“Gc” stands for “Guess Collection” but they aren’t the only timepieces with the Guess brand name on them. There are also lower-range Guess watches leaving Gc pieces to be the brand’s higher-end family of watches – that we are further proud to say are still quite affordable. In the past we’ve freely mentioned Gc watches when recommending a nice watch for a woman when your budget is a few hundred dollars. Now we look at a men’s Gc watch with the Sport Class XXL, with this two-tone version being the ref. G53003G2 in the US (internationally it is know as the ref. X53003G2S).
Gc watches are certainly trendy in design, but in a manner that seeks to incorporate a lot of elements from classic looking timepieces. The result is a youthful look and feel, but one that doesn’t forget its base is in horology. The Sport Class XXL series has the “extra, extra large” size designation in the name because the case is rather robust at 45mm wide. However, that is the size of this specific model only. There are many members of the Sport Class XXL collection, and not all are 45mm wide. In fact, XXL is the only size the collection seems to come in, though there are smaller models, such as a 42mm wide Sport Class XXL. This is worth mentioning when looking at the product range so that you know some pieces are smaller.
Placed in a diver’s style case, the watch is water resistant to 100 meters and has a sapphire crystal. The case features a rotating bezel, and is refreshingly weighty to the touch. Note that it does also have a screw-down crown which is a welcome feature. What I like about Guess Collection watches is that they have a nice heft to them. The solid polished steel case in this version is mixed with PVD gold coated elements to create the two tone steel and rose gold look. This ref. G53003G2 version with its glossy black dial also comes in a white dialed version with the ref. X53002G1S. Though no versions of the Sport Class XXL at this time are steel-only which is interesting. This steel and PVD gold is the closest to that.
Instead, Gc has outfitted the Sport Class XXL collection with a range of steel and ceramic models, or all ceramic models. We believe that only some of them are officially sold in the United States, so depending on where you are you can check to see what your country carries. For a long time now we’ve admired Gc’s application of ceramic to its timepieces at affordable prices. In the Sport Class XXL collection you can find all-white ceramic, white ceramic and steel, ceramic and steel, all-black ceramic (matte or polished) and black ceramic and steel watches. The variety is impressive, as well as the various dial versions.
This Sport Class XXL is one of the two chronograph versions and there is also a three hand version with a very attractive, yet simple dial. Those three-hand versions happen to be the 42mm wide models as well. All the chronograph models are 45mm wide. The dial is full of elements, many of which are highly polished. This makes for a nice little bling effect, but it, mixed with a lack of double AR coating on the sapphire crystal, results in a lot of light refracting that can deter from legibility in extreme light conditions. Having said that, the hands and hour markers are generously sized, and the hour markers are raised off the dial which help tremendously with legibility.
For darkness viewing Gc places SuperLumiNova luminant on the hands and hour markers, which functions well enough. The subdials on the case are thickly framed in a gold tone, which is a matter of taste. Visually the concept works nicely, though in certain lighting conditions the hands blend in with the dial, even though the small markers are quite easy to see. The angled flange ring around the dial features a tachymeter scale, that adds a bit of instrumental purpose. We suspect that most people will not buy this watch for the chronograph, but rather for the style, but it is nice to know the chronograph is there as well. The dial also features a date window with a handsome frame around it.
