-hour numerals on the inner part of the dial, which, for me, would have been more functional. I think they wanted to have the GMT function, unlike the Rolex from the film, so this would be an actual GMT that can track two time zones, while still retaining the look of that bezel-less 1675.

Vaer is known for offering a lot of value, and as such, this G2 Apocalypse GMT comes with 2 straps. The catch is that there are only a few options that will keep it at that $399 price point. The default strap that comes with this watch is the FKM Ocean strap. There are other FKM options, as well as nylon Nato straps, leather straps, alligator straps, and bracelets. All will vary in cost, though, up to $200 more if you go alligator. So if you want to keep it at $399, pick one of the Nato strap options.

Vaer sent me the khaki single pass as the second strap, and well, that’s what it is called on the website, but this is a two-piece NATO-type strap, so they need to fix the description. The leather strap shown below is not from Vaer, but I put it on as Brando’s Rolex was on a leather strap, so I just wanted to show what it looks like. I like the look of the tan nylon NATO-style strap; it looks great with the old radium lume, but I would prefer a two-piece nylon strap, as I generally don’t care for nato straps. All options looked good on my 7 1/2 inch or 19.05cm wrist.

The old radium Super-LumiNova does look good with the black dial, and in the dark does glow well, but I still would have preferred X1 C2 lume, but I guess going old radium was a nod to this being modeled after a very vintage watch. The lume is not what I would have a 9/10 as the website does, but more of a 7/10, and should last about 4 hours or so in the dark.

This is a fun watch for sure, and I like how Vaer didn’t go the standard homage route like so many other brands would have, and made something more distinct. I also like how this Vaer G2 Apocalypse GMT is the first Vaer to have crown guards, and I hope we see this case being used in other models eventually, especially in the 42mm range.

Unlike many watch enthusiasts, I never fanwed over the movie or the original watch, which is why I dint really comment on it here in this article, but obviously if you are a fan of the movie and/or the watch, this is a pretty cool and unique tribute and taking the movie inspiration out of it, its still a solid GADA watch, and pretty affordable at that $399 price point, which is why at the time of publishing this article, it is currently sold out and slated for restock in July 2026. While I don’t have the connection to the movie, I do appreciate what Vaer did with this model; it’s a solid watch that mimics the original while also not taking itself too seriously.

VAER

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