There is a lot to like about the German-made Muhle Glashutte Seebataillon GMT dive watch. If ever I were a sucker for one specific type of watch, it’s more than likely the GMT diver. The practicality and go-anywhere charm of a dive watch bolstered by the addition of the ultra-handy GMT complication makes for a very appealing package. Thanks to icons like the Rolex GMT Master, the GMT diver platform is one of great popularity that has since spawned countless iterations. Unlike a chronograph, a GMT hand does not clutter the dial nor change the overall balance and aesthetic of a watch, just one additional hand and a few subtle changes to the bezel are all that is generally required.
Yet another interesting piece that we saw at Baselworld this past April was the new Muhle Glashutte Seebataillon GMT. As you might have surmised from the name, Muhle Glashutte is a small watch brand that hails from the German town of Glashutte. Likely the most famous of non-Swiss pockets of horology, Glashutte is also home to brands like A. Lange and Sohne, Nomos and Glashutte Original. Muhle-Glashutte is likely best known for their line of nautical watches like the S.A.R Rescue Timer or the S.A.R Flieger Chrono, and in much the same vein we find the new Seebataillon GMT. “Seebataillon” is loosely translated as “marine battalion” and is a direct reference to a branch of the German Navy with the same name, for whom this watch was designed.
The Seebataillon is a 44 x 12.7mm titanium cased diver with a domed sapphire crystal that boasts 300m of water resistance. The styling is quite distinctive and is a welcome departure from the more common Sub-a-like diver trope. To put it simply, I think the look and feel of the Seebataillon is fantastic. For a large watch it has a subtle wrist presence and a definitively military vibe with sparse dial text, excellent legibility and real feeling of quality. It’s hard not to love the warmer tones of the titanium case, deep blue bezel and dial and the use of a warm rich yellow for the GMT hand, rehaut scale and dial text. The date display at 4 o’clock is nicely aligned with the crown and features a circular aperture that does a good job of maintaining the balance of the dial while still being legible.
