Robert Spangle shared an IG story with a funny/sincere spoof ad for a GMT watch from a micro-brand called J.M. Leboy a couple weeks ago. I’m interested in some watches, and those watches are almost all 100% Omega’s, with a few rare exceptions. But this watch made me do a double take.
It’s a “flyer” GMT, meaning it tracks 2 time zones, and has a crown position for setting the local hour hand independently of the GMT hand. Fratello’s article spells out the two types of GMT movements well. The flyer GMT is the type I’ve always used (for instance when wearing the Longines Zulu Time last summer) and it’s a useful complication for travel.
To me, watch micro-brands usually fall into one of two traps: Either they create something new and fun but not particularly appealing; Or they try to recapture a mid-century watch everybody wishes were still made (usually a Rolex Explorer), but it winds up feeling like a cheap copy.
J.M. Leboy’s GMT here works for me. The numerals are just quirky enough but still legible, the color combo is beautiful, the dial texture looks great, the applied hour markers look sharp, and the “watch for a world traveler and man of adventure” schtick has actually been brought to bear on the rotating bezel design: “Designed with 96 clicks, it allows precise tracking of odd time zones in 15-minute increments (such as those found in parts of Australia or Nepal)”. (I’ve always wondered about half time zones with regard to GMT watches). But of course like any actually great mid-century watch, its professional credentials lend itself to utility in everyday wear for those of us not traversing the globe into remote parts of the world. They add: “Unlike traditional GMT bezels with 24 or 48 clicks, the 96-click system also offers added versatility for everyday timing needs, such as cooking a meal or monitoring a parking meter.”
There was already a pre-order launch a few months ago for this watch but it sold out quickly so this Kickstarter is a way to fund another round of watches for them. The Kickstarter price will be less than the retail price by a few hundred dollars, which is a boon.
It’s also good to know the watch has already been produced, and is not vaporware.
Find the Kickstarter for the J.M. Leboy Bedouin GMT here.
And learn more directly from the product page on J.M. Leboy’s site here.
