Hands-On with the Marc and Sons GMT

Marc and Sons GMT

The Marc and Sons GMT Steel Series has a very familiar look, and for some watch folks, that is a big no-no. Allow me to deviate from the review of this piece for a moment to discuss a few things I just do not understand. Hate against homages. Now, I am not talking about dislike. I dislike many things, so do you. That is normal. Hate is another thing. I will give a quick example – On one of the posts I made of this piece on Instagram, someone commented and tagged another person. That is pretty common and usually done so that a person can check it out. What happened afterward was that person going into a diatribe on how this watch was not a real watch, how it couldn’t compare to the Rolex Batman or BLNR and how it was just pathetic, and it went on from there.

What I find interesting about this (I see this a lot obviously), is I just do not go out of my way to comment and search things I hate. Now, as I said, this guy was tagged and alerted to this post by someone else, so not exactly his fault, but the way he went on about it was like someone just took a crap in his cheerios. I can not overstate this. No one that is looking at the Rolex is ever going to be cross-shopping it with this Marc and Sons GMT. It will just never happen. Chances are if you have the money for a Rolex, you are going to by the Rolex. The other question many others have, is why do I, or others, even review watches like this? Well, the answer is pretty simple. People buy them. If I never reviewed another Rolex homage, people would still buy them. There always seems to be some odd disconnect about review sites. Now, all reviews are not created equal and I understand some are just shilling products. If you have followed us for any length of time, you know that’s not what Watchreport is about. I review a watch for what it is, be it a $500 watch, or a $10,000 watch.

• Marc and Sons GMT Steel Series Specifications:
  41mm Case
• 47.5 mm Lug to Lug
• 22m Lug Width
• 12.95mm Thick
• 187 Grams
• Flat Sapphire Crytal
• Ceramic Bezel Insert
• Bi-directional GMT Bezel
• 500 Meters WR
• ETA 2893 Automatic Movement
• Jubilee Style Bracelet

Price As shown, approximately $800 USD with shipping.

https://marcandsons.de/en/product-category/gmt-uhren/serie-gmt-stahl/

So, onto the Marc and Sons GMT Steel Series. Yes, it is an homage to the Rolex Batman, but unlike so many other brands that do these styles of watches, Marc and Sons decided to change a few things up to make it stand out in a sea of homages. I think the first thing many will notice is the sandwich dial. Sandwich dials are becoming more and more popular, probably because of customers like them. Sandwich dials are not only attractive but usually allow more lume to be applied to the dial, something this watch is definitely not lacking. A classic submariner style watch such as this usually has applied markers, and that is what makes this piece stand out. Funny enough though, I do think that it dulls down the watch a little. I hit on this somewhat in the video, but as much as I applaud them for doing something outside the norm, I am not sure I love it. It just takes away some of the pop normally associated with these watches.

What I do find nice though is that my example is very nicely put together. The dial cut-outs are clean and crisp, especially for a watch at this price and I like the way they tied in the colors without going overboard. The blue from the bezel matching the GMT hand as well as the GMT text on the dial. The date wheel is a little on the small side, but if you need a date magnifier, that is an option on the Marc and Sons website. I will always opt for no cyclops, even if that means I have a harder time reading the date, but that is purely or aesthetic reasons. I just hate the way a cyclops looks on a watch, no matter the style or price. Some of the ones that I have seen over the years that do it underneath the dial are more palatable for me, but I will take a no-date watch over anything else, given the choice.

Being a GMT, this model is equipped with the ETA 2893 automatic movement, allowing you to set another time zone, or using the 24-hour Bi-directional bezel, up to 3. Control of this GMT hand is done via the crown and the opposite direction of setting the date. Speaking of the crown, that is one area I really do feel it is lacking. The crown guards are slightly chunky and the crown is not only small but lacks the proper grip. I find it hard to unscrew it and set the time/date/GMT hand let alone winding the watch. The bezel, on the other hand, is easy to grip and rotate-in both directions of course, as this watch is 500 Meters water-resistant, but without a unidirectional bezel, I do not see anyone diving with it. That brings up another point though, why are dive style watches even made with GMT functions such as this? Question for another day I guess.

As this is the latest Marc and Sons GMT version, you can now get it with the jubilee style of bracelet. A few other brands have done this to hop on the latest Rolex GMT bandwagon and why would they, it is an homage of that piece after all. As I have said many times, I do not feel this watch should be compared directly to the quality of the Rolex itself, but if you have ever felt the new Rolex Jubillee, suffice to say, this is not it. It is a rather nice jubilee bracelet though, and sizing was easy peasy with just a small screwdriver. I have two areas of contention with the bracelet though. The first is the end links. I absolutely hate the fake links on the end link piece. It is cheap looking and I really wonder how much more it would cost to have proper end links for this piece. It reminds me of fake air intake vents and fake exhaust tips on cars. Just not good. The other is I feel the ratcheting clasp makes the bracelet feel chunky and takes away from the 22mm -18mm taper. Yes, the clasp is very functional, but I would have preferred a more traditional flip-lock clasp.

Unlike many similar watches, including the Rolex, the Marc and Sons GMT has satin-brushed sides as well as the top case, with only a thin polished chamfer running along with the case. This is one thing I really appreciate as I love a nice brushed finish over a super high polished case, especially on the case sides where the watch gets easily knicked and hard to keep looking good. I know I am probably in the minority with this, but for me, that is nice to see. On the wrist, this jubilee bracelet may have a few quirks, but I do love how it feels. It drapes the wrist nicely and the entire watch is very well balanced and of course, quite attractive.

As I touched on earlier, if you are a lume nut, well this watch has BGW9 SuperLumiNova in spades. A fully lumed ceramic bezel complements the flashlight bright dial, though I do question why you would need a lumed bezel on a GMT such as this. I guess if you are wanting to know what time zone you are in -in the dark- this Marc and Sons GMT will definitely be helpful.

This Marc and Sons GMT is another in a long line of Rolex inspired homages. This will certainly not be the last, nor the last one reviewed here. For those that are shopping this style of watch in this price bracket, I hope this review was helpful. For those of you who saw this post or even read it and you are screaming at how awful a watch like this, I suggest maybe having a beer or maybe a little bit of tea, calming down and realizing, it is just another watch, and in no way can compete with your Rolex, and that is just an option for those who can’t or just won’t spend that kind of coin on the R brand. The great thing with this particular example, it at least looks a little different with the use of the arrow and sword style hands, the sandwich dial and brushed finish. Yes, from across the room, someone will still think this is probably a Rolex, but I don’t think anyone buying this is trying to pass it off as such. It is a solid offering from Marc and Sons, and in my opinion, one of the best watches I have reviewed from this brand. This one feels a notch above previous offerings and while this probably would not be a watch I would daily wear, I like the direction they are heading.