Introducing: BOLDR Globetrotter Automatic GMT

Hailing from Singapore and Malaysia, BOLDR designs a variety of affordable timepieces that are meant to be rugged enough to take on your next adventure. Their newest offering is an affordable automatic GMT with some excellent features that help the watch punch well above its weight (and price). 

At 44 millimeters wide x 50 millimeters long x 14.5 millimeters thick, the 316L stainless case is rather large by today’s standards, but BOLDR mitigates the size with some clever case design. The lugs are wide and angular, but they slope down aggressively to help the watch wear smaller on the wrist than its measurements suggest. It’s an atypical shape to see in a watch case, but on the BOLDR, it works.

There’s radial brushing on the top surface with straight brushing patterns following the angular sides. A chunky bi-directional GMT bezel with ample riders for grip tops off the case. You can choose from a split-color 24-hour scale, or a unique single-color bezel engraved with the name of major cities around it. Each is rendered in ceramic with lumed details.

There’s a screw-down crown that’s engraved with the BOLDR logo at the 4 o’clock position on the case. The case is rated to 300 meters of water resistance.

There are currently four models of the BOLDR GMT available. A classic Pepsi-style blue/red, a handsome black/bright blue, and two options with meteorite dials round out the Globetrotter line. Both of the standard models features a matte black dial with applied rectangular indices that are treated with Super-LumiNova BGW9 lume that will make the watch legible well into the night. The available meteorite dial features the same layout, but has a really cool, naturally-occurring texture that looks almost like shattered glass. Protecting the dial is a flat sapphire crystal that’s treated with anti-reflective coating for improved legibility.

Since the Globetrotter is a GMT watch, four hands are present on the watch. The hour and minutes hands start wide, then taper towards the outside edge of the dial. Each of these hands is decorated with a single stripe near the stem. I quite like the design of the seconds hand. There’s a lume-filled rectangle towards the end that’s accented in bright orange — it adds a small,  vintage-inspired detail to what is otherwise a modern watch. Finally, you’ll notice the slim GMT hand that terminates in an arrow that coordinates with the color of the bezel insert.

Inside the watch is an ETA 2893-2 Elabore-grade automatic GMT movement. The 2893-2 is decorated with blued screws, Côtes de Genève, and perlage, though it’s not visible through the case-back. In addition to the GMT functionality, this versatile movement has a hacking seconds hand, date indicator, self-winding rotor, and 21 jewels.

Starting at $799, BOLDR’s Globetrotter GMT represents a great value for an automatic GMT watch. The rock-solid construction paired with unique modern design results in a watch that’s a worthy travel companion. BOLDR