Three Time Zones, Four Hands: Zodiac Super Sea Wolf ‘GMT’ Review – GWC Mag

The Super Sea Wolf is the defining watch of the Zodiac brand. Launched in 1953, this line of dive watches carries a deep history through diving and military service through the Vietnam War.

Zodiac leaned into this strong background and now offers the Super Sea Wolf in dozens of configurations, including many distinctive colors that help the brand stand out with a genuine rainbow of bezels. But today, it takes a slightly different tack, expanding the Super Sea Wolf collection with a GMT timekeeper for travelers.

Officially the Super Sea Wolf GMT Automatic, the stainless steel watch houses one of the first uses of Zodiac’s STP7-27 movement, which previously only appeared in a limited-edition collaboration last fall.

In short: The Super Sea Wolf GMT Automatic offers Zodiac fans a GMT version of its ever-popular Super Sea Wolf. It offers 200 meters of water resistance in a 40mm case and a 24-hour bezel that allows users to track up to three time zones for the jet set lifestyle.

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Wait, What’s A ‘GMT’ Watch?

Before diving into the review, Let’s talk about “GMT” watches. GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, the current time in Greenwich, England. This is an international standard and the reason a watch is called a “GMT.”

That said, there is no reason you need to track that time zone in particular. It works for any combination of time zones on Earth.

The Super Sea Wolf GMT (and most GMT watches) has four hands. It has the standard hour, minute, and second hands. Then, it has a fourth GMT hand that circles the face once every 24 hours. You read it in 24-hour time, so 6 p.m. would read 18 hundred hours, for example.

You can track three time zones on the watch. First, you have the standard 12-hour hands and face. Set that time in your current zone. Next, you have the 24-hour hand, with 24 at the top and 12 at the bottom. That’s how I set my second time zone. The third time zone is based on the difference between that 24-hour setting and your third time zone. You can track that zone by moving the bezel.

For example, if I had set the 24-hour hand to track the central time zone, and then wanted to calculate the mountain time zone (one hour earlier), I would twist the bezel one hour clockwise and then read the time of the GMT hand. You just need to know the difference in time between the two zones in hours, and twist clockwise to read “back” in time, and counter-clockwise to read “ahead.”

Of course, you can also do this in your head. But for larger time differences it simplifies the process greatly.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT Review

Zodiac offered a watch to test prior to the release, but with lots of back-and-forth communication, it took a while to arrive, and I’ve only had the Super Sea Wolf GMT from Zodiac over the weekend. The news just broke today, so I hustled over the weekend to gather impressions. This is very much a first-look review. But darn if I don’t really like this dazzling watch.

The Super Sea Wolf GMT comes in two colors (for now): pink and white bezel with a black face (ZO9416) and black and gray bezel with a white face (ZO9415). I love pink, so I opted to test the pink and white option.

My first impression of the watch was that it was quite sparkly. It has highly reflective baton and square hour indices, each with beveled mirror faces. Couple that with a jubilee bracelet and butterfly clasp, and it catches light from about any angle. I love this fact. There are many highly polished surfaces, including the case back screw-down crown. But if you’re looking for an understated watch, this isn’t it!

The case is 40mm across and 20mm lug to lug. It is comfortable yet substantial on my 6.5″ wrist. At 40mm, it’s a very mid-size watch and slightly smaller than many dive watches. I mention dive watches because, while this is technically a GMT watch, it’s still a Super Sea Wolf. While the bezel has 24-hour markings and is multi-directional, it still has saltwater in its veins.

Interacting with the STP7-27 movement is smooth and enjoyable. The crown unscrews with assertive but fluid force. Once unscrewed, the multiple positions for setting the hour hands, date, and 24-hour GMT hand flow easily, with the hour-increments of the GMT adjustments crisp and accurate.

The crown takes a bit of force to screw back down but isn’t difficult as long as your fingers have at least modest dexterity.

I generally like the watch’s appearance. The square indices complement rectangular hour and minute hands. The second-hand sweeps smoothly with a rectangular marker near the end. The GMT hand adds a pop of color with pink and white against the black face. The date window is easily legible at the 3 o’clock position.

The bezel brings most of the color to the show. It denotes night (1800 to 0600 hours) in pink and day in white.

The five-link stainless bracelet is comfortable thanks to a bit of elasticity built in with a nice spring system. It sits nicely on my wrist.

I think folks with even slightly smaller wrists, or much larger, could wear this watch in comfort. I’d say it’s pretty average weight for a dive watch. On my scale, it rang in at 4.59 ounces.

A GMT For Splashy Travel

I always try to envision who should buy a product when testing it, and in this case, it’s a pretty specific group: travelers who don’t mind making a splash.

By that, I mean it’s a tool for those on long trips who are not in locations where a flashy watch would make you a target. It’s the watch for trips where you pack a suit and tie or dress shoes, not the grungy backpack. It’s a watch for pilots who want to keep track of their home time zones while zipping from city to city.

The watch is easy to use and quick to read. It has Super LumiNova hands and indexes, but its low-light readability is only OK. It isn’t great compared with other more luminous models on the market.

The only other downside is that the in-house STP7-27 movement only has a 40-hour power reserve. It’s sufficient, but in an era where longer and longer power reserves are becoming common, it feels minimal and you’ll often be re-setting your watch after a few days away.

But these are minor downsides to an overall beautiful watch.

I think the Zodiac mostly appeals to those who adore automatic Swiss watches and like a good backstory. Like most higher-end timepieces, the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT is a functional adornment. At about $2,000, this is not a cheap watch. But it hits a very competitive price compared with its peers.

Sure, you can keep time on your phone or a smartwatch. But for those looking to step up their horological accessories to something a bit more statement-making, the Super Sea Wolf GMT is a fun, eye-catching option.