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Today’s article is going to tell you more about Laco Frankfurt GMT. This watch was a hero of the review here before, but it was more of preview. I had a chance to play with pre-production samples, while this time it comes in a true final shape, and you expect exactly the same thing. Whole idea sounds great – take a pilot watch design (yes, flieger), add some extra functions and mix with strict colors. Final mix looks great, but for me it was interesting to see how it fares in real life.
Well, let’s start with video-review first.
Here you can read review with another watch from this brand.
Get this and other watches on Helveti webshop.
Before we start with the whole review, I think separate word should be said about the packaging. This large aluminium box is just the right choice for such watch. In my opinion it looks unusual and reminds a bit about these special aircraft cases. It goes without saying that such packaging is sturdy and might be a perfect display or storage stand too. Inside you will find everything placed in foam, so nothing flies around. Now let’s finally remove protective film and start with a dial.
Dial
As usual, let’s start from the main part of this watch which comes in light grey color. Keep in mind that there is also a black version available, but in my opinion grey suits it better. Price is the same though, so if you would like to have it in black – you can order it too. Note that only the “main” color will change, while other things will stay the same.
Size of the dial is 43mm, what is average on today’s market, but it also helps to avoid unnecessary cluttering of various elements. Whole dial is covered with sapphire glass, so this is also good. Note that part itself is plain, not domed as in some other models.
So, to start with the whole styling here, you can see that Laco decided to follow pilot roots and structure mimics the classic flieger. It means rather large indices and only 3″ and 9″ digits on the dial. Such design is legible from the first sight, and that’s the main point here. Nevertheless, you can see that writings are also reduced to the possible minimum. We only get Laco logo, GMT and traditional “Made in Germany”. In my opinion this is more than enough.
There is also another small catch – date window in the lower section. Yes, there is a date indicator and some purists might complain about such thing, but in reality it doesn’t look bad. Window is not that big, and digits are small as well. Nevertheless, it is easy to find and the only thing I can think of here is the magnifying section for better visibility.
Handset is classic – two large hour and minute hands together with thin seconds hand. Note that “main” hands have blued finish, what adds a bit of color to the whole composition. Nevertheless, seconds hand is finished in simple grey and has small aircraft on the opposite end. This is a GMT watch, and that’s why there is one more part added on the dial. I like how it is finished because it doesn’t break the whole look and yet is very easy to find. All thanks to orange color on the end. 🙂
Separate word should be said about outer scale. I intentionally didn’t include it into the description above as it deserves a bit more attention. First of all this one is covered with 24 hour scale, what might be handy for tracking additional timezone. Nevertheless, that is not all, as whole scale is rotating with help of separate crown. It is quite neat feature which might be handy for quick time setting.
As for the dark conditions legibility…Laco Frankfurt GMT keeps the bar high and offers really generous layer of luminous cover. It glows with bright green and you can see it on the photos and in the video. In my opinion this is more than enough for such watch, and of course this feature is always handy in everyday use.
Case
Aviation topic continues with the nice matte case in silver color. As you remember it stays the same in both dial versions. DLC coating gives this special look, and it is equally nice on photos and in person. It is not too big, you already know the dial size and thickness is just 12.5cm. All this gives a very nice sleek shape which is easy to wear, but we will talk more about that later.
Whole styling is clean and elegant, so there is nothing extra to “break” the look. In my opinion the main showstopper is the right side with two large crowns. Those parts are intentionally made bigger than your typical watch element, but this is only a plus here. Note that both have large “L” engraved on them. Top one is assigned to internal bezel and lower one adjusts time and date.
As you can notice on the photos, both crowns sit neatly in between protectors from both side. Nevertheless, it is easy to pick them even in the gloves. In my opinion Laco did a great job here, and such design looks neat and gives you something different. Another notable thing which is visible on the photo below is smoothness of all curves, there are almost no sharp edges to be found.
Flip over the watch and you will see the steel caseback. Yes, no clear inserts or any other additional extras. Such thing was necessary for extra sturdiness and water protection of 200m. Whole part can be removed with special tool with pins inserted into special slots. By the way, weight clocks at 100g, what is not that big number for such watch.
Movement
One might wonder what is hiding behind this part though. Inside you will find Laco 330 which is based on Selita SW330-2 Elabore. This caliber supports a GMT function as well as date indication. Power reserve should be equal to 56 hours. This is quite a good number, which should be enough for everyday use. Yes, it could be cool to be able to choose between during clear and steel covers during order, but even standard part looks fine.
Strap
I am nicely surprised with Laco’s approach to straps options in Frankfurt GMT. Nice package features two strap types as well as special tool with manufacturer’s logo. Standard option which is installed on the watch is stitched leather with brushed buckle. This strap looks strict and keep whole image in a serious mood without any additional colors.
For a bit more free mood you can choose the second option from the box – ZULU strap with bright orange stripe. Yes, it is also two-part accessory, but it should be easy to install with help of already mentioned tool. Note that buckle here is just matte steel with Laco logo, and all buckles are finished in the same style.
This option is a big hint that NATO straps would work fine as well. In my opinion the dial style makes this watch quite a special choice where it is worth trying different straps for more looks. Size is standard 20mm, so it won’t be different to find some aftermarket.
In Use
I decided to put the first photo with adjusting the inner bezel, as this is one of the main features in Laco Frankfurt GMT. In my opinion it is a handy thing for those who travel a lot and would find a use of 24 hours scale. Whole movement is accompanied with very nice and distinct ratcheting so it is easy to do precise adjustments. I also like two-color design of this part, what adds at least some variety on the strict styling.
Whole elegant look is another large advantage for those who don’t like timepieces screaming “look at me” with the cost of poor legibility. No, instead Laco decided to take a careful look at classic Flieger design and adopt it to modern time. I think they succeeded in that and whole Frankfurt GMT doesn’t look like something made on the second thought.
Size-wise it also sits just fine on my wrist, and you can see it on the photos. I won’t even mention a legibility as it would be strange to expect anything but perfect here. Those large hands and indices just made for quick time checking from the first sight. GMT hand with orange tip is also easy to see, but sometimes it might hide behind minutes hand, as you see on some photos.
I am still impressed with the dial version which was picked for the review – grey color looks just different. I know, black would look even more low-key, but my choice is a bit more attractive. Your final choice is for you, but it might be worth to check both in person.
Whole strict design looks just fine with shirt or casual clothes, so it is a good choice for everyday pick. If you are trying to decide for one-watch-collection, then it might be a good option to look into.
Laco Frankfurt GMT – Price and Availability
As some of you might wonder, price tag is surprisingly reasonable for such features list – only 1600EUR. In my opinion it is a great choice for those who would like to get something different and yet stay with low-key look which won’t attract too much attention. Laco Frankfurt GMT manages to stay stealthy and yet offer a lot of things which are just different with other rivals on the market.
This is definitely not a watch for thin wrists, but if you have average-sized hand like me, then definitely check new GMT watch. Oh, and don’t forget about generous package as there are still few brands offering such thing with their watches. I think it shows a bit of how much thought and passion Laco put into developing this particular release. 🙂
