Edox is a great independent Swiss watch house with a history dating back to the late 1800s when Christian Ruefli-Flury registered the Edox name and opened a workshop that specialized in refining and decorating base movements. Acquired in 1973 by ASUAG, the predecessor of today's Swatch Group; the brand languished until Victor Strambini, the current President, took it private again in 1983. Since then, Edox has been steadily increasing its sales and re-affirming its reputation as a high quality old-line Swiss brand.
The Edox Class-1 GMT Titanium is a tough-as-nails oversized (45mm) travel timer that's just as comfortable swimming in the open water as it is hurling through timezones at 39,000 feet.
To track the time in a second zone, there's a center mounted orange tipped GMT hand that makes one revolution around the dial every 24 hours. Between the luminous markers on the inner track are the orange arabic numerals that the GMT hand targets. The ceramic 24-hour bezel provides a way to either indicate the current time in a third zone or monitor elapsed time in the second one. Rounding out the dial display is an expanded date window at 3 o'clock.
While it's 24 hour bezel won't appeal to divers who need their watch to track bottom time, those who rely on their dive computer for that function will appreciate the 50 atm depth rating of the Class-1 GMT. If mixed gas is your bag, there's even a screw-in helium escape valve at 10 o'clock to keep things working when bottom time and depth exceeds sport diving parameters.
Inside the Edox Class-1 GMT is the Edox Caliber 93 automatic movement - using 49 jewels and beating at 28,800 vph it's based on the ETA 2893.
Supplied with a really comfortable and versatile rubber strap that's secured by a deployant buckle, the Edox Class-1 GMT Titanium can be found here in the US for less than $2,000 - it's easily comparable to watches costing thrice that much.
