Baselworld 2019: Introducing the Monta Atlas GMT

The Monta aesthetic, at this point, is pretty well defined. They make rugged but refined tool watches that are vintage inspired, with splashes of bold color in the accents. The finishing is notably precise on their cases, with visible bevels on the lugs, and the sword hands have become something of a trademark. In terms of size, they have eschewed the mega-case look that some brand still cling to, keeping their lineup squarely in the 40-millimeter-and-under neighborhood. Their newest offering, the 38.5-millimeter Atlas GMT, doesn’t stray far at all from the Monta formula, but still manages to make a strong impression.

Monta Atlas GMT

Price: Pre-order – $1,410 on rubber, $1,420 on leather, and $1,615 on bracelet/Full-retail $1,565, $1,575, and $1,795 respectively
Expected release: Pre-order will start March 20th/delivery August 2019

The Atlas doesn’t break new ground, so much as it reaffirms what Monta does so well in the first place. This is, on paper, a conservative and inconspicuous GMT watch, a complication that Monta has already tackled with their Skyquest line.

The Atlas comes in about two-and-a-half millimeters smaller than the Skyquest and is spec’d closer to the Triumph, and does away with the 24-hour bezel. In theory, it’s nice and discreet, and a little unassuming, but look at the dials. Each includes attention grabbing color choices with high contrast accents, with a lacquer treatment. The blue dial in particular is hard to get off of the mind. It’s almost turquoise, and well matched to the red markings at every other hour on the 24 hour scale.

In ditching the rotating bezel and dropping the size of the 24-hour hand just slightly, Monta has created a GMT watch that is perhaps a touch more sophisticated than the Skyquest, which was positioned as a traveler’s tool watch (boasting 300 meters of water resistance). Here we have yet another great option for fans of the travel watch genre, a space that has grown over the last couple of years as GMT movements have become more plentiful. Stay tuned for further coverage. Monta