Independent Review: The Geckota G-02 Swiss Quartz GMT

Hi all, before you jump into this article we just wanted to add some clarification. The author of this article (Dan Dodson) runs a YouTube channel where he talks about watches from a collectors point of view. Without us knowing, Dan purchased our C-04 and posted a video on the watch. As a team, we really enjoyed his coverage and his personality. We've recently been in contact with Dan to send him a G-02 GMT so he can review and giveaway on his channel. We just want to clarify that although we're posting this on our own site, Dan had free reign to say whatever he wanted to about the watch. Honesty is important to us which is why we wanted Dan (and everyone who writes for us) to be open and honest about their opinions on our watches. As a company, we value all types of feedback as it allows us to develop our products with the right intentions. Anyway, sit back and enjoy Dan's independent review of the G-02 GMT. Why not watch his review as well? - Tim Why would you buy a GMT watch? This question got me thinking more about the reasoning behind this kind of buying decision. Now, I have no urgent need to rely on a wristwatch to track different time zones, as much as I don’t need one to be able to dive down to 200metres, I can barely dip my head underwater to be honest. So why do we buy something with these features? For many, its unique features are generally useless in true functionality to our usual daily existence, yet we are drawn to the capabilities a watch can offer. A dive watch for example, with ISO ratings and capable of genuine 300m depth ratings is useless. For two reasons, the world record for scuba diving is 335 meters (by a highly skilled and experienced professional) and secondly, because many recreational divers could use a basic waterproof watch with reasonable water resistance, for everything they would ever do underwater. Or they could just use their dive computer if they're taking it really seriously! This can also be said for so many other types of watch. Take any rugged adventure watch that can be dropped from space, and still survive, or a be run over by a tank and still function. It is comforting to know it’s made for anything thrown at it. I do not see many tanks in leafy Surrey where I live, but it is captivating and fun all the same to know if zombies start running amok, one would have a timepiece that would somehow be a tool for survival. We all know toilet rolls are actually the most crucial survival necessity. This is what it is truly all about. A watch, to an enthusiast, is a very personal object to choose. Just like there are cars for regular folk who want to get from A to B, and supercars for those who want something different and exciting to them. Watches are no different really, just like any item to be chosen beyond just being a truly basic tool. If a dive watch enthusiast really likes dive watches, they would probably get a kick out of a watch that could go down to a depth of 1000m. Utterly useless in practice, and very much over-engineered performance, but so is that of anything that is massively over-engineered for its purpose. So what does a GMT watch offer to watch lovers like us? Well, I hope in this article I can try to give my personal reasons as to why it can be so special, and why the Geckota G-02 GMT is definitely worth your attention. For some context behind the origins of the GMT watch, a little history is appropriate. The first-ever GMT watch with the format we know and love today (fourth hand and a 24hr bezel) was the Rolex GMT Master from 1954. This watch was developed by Rolex with PanAm Airlines and given to their pilots. This was due to the distances travelled by flight in the 40s and 50s were ever-increasing, and pilots were, therefore, travelling through multiple time zones, thus requiring the ability to keep track of more than one time zone. This all aided Rolex in having a product aligned with something as glamorous and exciting as air travel. This exciting time was before the continued advancement in computer technology and sophisticated devices pilots use today, so a timepiece that could be used as a convenient tool to quickly track different time zones was especially useful. This was the birth of the commercially available GMT watch. Soon after this period, in 1972, GMT being used as a measure of time for pilots changed to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The sentiment of GMT watches remained though and has done until this very day. This is part of what makes a GMT watch fun and relevant today, as it is a reminder of those times gone by. Times where air travel was new and exciting. This type of watch can make you think of the times when so much more felt possible, and what adventures are out there to enjoy and remember. Now, that is the main reason why I personally love a GMT watch, for the memories and personal connections it can conjure up. This watch to me is like wearing a special photograph on my wrist. You can look at a photograph of a special person or place, and although objectively a photo is just some ink printed onto paper or a digital collection of pixels, it triggers so much more than that. A watch can do the very same thing. When I look down at my Geckota G-02 GMT, apart from admiring its beautiful details and perfect proportioning, its little orange hand has been pre-set by me to the time over in Western Canada (Pacific daylight time). Having family there and being able to teleport there mentally with a mere glance at that orange hand, knowing what time they are over there is comforting. Looking, and knowing that it is their wake up or bedtime, or when they get home from work is a subtle yet pleasant connection in time with them, that is triggered by something as simple as a wristwatch. The watch itself could have sentimental success by just simply being a GMT watch. So what makes this Geckota stand out amongst the crowd, and feel special as an object as well? It does so many things right collectively to achieve being a well rounded and enjoyable watch to own and wear. Its 40mm case size is a great size for so many wrist sizes. It isn’t too big or too small. The brushed finishing of this case lends it a more “toolish” aesthetic which stops the watch detracting too much from what this truly is, a tool watch. Functioning as a tool is also particularly important, so it must adhere to having a specification to match not only its purpose but also its price point of £199. The use of the GMT function is so straightforward and easy to use, as well as having such a bright and clear GMT hand that contrasts so well against that cream dial. This clarity enables quick and easy referencing of another time zone preset by the user. At this price point, the specification impresses. Domed AR-coated sapphire, all stainless steel construction, swiss luminova on the hands and indexes, as well as a reliable swiss Ronda GMT movement. Normally that spec alone would be enough to impress, but the features combined with the objective build quality and excellent fit and finish are the icing on the cake. What makes this cake taste even sweeter though, is the combination of excellent tactile aspects of the watch too, such as the well-engineered feeling 60 click bi-directional 24hr bezel, or the smooth threading action of the signed screw-down crown that aides with the 200m of water resistance. Its well thought out design aspects that truly add that x-factor one would look for in a watch, which is what I will discuss next. Upon closer examination, you will appreciate these details. The devil is in the detail they say, and that is where this watch excels. I enjoy looking at that gorgeous textured dial, which resembles eggshell. I also appreciate the fine detail that has gone into the finishing of the black hands. They have a combination of straight brushing and polishing which adds depth to their design. Speaking of depth, the domed sapphire and nicely raised indexes work well with the textured dial, to give this watch a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional finish that is a delight to behold when it catches the light. By not over cluttering the dial too much allows this watch to have balance and symmetry which is what makes a watch look naturally attractive in design. The text is bright, crisp and clear. The only aspect that would enhance the uncluttered design even further, would be to remove the tiny stainless “dots” that are at the 1,2,4,5,7,8,10 and 11 markers. There are already lumed triangles at those points and that would be enough. This is the only criticism I could find in this design, but that is purely my opinion. The symmetry continues again with the case design. Not only is the watch light and comfortable at 80 grams on a soft leather strap, it is also not a thick and chunky watch at only 12.8mm thick. The case design is balanced too, by having a mirroring of the crown guard profile on the other side of the watch too. So, as well as being an attractive watch aesthetically, the quality, fit and finish also matches. The many different reasons as to why someone would be happy with this as a practical tool is also likely to be further deepened by having sentiment or nostalgia attached to it, by possibly triggering thoughts of how a timepiece from days gone by was a genuine tool for an important job, or a way to remember special times, places and people. A final feature I saved until last which would appeal to anyone with a hint of British patriotism, is that this watch was designed here in the UK by a talented design team. I personally like to wear something that has obviously had so much passion and talent put into it. Knowing this watch was from a British company and designed in house further adds to the delight of owning such a timepiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU86TFCCNxM Check out Dan's video review of the G-02 GMT above! Written by Dan Dodson Watch me with watches YouTube channel