There are a lot of things that I really like about the Glycine Airman SST 06 - it's unique and exhibits lots of functionality yet it's not gimmicky or overdone - it's not at all 'in your face', yet it stands out in more subtle ways to those 'in the know'.
There are many watches in current production that have a 'story' that began a long time ago. I'm always drawn to watches that were originally designed to meet a specific need - where the design elements were entirely functional and form was a secondary concern. To me, these watches have an honesty about them that is missing from many of todays watches that really aren't well suited for their advertised function.
The Glycine story is not unlike many others in the Swiss watch industry. Eugene Meylan started the Bienne based Glycine in 1914 and, despite the hard times surrounding the depression era and the trade restrictions that Switzerland experienced during WWII; he managed to accomplish a few significant milestones for the brand. The most well known of these were the introduction of the Vacuum Chronometer (water and shock resistant) in 1952 and then, in 1953, the launch of the Airman, the namesake of the current SST 06 and, at the time, a welcome addition to the valet of jet-setting travelers and pilots alike.
Today's Glycine is a company that, at it's heart, is driven by the passion for innovation and sense of brand history that Hans Brechbuhler who purchased the firm in 1984 and his daughter, Katherina, who now serves as it's president, share.
When you first see the 'Pumpkin Airman' (with a steel bracelet, it's ref. 3856.106 in the line of SST 06s), your focus moves quickly from the unmistakable orange bezel ring (revolving) to the dial that is half black and half gray and, despite being capable of displaying the time in three different zones; is easy to read and not overly 'busy'.
The SST delineation, in Airman nomenclature, is an acronym for Super Sonic Transport - referring to the Boeing model 733 project - a design and engineering undertaking that began with the creation of a permanent committee at Boeing in 1958 and gained momentum in 1963 when JFK initiated the National Supersonic Transport Program where the US Government subsidized 75% of the development costs of a supersonic transport class aircraft to compete directly with the Concorde. Despite over 100 firm orders for finished planes, the 733 was never produced (the environmental impact of 'sonic booms' proved to be the Achilles heel).
If you're a fan of following the prescribed custom; when you initially set the SST-06, you'll first use the main crown to adjust the 24 hour hand to GMT (on the orange outer bezel ring) and then rotate the internal bezel ring to indicate local time (on the black inner 24 hour ring). To move the bezel, there's a second crown at 2 o'clock. With this setup, you can read local time in the 12 or 24 hour format (on the interior indexes and ring) and also read GMT (on the outside ring) to make timezone calculations in military time. Of course, you can be a renegade non-conformist - skip GMT altogether - and set both the 24 hour hand and rotating bezel ring to evidence the time in two other time zones. Options are always good!
When you're in the three time zone mode and quickly accessing the time somewhere else in the world, the two-tone split dial is actually kind of useful; if the 24 hour hand is in the gray area, it's before noon - in the black area afternoon. This greatly reduces the chance of calling an unsuspecting colleague in a far off land at 3 AM instead of 3 in the afternoon. For the record, as I'm writing this, I've got my 06 serving up Eniwetok time (GMT-12); a zone that I discovered only as a result of a strange software glitch in my Blackberry a few months ago. If I did have occasion to phone the island, now would be a really bad time.... it's just after 2 in the morning there!
The 44mm size of the SST 06 is ideal. It feels very substantial on your wrist and is large enough to make it easy to read without a lot of study. The distinctive oblong case design is also very comfortable to wear and gives this watch a cool retro-ish undertone. The stainless steel bracelet is very easily adjusted and feels great. Calf and rubber straps are also available.
The solid caseback features a silhouette of the Boeing Super Sonic Transport prototype. When you remove it, you'll find a moderately reworked ETA-2893-2 powerplant beating inside. To memorialize the heritage of the timepiece that it powers, the oscillating weight has been decorated with the 'Cotes de Geneve' and an airplane. This is the workhorse ETA 2893 movement with an extra time zone (the -2). It has a reputation of being robust and reliable - it's also nice to know that if there's ever a problem, finding service and parts won't be an issue.
If you're thinking about a unique and recognizable Swiss watch that's well made, very functional, and isn't overly expensive and you also like to own watches that have some iconic dimension; dial up a Glycine Airman SST 06. I'd suggest that you go for the 'pumpkin' version.... it's got a little extra panache and may just have a significance to collectors at some point down the line.
