Arms-On: Timex X Pan Am Waterbury GMT Watch

Once more in 2022, Timex teamed up with Pan Am to supply a duo of pilot’s watches co-branded with the well-known airline agency’s emblem. Whereas Pan Am not operates industrial airplane and Timex largely produces its watches overseas, every producers occupy a celebrated place inside American custom. The Timex x Pan Am watches had been profitable amongst collectors, as they allowed individuals to profit from the nostalgia of a Pan Am Airways timepiece at a categorically accessible worth stage. To proceed the collaboration for 2024, Timex and Pan Am are rising their partnership with an additional pair of watches that present points synonymous with aviation. The latest Timex x Pan Am fashions come equipped with each a flyback chronograph or GMT efficiency.

The distinctive duo of Timex x Pan Am watches included a chronograph and a 42mm day-date model that we beforehand reviewed upon its launch. Nonetheless, the pair of 2024 watches takes points one step extra on the subject of their points, and the model new duo consists of a 43mm flyback chronograph (ref. TW2W97200) and a 39mm GMT watch (ref. TW2W97300), the latter of which is featured proper right here. Regardless of their efficiency, all 4 of the Timex x Pan Am fashions are powered by battery-operated quartz actions, and they also moreover operate situations made out of stainless-steel in its place of getting plated brass or resin situations similar to the mannequin’s entry-level watches. Compared with the 42mm and 43mm situations of its siblings from the gathering, the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT (which the mannequin formally refers to as a result of the “Timex Waterbury GMT x Pan Am 39mm Leather-based-based Strap Watch” on its site) represents a significantly further compact complete profile that sits correct inside the sweet spot for proper now’s shopper preferences.

Crafted from recycled stainless-steel, the case of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT accommodates a traditional spherical profile. Whereas it presents a predominantly brushed finish, the outer rim of its bezel is high-polished for a small dash of refinement. By means of its dimensions, the Timex x Pan Am GMT measures 39mm in diameter by 12.5mm thick, and it has lugs that are set 20mm apart with an complete lug-to-lug profile of 47mm. On Timex’s official site, the mannequin lists a case thickness of 11.5mm. As a result of the excessive of the watch is furnished by a flat mineral glass crystal that sits flush with the rim of its bezel, I can solely assume that its on-paper thickness doesn’t embrace the additional peak of its caseback. As for the caseback itself, it is crafted from stainless-steel with an peculiar snap-on design, and it choices fluting spherical its perimeter with the Pan Am Airways emblem engraved into its coronary heart.

Timex tends to typically favor snap-on or screw-on casebacks over ones with a threaded design, and whereas I personally always favor a screw-down caseback, a snap-on methodology makes at-home battery replacements far less complicated for people who should not have entry to an accurate caseback system. By means of its weight, the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is on the market in at roughly 67 grams (along with its strap) or 52 grams for merely the watch itself, and entry to its inside movement is granted by an onion-shaped crown on the three o’clock location that is given a refined finish and signed with a blue-filled Pan Am emblem. Furthermore, whereas the crown operates with an peculiar push/pull vogue motion, the Timex x Pan Am GMT nonetheless presents a fairly respectable 100 meters of water resistance, which Timex states is suitable for swimming, snorkeling, looking, and poolside diving (nonetheless not scuba diving).

An identical to its siblings from the gathering, the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT accommodates a blue sunburst dial with crisp white printing. Its handset follows the equivalent sword-shaped vogue that characterizes every distinctive Timex x Pan Am watches. With that in ideas, an additional 24-hour scale is printed alongside an angled chapter ring that appears throughout the outer periphery of the dial, and the chapter ring is given a blue and silver split-color finish to help create an at-a-glance distinction between day and night hours. Very like the distinctive duo of Timex x Pan Am fashions, the seconds hand on the GMT mannequin accommodates a small airplane-shaped tip. Nonetheless, the triangular tip of its further 24-hour hand is accomplished vivid pink for a small splash of coloration, and this design component moreover exits on the Flyback Chronograph model that joined the gathering alongside the GMT mannequin for 2024.

Rounding out the rest of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT’s dial is a date window at 3 o’clock, whereas the Pan Am Airways emblem is printed beneath the fingers. The rest of the present stays free from textual content material, with the one exception being the Timex title printed beneath the 12 o’clock marker. Furthermore, detail-oriented fanatics will be completely happy to hunt out that the proportions of the handset are pretty well-considered, and the tip of the minute hand extends all the way in which through which to attain the corresponding markers of the minute observe. That acknowledged, lume is one house that will revenue from an enchancment. Whereas green-glowing luminous supplies is utilized to the fingers that present the hours and minutes, the rest of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is solely devoid of lume. This seems like significantly of a missed different that ends in a reasonably lackluster present at midnight.

Fitted to the lugs of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is a brown leather-based strap that tapers from 20mm on the case proper right down to 18mm on the underside of the wrist. Very like the straps which may be found on the distinctive duo of Timex x Pan Am watches, the strap that is paired with the Waterbury GMT model is darkish brown with a vivid blue lining, and it consists of two pilot-style grommets near the springbars that appear as further blue-filled Pan Am logos. Nonetheless, reasonably than having distinction stitching surrounding its perimeter, the strap for the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT solely choices two small stitches near the lugs, and it moreover presents a a lot much less dramatic taper as compared with the straps that embrace its 42mm day-date and chronograph siblings. Completed by a straightforward stainless-steel pin buckle, the strap isn’t notably premium or luxurious, although it does signify a robust step above what you generally uncover on Timex’s entry-level fashions, and actually so much leans into the aviation spirit of these collaboration watches.

Powering the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is the Swiss Ronda Caliber 515.24A quartz GMT movement, which will be found contained within the mannequin’s Q Timex GMT fashions. Whereas Timex generally makes use of actions from Asian suppliers resembling Miyota and Seiko, the quartz GMT efficiency required for this model is a bit a lot much less frequent as compared with one factor like a chronograph or typical time-and-date present. This probably explains why these quartz Timex GMT fashions get hold of Swiss calibers. Working on a single SR920SW power cell with a battery lifetime of roughly 45 months, the Ronda 515.24A is a “caller” vogue GMT movement that gives neutral adjustment of every its 24-hour hand and date present. Because it’s based upon the inspiration of the acquainted three-handed Caliber 515, the Ronda 515.24A presents an accuracy rating of -10/+20 seconds per 30 days.

No watch is good, and that’s very true for timepieces that exist firmly on the cheap facet of the spectrum. Within the case of the shortcomings of the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT, its minimal use of luminous supplies is barely disappointing. Whereas I hardly depend on the lume effectivity of a high-end dive watch, quite a lot of luminous plots on the dial would have gone a terrific distance in direction of mitigating this minor nitpick. Furthermore, whereas its movement is also Swiss, it isn’t a really refined design. That’s most evident when setting the 24-hour hand, which strikes with an entirely straightforward movement (reasonably than leaping forward in one-hour increments). Although utterly aligning the 24-hour hand might be a barely tedious course of, its talent to be set completely independently from the other fingers permits it to operate a rudimentary strategy to watch elapsed hours by merely aligning the hand with the 12 o’clock marker after which finding out the value in direction of the mounted 24-hour scale surrounding the periphery of the present.

On account of their elevated efficiency, the newest additions to the Timex x Pan Am assortment are barely costlier than the distinctive duo of fashions. The Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT (ref. TW2W97300) has an official worth of $289 USDwhich lastly nonetheless seems like a robust price given its use of a Swiss movement. At barely higher than the current worth of an peculiar MoonSwatch (or barely decrease than the moonphase-equipped variations), the Timex x Pan Am Waterbury GMT is the definition of cheap horological pleasing, and it exists at a worth stage that allows it to be cherished by every die-hard fanatics and casual customers. Whereas there are literally Pan Am-branded watches that present a further elevated sense of possession, Timex has always been a mannequin for the oldsters, and the model new fashions from this Americana-drenched aviation assortment allow collectors to get their fingers on trendy points and indulge inside the nostalgia of Pan Am’s heritage for a worth that is decrease than what some producers value for a different strap. For further knowledge on the Timex x Pan Am assortment, please go to the mannequin’s site.