Trintec Copilot GMT And Chronograph
Tool watches. I guess that is what you would call the Trintec Copilot Series, or at least, what most call this style of watch these days. I try and stay away from that phrase as I think it is overused for any watch that is sporty and rugged looking; you know, the tool diver as so many like to say. I consider a tool watch to be any watch that does more than just tell the time and date. In this case, the Trintec Copilot GMT and Chronograph do just that. Both have an added function to just the time and date, and both are watches designed for a purpose, not just for wrist candy. You know what, that is a phrase we should all stay away from as well. Damn you Instagram. Moving on-The GMT and Chronograph are the latest variations of the Copilot that was released from Trintec about a year or so ago, and I really enjoy the look of both of these pilot style watches.
Trintec Copilot GMT and Chronograph Specifications:
- 42mm Stainless Steel Case (43mm Bezel)
- Blasted or PVD Finish
- 54mm Lug to Lug
- 22mm Lug Width
- 15mm Thick
- 120 Grams
- Miyota OS-20 Movement (Chronograph)
- Ronda 515.24 Movement (GMT)
- Sapphire Crystal
- Silicone Strap
- 200 Meters Water Resistant
Price $379 (GMT) $399 (Chronograph)
https://trintec.com/collections/copilot-series
Both the GMT and Chronograph are the same case and overall same watch, but one, of course, has the chronograph feature and the other the GMT. Both versions are available in either the blasted finish or all PVD. The standard strap is the black silicone; the green canvas is from Helm Watches, and I think it looks fantastic on it. You can pick one of them up on the Helm website for about $25. When it comes to how the Trintec Copilot wears on the wrist, it is better than one would expect. That 54mm lug to lug measurement is concerning on paper, but when you see how the lugs and case are designed, it really is not as long as the specifications would imply.
Speaking of straps, that would be one of my least favorite aspects of the Copilot. I have never been a fan of silicone straps and never will. While they are comfortable, they attract so much lint and debris and they are a bear to wear in the summer, which is why I immediately put it on canvas. Even though they are rated to 200 meters water resistant and have screw-down crowns, they are pilot watches, not divers, and a leather strap would not have been out of place here. I assume that they wanted to keep the costs down and had a bunch of these straps laying around or at the factory, but I would love to see their next model come on a nice leather and ditch the silicone altogether.
On a more positive note, I absolutely love the dials on the Trintec Copilot Series. The large hands and markers on both coupled with the stark white against the black dial are just a thing of beauty. Both are easy to read and the added colors of the GMT and second hand and also the chronograph register is a nice touch. I do have a few issues though. One would be the date placement. I just feel these watches would be so much better off without the date, but I understand the purpose of a tool watch such as these. I just wish it could have been at the 3 or 6 o’clock position. Writing this review, I realize that would not be really possible though unless you wanted to remove one of the Arabic numerals. Speaking of Arabic numerals, does it bother anyone else that they just took one of the sub-dials and almost completely overlapped the 6 on the Chrono? I hate when companies do that.
On the brighter side, the lume is fantastic on both of the Trintec Copilot watches, and even though I have worn the GMT one more, I like the look of the lume on the chronograph a little better, mostly just due to the solid hour and minute hand. It is amazing to me that pilot watches such as these have stellar lume, and yet some dive watches almost apply the lume as an afterthought it seems.
When it comes to functionality and quality, I had no problems with either. Trintec builds a solid watch and the bezels, crowns and chronograph buttons work as they should and both watches are very well finished. My one issue though is the use of the double-sided flat head screw heads. This is always a no go in my book. I do not mind that you need to screwdrivers to remove, but if you do that, go with hex screws and not flat heads. At the very least, if you choose to go that route, make the screw heads hardened steel so they do not gouge so easily. Maybe I am wanting too much from $400 watches, but I think a better solution was available.
Of course at these price points we are looking at quartz movements, and while they are shunned in the watch community, I think they are just fine in the Trintec Copilot series, as they keep them affordable, and they are great to grab and go pieces that can take some abuse without one having to worry about their movement taking a shock and the accuracy going wonky or failing altogether. For some reason, I expected a pretty simple case back on these watches but was happy to see some engraving that matches the theme of the Copilots.
The Trintec Copilot GMT and Chronograph are not perfect watches in my eyes, but I find both attractive, comfortable and easy to read. The build quality is very good and I would easily buy either one of these if I wanted a pilot style watch in my collection. Yes, the date placement aggravates me and the silicone strap is my mortal enemy, but I always have a bunch of canvas or rubber straps ready to use, as I am sure many of you do, and I can possibly train myself to not look at the date window. Maybe if they had done white on black it would have been a little easier to overlook. Many of these things I point out are subjective or really just minute things that most will probably not care about. At the end of the day, these are watches meant to be used and abused and not just fashion pieces, and I feel they would hold up to their intended purpose.
