[Hands-On] The Heinrich Taucher 2, Now in GMT Guise

Last year, I wrote about the Taucher 2 from Heinrich – a moderately sized dive watch packed with retro touches, even if not all of them were to my taste. Today, I’m looking at the next step in the evolution of the Taucher 2 line. There are a lot of similarities between the two models, but a few obvious changes as well – and not just the addition of a GMT hand. So, how does the Taucher 2 GMT stack up?

Heinrich Watches are making this GMT available in three varieties. All are the same in terms of case and bracelet and differ only in the dial, and chapter ring, color. I’ve been spending some time with the ‘safe bet’ black dial as well as the more adventurous blue and yellow combination. These two are also joined by a white dial with a blue and white ‘Pepsi’ colored chapter ring. Each of the two models I’ve looked at not only differs in color scheme but also in texture. The blue dial gets a sunburst pattern, while the black dial is treated to something a little more unusual. The three-dimensional pattern resembles Clous de Paris, but on an enlarged scale, and with a curved pattern that brings to mind the lines of longitude and latitude as they span the globe. Such an impression is no bad thing on a GMT watch.

The four hands are all fairly distinct. The hour and minute hands are dauphine style and extend to the inner edge of the hour markers and the start of the chapter ring respectively. There is a reasonably sized lumed area in each hand, but that still leaves plenty of steel on show. Rather than polishing the hands, which can make them hard to read against a dark dial, they are coarsely brushed. I have found that this gives good readability but isn’t the prettiest under a loupe or through a macro lens. The seconds hand is also brushed with a lollipop lume plot, while the triangle GMT hand is painted a contrasting color.

As always, I’m happy to see the date window placed to avoid too much dial disruption. In this case, it takes the place of the majority of the six o’clock marker. All other hour markers are represented by large lumed batons, with a double baton at 12. The same BGW9 SuperLuminova is applied to all hands and indices, and the bezel pip at the 60 mark.

As with the three-hander version of the Taucher 2 that I reviewed last year, I really like the vibes given off by the box sapphire crystal. As it rises above the bezel before arcing over the dial, it creates a lovely distortion around the perimeter. Such distortions aren’t always welcome, but due to the large size (both width and depth) of the chapter ring, I think this watch pulls it off without obscuring too much of the dial. If you are really needing the chapter ring markings to read 24-hour time against, then angling the watch slightly to be face-on isn’t taxing.

The Taucher 2 GMT is housed in a 41mm lugless stainless steel case, meaning that the lug to lug length is under 43mm. I like the contrast between the outer curves of the case size and the inner curve of the scalloped lugs, and my eye is constantly drawn to the link pattern of the bracelet which starts immediately from that lug curvature.

And here’s where I wish a few things felt slightly different. A GMT dive watch—especially one with a box sapphire crystal—is not overly thick at 14mm, but the watch sometimes feels bulky, or perhaps slightly heavy, on the wrist. I suspect this is partly due to the weight of the watch head being spread over a comparatively small lug to lug length, rather than having long lugs to help stabilize the weight across the wrist. The weight, and comfort, on the wrist are somewhat mitigated by a truly excellent bracelet, but it’s still one aspect that is worth noting.

As far as movement goes, there aren’t too many GMT calibers to choose from. Inside this watch is the Sellita SW300-2, in Elaboré grade. Each has been adjusted in four positions and should give accuracy within +/-5 seconds per day.

After unscrewing the crown and pulling out to the first position, turning clockwise will advance the GMT hand by one hour at a time. Turning in the opposite direction advances the date. Both of these happen independently of each other, and independently of the main hour and minute hands. The next crown position hacks the time and sets the 12-hour time, to which the GMT hand and date wheel are subsequently slaved. As you’ll note from the photos, the large knurled crown is going to be very easy to operate, and although I have sustained no physical harm, the back of my hand has been on high alert bracing for impact.

If I’ve been a little critical of the overall weight and the crown dimensions, I can happily counter that by saying that the mesh-style stainless steel bracelet is an absolute joy. The heavy and short links give good articulation, and honestly it feels fantastic on my wrist. The clasp is rather bulky—both long and thick—but the on-the-fly adjustment will be welcome for many, either as a diver’s extension or just for fine tuning the fit throughout the day. Although I have tried the Taucher 2 GMT on other straps, and really like how the scalloped lugs are accentuated, the watch feels best on the bracelet.

It’s clear there are lots of fans of GMT watches, and it’s an area that is often under-represented compared to divers or chronographs. For that reason, I can definitely see the appeal of this offering from Heinrich. Although not every aspect of this watch is right up my alley, the Taucher 2 GMT has enough on show to make it worth a look. Preorder prices start at €1,199 with delivery expected in June 2023. The final retail price will be €1,399. Heinrich