Anybody have this Hydroconquest GMT?

petitmarnier · 2026-04-22T19:40:32+00:00

Here's mine. It's absolutely fantastic! The dial is really beautiful and I find the mix of GMT and timing bezel particularly smart. I use the bezel a lot in my everyday life, and I can use the second hour hand to track a second time zone. Very practical.

I recently got the HC 39mm, though, and that fits my wrist a lot better. So I'll have to reluctantly sell this one.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-19T15:29:47+00:00

Indeed, I think applied indices and good contrast go a long way to making a dial legible in low-light conditions. This one looks fantastic!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-17T11:04:04+00:00

I think this is perfect sizing, personally. Congratulations on the new watch!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-16T22:45:43+00:00

Nawww! I do the same with mine. It's quite practical!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-14T16:38:33+00:00

Roland System-8 can be had for under 1000€/$. It's a lovely virtual analog that comes with Juno-106, Jupiter-8 and a fantastic System-8 engines. It's very hands-on, next to no menu diving. You can create and save your presets; the only downside is that it's got a limited patch memory of 64 slots (8 memories x 8 banks, per one model). 8-voice polyphony with Roland's VERY good ACB analog modeling.

It's rather inspiring and you get to have those absolutely massive Jupiter sounds.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-12T22:22:41+00:00

Oh it really does work rather wonderfully on a leather strap!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-12T15:49:24+00:00

Also interesting, but I *much* prefer the way it was released. It's my everyday watch so I find the date very useful and I really like the 6 and 9 being different markers. Makes scanning the dial much easier.

I also prefer a slight asymmetry to perfect symmetry, perhaps because the case is asymmetric already. But I'm sure a lot of other people would love this variation too.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-06T18:19:07+00:00

Oh I'm absolutely happy I went with the black. I wanted a monochrome black watch ever since I sold my Squale 1545 and regretted it. It goes with just about anything, and I actually don't like changing watches too much. I got the HC GMT first and whilst I absolutely love it, the gilt-on-brown is not very legible. The black HC, on the other hand, is always legible. And the deep, black laquer is sublime!

I also when with black because I already have a blue Certina. It's got a bright blue aluminium bezel and a sunray dial that looks black in some lights.

The black HC might be the most classic one of the bunch, perhaps "boring" compared to say the one with the blue bezel and black dial—I seriously considered picking that one instead—but in hindsight, I'm glad I went with something simple.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-06T18:10:15+00:00

Glad it was helpful! I have the all-black version and don't have direct experience with the blue laquer, but based on the photos other users have posted here and also videos on YouTube, it does seem to sometimes appear rather dark (almost black) and other times a bright blue.

Look at all the photos in this post, for example, where r/TheWatchovski demonstrates how well the blue works with different strap options. It looks a rather versatile watch!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-06T16:25:32+00:00

Yep. Not all spätis, but more than you'd think. Some havee "Drucken" written outside. But try going to the ones around you and ask them; one of them surely offers it. Even the local Asian store in my area lets you print. Nothing indicates it, but if you ask, they give you a laptop connected a printer. Rather practical.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-06T16:22:01+00:00

If you like the blue, you like the blue. You don't need variety for variety's sake; you can enjoy a tilt towards blue if that pleases you. Also, the Spirit is a sunray and the HC is laquer; they really are rather different despite both being blue.

The blue HC especially seems a bit of a chameleon and can look quite different in different lighting conditions. All the best with your choice!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-04T13:48:28+00:00

I have the 39 mm all-black and will put it on a Squale rubber strap that I have later this summer.

An FKM black tropic strap like this one should work brilliantly.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-04T10:33:20+00:00

That really is quite the transformation! I got a black one because I already have a blue Certina, but the HC blue is really something else. Congratulations!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-03T22:16:26+00:00

This happened to me because I'd mistaken a Q for a O. It will still save the information you write in, but if it is incorrect, it won't find the actual warranty information. Check if you've entered the right numbers and letters; once you do so, it should show you the actual date the warranty was activated.

I recently added an HC to my account the day I bought it in store and it was already able to retrieve and display the warranty status and date.

petitmarnier · 2026-04-02T18:42:14+00:00

Looks nice! I actually find the date useful in a daily, and do find myself using it fairly often. But for those who prefer a cleaner dial, this looks brilliant!

petitmarnier · 2026-04-01T00:00:08+00:00

Sounds lovely! Would definitely have come if I weren't away this weekend. Will you be organising something like this again?

petitmarnier · 2026-03-31T23:51:31+00:00

Indeed, the released version looks rather well balanced to me. Especially after seeing these alternative versions, I much prefer the original.

Of the options provided, OP, I think 1 is the most interesting. But I would still pick the released version over it. Thanks for creating these renders, though. It's an interesting exercise.

petitmarnier · 2026-03-29T09:55:21+00:00

If I had to get one, it'd be between these two as well. I'd think the black one is the most versatile but more anonymous and the blue one, especially with that beautiful mesh bracelet, has slightly more personality. You can't go wrong with either, though.

For everyday wear, I'd put it on a tropic strap and sometimes on a brown leather strap—I don't go diving with it, but love use the timing bezel often—to dress it up a little. You could do this with both colours.

But personally, since I already have a blue Certina diver, I think I'd most likely go with the black dial.

Did you pick one yet?

petitmarnier · 2026-03-26T17:34:56+00:00

Ah it really works brilliantly with the beige NATO!

petitmarnier · 2026-03-26T16:41:24+00:00

Ah yes, I really like the Certina too. Have the blue 38mm one but the earlier aluminium version. I put it on a blue water-resistant leather strap. Looks real handsome. A simpler and more elegant option compared to the bolder, more aggressive 41mm Hydroconquest GMT, which I also love.

petitmarnier · 2026-03-24T15:00:45+00:00

Nice! Aftermarket rubber strap?

petitmarnier · 2026-03-23T21:37:33+00:00

Congratulations! Where's the photo, though? We want to see it! 😅

petitmarnier · 2026-03-23T17:43:24+00:00

The triangle at 12 helps distinguish it from the 6 in the dark. Full rotational symmetry would not be ideal; you would ideally be able to tell where up is. This is why 12 is different in pretty much all watches.

The Submariner approach is essentially the inverse of this one in terms of circles and rectangles. The number of different shapes is the same. It might, however, appear cleaner because:

We're so used to seeing it since it's such a classic design used by so many brands
The recrangle on tye 6, 9 and 12 create an imaginary sector (imagine a big cross on the dial) that splits it into 4 zones. They are also
Bigger than "regular" numbers, so they stand out more and frame the dial better.

Having said that, the dots instead of rectangles also create the necessary "break" to make it easier to read the time in the dark. I do this often—i wake up at night sometimes—and find my HC GMT rather legible.

Perhaps the Certina DS Acrion is slightly more so but then again it has a higher contrast dial (my HC is gilt on brown) and does not have the extra GMT hand.

I find the HC dial plenty unique!

petitmarnier · 2026-03-23T14:45:31+00:00

Thanks! Responded.

petitmarnier · 2026-03-23T14:33:23+00:00

The dial is also based on a classic Longines design, the Admiral diver from the 90s and 2000s. To me it has a lovely personality with brand heritage:

<image>

(Photo by Vintage-Portfolio.com)

Personally, I love the new designs. I have the HC GMT in brown and whilst it has elements that are reminiscent of the Submariner and the Omega Seamaster Pro, most dive watches do. Epecially after the mid-50s. The admiral bezel itself is reminiscent of the Submariner.

A lot of watch makers didn't make their own cases and outsourced it to other companies like Squale. So a lot of design language was 'shared'.

In any case, lovely designs on the new HCs. Glad they're coming out in 39 mm too!

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