Traska, as I am sure many of you know, is quite a popular microbrand. The Traska Venturer GMT may be one of their most popular models as well, and for Version 7, they have upped the ante even more. Taking a lot of design cues from The Chronograph floating disc release earlier this year, this new Venturer has refined dial details, slightly smaller crowns, a new bracelet with polished chamfers, and a new dial color, the one I have in hand, Arctic White. All these refinements and upgrades do come at a cost, a $150 cost, as the previous gen sold at $800, and this one will debut at $950 later this month.
Specifications
38.5mm Stainless Steel Case
1200 HV Hard Coating
10.15mm Thick
12.1mm Thick With Crystal
46.1mm Lug to Lug
21mm Lug Width
134 Grams
Box Sapphire Crystal
Screw Down Crowns
150m Water Resistant
Miyota 9075 GMT Movement
21mm Bracelet, Tapers to 16mm.ย
Fully Articulated Bracelet
Quick Adjusting Clasp
Price $950
https://www.traskawatch.com/collections/venturer
So, why is the Traska Venturer GMT so popular? Well, the original model, which debuted in 2021, was a more minimalist GMT, as it wasn’t technically a true GMT model, as while it had a rotating 24-hour internal bezel, it lacked a GMT hand. V2 brought the GMT hand, but at the time, it was still a very tidy and compact GMT watch, with that internal bezel instead of a chunky external bezel, and that compactness wasn’t just limited to the dial; rather, it was all housed in a 38.5mm case that was just a touch over 10mm thick, not including the crystal. For those who just prefer a smaller watch or those with smaller wrists, this gave them a new option, one that was not only functional but refined and, dare I say, understated.
With each new generation of the Traska Venturer GMT, there were little tweaks here and there, maybe a new dial color, or a meteorite dial option, and it generally followed suit to what Traska was doing with their other models. That is, until V7, this latest version, where it has received a pretty big overhaul, the biggest to date for the Venturer.
Taking many cues from The Chronograph as Traska refers to it, this Venturer has a new case finishing with concave polished cutouts, faceted hour indices, an applied logo, diamond-cut brushed and polished hands, and that new date wheel design. The bracelet has upgrades as well, and even the lug width has changed, from 20mm to 21mm.
I absolutely love the refinements to the case. The basic design is the same, meaning the mid case still has a similar footprint as previous models, but now with those polished chamfers surrounding a gorgeous brushed case, instead of the prevous polished case sides, it not only looks more refined, but will hide scratches and fingerprints so much better than before. The crown has been tapered a bit, well, both crowns have been every so slightly reduced in size, and of course, they have multiple finishes as well, with a gorgeous polished chamfer between the gear pattern grip and the Traska logo face. Both crowns screw down, allowing you to lock that inner GMT bezel in place.
Speaking of that internal GMT bezel, the diameter has been increased slightly so it’s even more legible, and this Arctic White Traska Venturer GMT has a light grey inner bezel with almost a blasted or frosted finish to it, contrasting against a matte enamel dial.
This dial is lacking in color pop, though. Between the white dial and the light grey bezel, the only pop or contrast is the blue GMT text and the blue around the GMT hand pointer. While it may have been on purpose for a less flashy, or maybe even a very subdued look, I can’t help thinking a blue bezel would have really set this dial off more.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all the other improvements on the dial. The diamond-cut hands are gorgeous, as are the faceted indices, and I do love the date at 6 with the new diamond-cut surround. It’s a stunning dial, and those hands and indices can really sparkle when they catch the light, the same as the new applied Traska logo, again taken from The Chronograph, but currently that means only two Traska models have that applied logo, and it makes sense, I think, to keep it to the higher-tier models like this one and the chrono.
The movement is the Miyota 9075, a movement that has been quite popular with microbrands in the last few years, as it is a very affordable way to get a “true” GMT watch, with a jumping hour hand instead of a moveable GMT hand. This module, though, does delete the quick-set date function, but you don’t have to circle the dial with the hands for a few minutes if you haven’t worn the watch in a week; rather, you can use that jumping hour hand to advance the date quickly.
Around back, you will not see the Miyota 9075 movement. Traska instead decided to keep their very clean and utilitarian case back. I have no issue with this, as I don’t think the 9075 or any of the 9000 series movements are all that attractive, and it appears the case back has the same 1200 HV coating as the wrist of the watch, keeping it scratch-free longer.
The bracelet of the Traska Venturer GMT has a lot of upgrades as well, with new shorter links, all brushed with a polished chamfer on the sides, that again, really gleam in the light and give the bracelet some added dimension and pop. The links are still held together with one-piece screws, which have an actual stopping point, so no worrying about ruining the screw heads with over-torquing, and of course, there’s the on-the-fly adjustment clasp, perfect for the days when your wrist swells.
The lug width, and of course the bracelet width at the top, has changed, though, to 21mm, which means the case width at the lugs is every so slightly wider, and now the bracelet being wider as well, it gives the impression of a slightly larger watch, while still retaining the 38.5mm case. The downside is, of course, finding a replacement strap, be it rubber or leather, if you want to take off the bracelet. Oh, taking the bracelet off is easy, though, with quick-release bars on the back of the end links.
Between the case back, the new shorter links in the bracelet, and of course the bracelet links still being fully articulated, the Traska Venturer GMT is a joy to wear, even on my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist. I do not mean to infer that it wouldn’t be comfortable on my wrist, as I knew it was going to be, but more so that even at this smaller size, it doesn’t feel tiny to me like some under 40mm watches do. While more of that bracelet is on my upper wrist than I would like, I still think this watch is completely doable for me at this size. Would I still prefer a 40mm? Yes, I would, but it doesn’t matter as this watch will probably be just as popular as the prevous models, and many prefer a smaller watch like this.
The lume is still Grade A BGW9 Super-LumiNova, and even with a small dial and small areas for the lume to be applied, this Venturer GMT glows really well, very bright initially, and should last around 3-4 hours in the dark. The inner GMT bezel is lumed as well, but don’t expect that to be visible for those 4 hours; it fades rather quickly.
It’s hard to argue that the Traska Venturer GMT still holds a lot of value. Yes, the price has increased, but so has the case finishing, dial finishing, the bracelet has pretty much been completely redone, and well, Miyota 9075 movements are not cheap right now, and Miyota is extremely backed up with orders, many of them not arriving till 2017 for brands who recently placed an order. This is still a compact, clean and classy GMT, ย one that can easily be worn every day at the office and for travel or even on weekends, just because.
It will be a perfect everyday watch for many, and all the refinements are very apparent. The Arctic white dial is not my favorite color; I wish it had more pop, but I know the black dial and steel blue will probably sell out quickly, as they are staples of this model, and for good reason. If you are interested in this model, and this is not a sales tactic, I don’t do that here, make sure you join the waitlist on their website so you get notified when they are in stock. If the past is any indication, these will sell out really fast.
I've been an avid watch lover since the age of 7. Watches are not only my hobby but a passion. My favorite style used to be dive watches, but field or non bezel watches have been growing on me. When I'm not reviewing watches I am either cooking or with family and friends.
