Aquatico regularly piques my interest with their attractive, aggressively priced dive watches, but the review examples they’ve sent me have been very mixed. Sometimes they are competent pieces, sometimes they are ruined by sloppy workmanship and haphazard quality control. Ever optimistic, I agreed to test another, the Aquatico Sea Star GMT.
I went into it assuming that the new watch would be one of Aquatico’s better efforts. Finally, the Sea Star V2 and Bronze Sea Star that I tested in 2021 were both absolutely nice, and the GMT appears to have the same case. Its dimensions are identical: 42mm wide, 50mm long and 14.5mm thick with 22mm gap between tabs. Like the others, it has a clean, traditional shape with uncurved sides, sharp edges and a predominantly brushed finish brightened by a polished bezel edge and crown. Aquatico has finished it in an expert manner that lends itself well to the tool watch style.
It fits my 6.75-inch wrist exactly as I expected, that is, with the right presence of a dive watch and without excessive bulk.
The biggest difference between this watch and the other Sea Stars is of course the Seiko NH34 GMT movement. This unit found its way into dozens of micro-branded watches, democratizing the automatic GMT market that had previously been dominated by Switzerland. (Okay, Miyota’s 9075 didn’t hurt either, but that’s another story.) It features the same key specs as the rest of the Seiko NH line, like 24 jewels, 21.6k bph, and diashock protection. Therefore, one can reasonably expect the same bulletproof reliability.
This movement is housed in a case that is ready for deeper depths than you would ever imagine. Viton and Tefzel seals help the screw-down crown and a carefully decorated, solid case back withstand the raging sea up to 300 m deep. It features a domed and AR-coated sapphire crystal that rises above the flat sapphire bezel insert.
The GMT’s three-link Oyster bracelet is a bit fancier than that of the Sea Star V2 that I previously tested. The middle links are brightened with a strip of polish at both ends. It tapers to a signed 20mm clasp with a sliding plunge extension. Buyers will also receive a tropical-style black rubber strap.
This time I chose a Sea Star with a full lumen dial, which is always a treat. Aquatico has released the Swiss BGW9 for the dial, hour markers, hands and bezel, which produces a pleasant, almost nuclear glow when the lights go out that is quite satisfying. Of course, a white-on-white color scheme doesn’t provide high contrast, so optimal readability is somewhat compromised. In normal lighting conditions, the brushed hand offers sufficient contrast and the black and red GMT hand stands out perfectly. I found this to be more than adequate for daytime readability, and if the white on white really bothers you, you can order it in green, blue, gray carbon fiber, or an iridescent aventurine.
What I like most about the dial of the Sea Star GMT is the sapphire bezel. I love the depth this type of insert shows, and the black and white day/night design is striking. The best thing is that it is fully illuminated just like the dial. The bezel action was good and clicked into place deftly through the 120-click rotation. Then I noticed a red spot in the space between the 6 and the 8. Unfortunately, Aquatico’s high quality gremlins had struck again, this time leaving a red spot under the glass insert.
Aquatico has a 14-day return policy for unworn and unused watches. So if, like me, you find such a problem when unpacking it, you can return the watch for a refund or replacement. That’s a good thing, because four of the nine watches Aquatico has sent me since 2019 had, in my opinion, unacceptable defects. I suppose it shows they’re not picking the best of the best to send to the critics, but it hardly inspires confidence.
You can buy an Aquatico Sea Star GMT for $499 at aquaticowatch.com, but honestly, you can do better.
