In today’s globally connected, fast-paced world, people are traveling more frequently than ever as well as communicating internationally with colleagues and family. Whatever the reason, the ability to keep track of multiple time zones instantly can make life easier for many travelers and professionals, and that’s where a GMT watch comes in handy. If that sounds useful, and you also tend to like the straightforward Teutonic take on tool watches that German brands are often known for, the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV GMT may just be an attractive combination.
Mühle-Glashütte is a watch brand based out of the German town of Glashütte known for their nautical and sporty instrument watches, and the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV GMT is the latest addition to their Terrasport lineup of watches. Over and above showing the local time, GMT watches have the additional ability to track a second time zone by making use of a 24-hour GMT hand, as seen on the Mühle-Glashütte Seebataillon covered here hands-on by James Stacey.
All Mühle-Glashütte watches falling under the Terrasport line sport a pilot watch DNA, and the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV GMT is no exception. There were times when pilot watches were designed as large and legible instruments, limited in their application to actual pilots in the cockpit. But thankfully, these days the same design aesthetic has been implemented in a variety of wearable case sizes making it enjoyable to a wider audience, which brings me to case of the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV GMT.
The Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV GMT sports an aptly sized 42mm brushed stainless steel case with curved lugs and has a water resistance of 100m with a screw-down crown, making the watch even suitable for light swimming. The front of the case boasts of a sapphire crystal which has a double layer of antireflective coating to make the legibility-focused dial easier to read.
The dial on the Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV GMT follows the design language of a Type A Flieger watch, and is jet black in color with highly contrasting lumed numerals and razor sharp sword hands making it a simple yet legible dial. For the second time zone, Mühle-Glashütte have made use of an outer chapter ring to mark the 24-hour time tracked by the GMT hand. I think the chapter ring is a good place for these markings, as it keeps the dial from being too busy – the last thing one would want on a pilot’s watch. There is even a date window for date lovers, but for me, one detail which really makes this otherwise black and white dial attractive is the use of red accents on both the GMT hand and the small marking above the 12 o’clock triangle – which give the watch a pop of color and would definitely make it stand out from the crowd.
Powering the watch is the automatic Sellita SW330-1 movement which has a power reserve of 42 hours and has been modified by Mühle-Glashütte with their own woodpecker neck regulator and a custom rotor. The movement operates at a smooth 28,800bph (4Hz), has both hand-winding and hacking capability, and can be viewed through the transparent case back.
The Mühle-Glashütte Terrasport IV is available on both a bracelet as well as a leather strap, and can be purchased at Mühle-Glashütte retailers with the bracelet option being priced at €2,200 and the strap option priced at €2,100. muehle-glashuette.de
