With a history that dates back to the very earliest days of the wristwatch, sector dials are hardly a novel style, although seldom does their segmented concentric design actually play a functional role in the watches themselves. However, for its inaugural model, Papar Watch Company has created a functional sector dial to serve as the centerpiece of a unique and charming GMT watch that reimagines the conventional approach of dual-time display. While the Papar Anillo GMT offers simultaneous access to two different timezones with proper “flier-style” independent adjustment of its local hour hand, it omits the additional fourth GMT hand entirely, and it instead uses a rotating disc positioned below a skeletonized ring within its sector dial to display a secondary timezone.

At the time of writing, the Papar Anillo GMT is available in two configurations, with the differences between the models being their colorways and finishing. Alongside the classic stainless steel version with a black dial (featured here) is an alternate model that pairs a rose gold PVD finish with a khaki-colored dial and small green accents. Just as you would expect, the hands on the two versions of the Anillo GMT are finished to match their respective cases. While the rose gold PVD model is paired with a gray strap and a rose gold PVD-finished buckle, the stainless steel version receives a black strap to match the central section of its sector dial. Beyond these aesthetic differences, the two versions of the Anillo GMT are otherwise identical, although each one offers a distinct expression of what is already a rather unusual and striking design.

The case of the Papar Anillo GMT is crafted from 316L stainless steel, and it features an angular tonneau-shaped profile with largely brushed surfaces and high-polished accents. Arguably the most distinct aspect of the Anillo GMT’s case is its bezel, which features an octagon-shaped silhouette that emphasizes the angles of its design. Unlike most octagonal watches that have the straight edges of their bezels aligned with the vertical sides of their cases, the Papar Anillo GMT has its bezel oriented in the opposite configuration, with its corners at the axis points to create a more dramatic and angular appearance. Additionally, the upper surface of the Anillo GMT’s bezel consists of four sloped planes that form overlapping peaks, and this unique bezel design is patented by Papar as one of the two patents that resulted from the development of the Anillo GMT.

Sitting within the Papar Anillo GMT’s angular octagonal bezel is a flat sapphire crystal (with anti-reflective treatment), while a signed screw-down crown resides at the 3 o’clock location to help guarantee 100 meters of water resistance. The crown features an octagonal profile that complements the motif established by the bezel, and it is engraved with Papar’s crescent moon logo, which also appears on both the dial and caseback of the watch. Meanwhile, the reverse side of the Anillo GMT is fitted with a solid stainless steel caseback that is secured at the corners by four small screws. If you turn your attention to the lower right-hand corner, you will notice that the caseback screw has been incorporated into a small smiley face motif, as a subtle reminder that both life and watches should never be taken too seriously.

Given that Papar’s logo is a crescent moon, I was curious about the significance of the large stylized engraving that occupies the center of the Anillo GMT’s caseback. After speaking with Papar founder and designer Joshua Blank (Papar Watch Co. is run by Blank and his wife Emily), I discovered that this engraving actually helps explain a few additional details about his brand’s inaugural model. The central caseback engraving depicts a simplified reinterpretation of the logo for the city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is where Blank resides with his family for part of the year, and it is also where he designed the Anillo GMT. Additionally, this subtle nod to Mexico also helps explain the name chosen for the model. The word “anillo” means “ring” in Spanish, and since the Papar Anillo GMT uses a ring within its sector dial to display its secondary timezone, calling it the “Ring GMT” makes perfect sense.

In terms of its on-paper specs and dimensions, the Papar Anillo GMT weighs approximately 80 grams, and it measures 36mm in diameter by 12.1mm thick, with lugs that are set 20mm apart and extend to create an overall lug-to-lug profile of 43mm. Objectively speaking, the Anillo GMT is hardly a thick watch, although the straight vertical sides of its case make it feel slightly tall relative to its compact diameter. With that in mind, since the watch itself isn’t actually all that thick, it remains comfortable and easy to wear, and its short lug-to-lug profile combined with its flat caseback allows the Anillo GMT to sit naturally in the center of the wrist. As someone with fairly small and flat wrists (about 6.5 to 6.75 inches), I can often be a bit sensitive to slab-sided cases. While the Papar Anillo GMT does wear taller than other watches with similar dimensions, its slightly chunky profile ultimately feels appropriate for the bold and brutalist lines of its case.

The functional sector dial featured on the Papar Anillo GMT is also a patented design, consisting of a sector-style layout formed by a circular central section surrounded by two concentric rings. While the outermost ring contains the minute track, the internal ring is skeletonized to reveal a rotating disc with an arrow-shaped marker that tracks the second time zone. The lines that connect the outermost ring to the central section of the dial serve as the hour markers on the Anillo GMT, with the longer ones representing the 12-hour indexes and the shorter ones functioning as the 24-scale for the secondary timezone. Instead of having a fourth GMT hand, the disc below the skeletonized ring makes one rotation each day, and its arrow-shaped marking indicates the time against the skeletonized framework of the hour markers.

Displaying the local time is a skeletonized set of dauphine-shaped hands. Although the Papar Anillo GMT is entirely devoid of any luminous material, the polished surfaces of its handset offer a surprising amount of visibility, with the tip of the minute hand extending all the way to reach the corresponding markers of its minute track. Additionally, while the Anillo GMT does not feature a date display, it does include a color-changing day/night indicator, which appears through the crescent moon-shaped aperture directly above the brand’s name in the center section of the dial. As the day progresses, the day/night indicator depicts a rainbow gradient of changing colors, with the various hues corresponding to the time of day. While there will inevitably be some folks who lament the omission of a date display, I’m a big fan of this rather whimsical day/night indicator, as this unique deviation further helps set the Anillo GMT apart from other GMT watches on the market.

Powering the Papar Anillo GMT is the Miyota 9075 automatic movement, which has rapidly become one of the go-to options for affordable GMT watches. Unlike the more common “caller-style” GMT movements that offer unidirectional adjustment of their 24-hour hands and date displays (such as the Seiko NH34 or ETA 2893), the Miyota 9075 follows the “flier-style” approach, which is the preferred configuration for frequent travelers, as the local hour hand can be adjusted either forward or backward in one-hour increments to quickly display a new time zone. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of 42 hours, the Miyota 9075 is very much a known quantity. This true, despite that rather than appearing in its traditional four-handed, date-displaying format, the Miyota 9075 inside the Anillo GMT features a disc instead of a 24-hour hand and its color-changing day/night indicator takes the place of the conventional calendar display.

Fitted to the lugs of the Papar Anillo GMT is a two-piece fabric strap that tapers from 20mm wide at the case down to 18mm wide on the underside of the wrist. While the rose gold PVD version is fitted with a gray strap and a matching rose gold-finished buckle, the stainless steel model receives a black strap, and its buckle is left in a natural steel finish. One additional detail that I personally find to be a nice touch is that the shape of the tang-style buckle mirrors the angular profile of the Anillo GMT, and the buckle is finished with brushed surfaces and high-polished facets to match the finishing on the case. Lastly, as a small disclaimer, the specific watch photographed for this article was a pre-production prototype. In addition to having a slightly larger winding crown, certain things like hand alignment and irregularities in finishing will also be corrected on the watches that will be delivered to customers.

Countless affordable GMT watches have been released within the past couple of years. While “flier-style” functionality below the thousand-dollar mark was once enough to guarantee strong sales, this segment of the market has become increasingly competitive, and brands must now offer more than just a solid GMT watch at a reasonable cost to consumers. With an official retail price of $750 USD, the Papar Anillo GMT is currently one of the more affordable timepieces powered by the Miyota 9075 movement, although it also represents a significant aesthetic departure compared to what can be found elsewhere within the industry. From a pure functionality standpoint, a traditional GMT configuration arguably offers a greater degree of practicality. However, the core aesthetic of a GMT-equipped sports model has become an extremely familiar style, and the Papar Anillo GMT represents a very charming overall package that feels tangibly different from any of the other GMT watches currently available at this price point. For more information on the Papar Anillo GMT, please visit the brand’s website.