WATCH DISASTERS #1 – Ken’s prodigal GMT-Master II

Andrew McUtchen

Watch Disasters is a new series on Time+Tide that describes, in chilling detail, incidences when owning an expensive watch goes wrong. This is not going to be comfortable reading, so prepare for the pain. Admittedly, this is a bit of a soft start. The ‘prodigal’ in the title gives it away. If you have a watch disaster with less of a happy ending, feel free to tell us about it at [email protected]  

I actually lost this watch. I have a collection of watches, and I hide them in different places. This watch, I forgot where it was for a good three years. I turned my house upside down, and I couldn’t find it. I reached a point where I had to emotionally detach and move on from it. But because I didn’t realise it was lost for a few months, that somehow made it better when the realisation came that I couldn’t find it. That’s fine, I thought, I’ve lost it. OK.

Then I had a brainwave. Before I hid it, I was going away on a trip. It will be in my travel bag! I ransacked the bag, but no watch. Some time later I was actually going on a trip, and went to put something in the bag’s secret compartment. And there it was. My GMT-Master II. I love this watch. I have a big collection, but this gets top two or three wrist time, next to an AP Offshore, which is my weekend watch, and my Sea-Dweller.

I bought it when it first came out, around 2009. Compared to the finishing of the GMT hand on the new Pepsi, you can really see a difference in my opinion. The black paint has not been accurately applied. Whereas this GMT hand is perfect and is much better in the detail. The green hand and text is really interesting. Surprising. It’s full of character for me. I have a Sea-Dweller as well, and this one on the wrist is a breath of fresh air.

Follow Ken and his watch adventures at @idighorology on Instagram.