It's no secret that GMT watches have rocketed in popularity in recent years. The ability to effectively track the hour of different time zones around the world is a popular feature, whether you work with different global offices or travel extensively.
While it was historically quite a costly complication, modern manufacturing means you can get them for a lot less. The fruits of that labour include this AVI-8 model, which offers GMT functionality at a bargain price.
But is it worth your hard-earned cash? Well, let's take a closer look.
AVI-8 Hawker Hunter Atlas GMT: key specs
Let's kick off with the case. Crafted from stainless steel, the 44mm case is more square than circle, though the brand suggests its a 12-sided design. That's paired with a 14mm case height and a lug-to-lug width of 54.5mm. In short, it's pretty darn large.
My review unit – in the Amazon Green colourway – has a black coating applied, which offsets the green tones neatly. That hue is then match in the leather strap, for a cohesive appearance.
You'll get a neat 50m of water resistance on offer, with a pull out crown on the side for controlling all of the functionality. The lack of a screw-down crown here probably limits any potential for dive watch prowess.
Inside, the movement is an unnamed Japanese Automatic calibre. Many suspect that to be a Seiko NH34, though there isn't any official wording to confirm that suspicion.
What's the AVI-8 Hawker Hunter Atlas GMT like on the wrist?
There's no getting around the bulk and heft of that case when you first strap the piece on. It's the first thing you're going to notice – particularly if your wrists happen to be on the slimmer side.
In fairness, the brand has done a pretty good job here, because the wearing experience is still better than I expected. The dimensions read more like a skyscraper than a watch, so the fact it only feels slightly large is a win.
The accompanying leather strap is nice and comfortable – no complaints there – though the variation in size and weight does cause some slipping around the wrist. That's pretty much unavoidable with a design like this, so we wont mark it down too much for it.
It's worth noting at this point that those with a larger wrist size would probably love the design overall. If you're blessed with a little more heft in the forearms than certain watch reviewers, you'll probably notice these dimensions less.
The dial itself is nice to look at, with a good mix of textures and levels used to split things up. There's a lot of information to read on that dial, and it does sometimes feel a little cluttered, but AVI-8 has done a good job of limiting that as much as possible.
Is the AVI-8 Hawker Hunter Atlas GMT worth the money?
Retailing at £334 here in the UK – €322 / US$365 / AU$573 in other territories around the world – the model feels like a pretty solid value proposition. In the wonderful world of automatic timepieces, that's fairly affordable, and it's especially impressive when we consider the complications employed.
I do think it only works for some users – namely, those with jacked up forearms – but if that sounds like you, this should definitely be on your radar. It also helps if you've got a little bit of an aviation nerd in you, as there are all manner of nods to that across the piece.
