This is the new 40mm Shinola Monster GMT Automatic, it’s a classically styled GMT-type watch with the characteristic fourth hand that rotates once every 24 hours, allowing you to track two timezones by adjusting the bezel.
The most famous GMT is the first, the Rolex GMT-Master, which was the origin of species for the GMT watch type – it was originally developed for airline pilots after Pan Am approached Rolex and asked them to develop a watch for their pilots.
The watch has a sapphire crystal case back window to show the inner workings of the Swiss-made Sellita SW330-2 automatic mechanical movement – which has 25 jewels and a 56 hour power reserve.
The first Rolex GMT-Master appeared in 1954 and it immediately became popular with both pilots and traveling businessmen who needed to track two timezones. This was long before the age of smartwatches or iPhones of course, and still many years before the first commercially available quartz watches.
It didn’t take long for the GMT-style to catch on and other watchmakers have created their own versions over the years, the latest is Detroit-based watchmaker Shinola with their new 40mm Shinola Monster GMT.
Unlike the Rolex which retails for approximately $11,000 USD, the Shinola GMT costs just $1,995 USD.
For that money you get the Swiss-made Sellita SW330-2 automatic mechanical movement, a polished stainless steel case, a single dome crystal with an anti-reflective coating, a screw down crown, a stainless steel bracelet, and a sapphire crystal case back window to showcase the movement.
Each watch is made in Detroit by American workers using a combination of parts that are sourced in the United States, Switzerland, and further afield. That Sellita SW330-2 movement has 25 jewels, an impressive 56 hour power reserve, and a date complication.
The watch is made entirely from stainless steel, and it comes with three bracelet options from Shinola.
The Shinola Monster GMT can be ordered either with the standard stainless steel bracelet, or an optional #tide® strap made from ocean-sourced plastic waste. As mentioned higher up, you can read two timezones on this style of watch thanks to that fourth hand with the small arrow at its tip. It completes one full rotation of the watch face every 24 hours, so you just rotate the 24 hour-marked bezel to line up with your second timezone and you’re good to go.
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