Whether you’re back on the road or regularly have to deal with team members in different time zones, a GMT watch can reduce global time to a few simple hands on a dial. In this edition of Steal and Splurge, we compare two GMT replica watches that common share elements but are vastly different from each other. With similar colours, features and specifications, which GMT will allow you to track a second-time zone in the sportiest style?
The SKX007 is an ISO-compliant dive watch, while the new SSK Seiko 5s is a 100-meter water-resistant travel watch with a tension-fit 24-hour bezel, a passive crown, and a Hardlex crystal with a cyclops above the date.
While I advocate the blue/red/black colour scheme of the SSK003, all three versions come with a “jubilee style” steel bracelet with solid links on end and a folding clasp with four micro-adjustment points. It is a marked improvement for those used to SKX’s “cheap and crunchy” straps, and the new SSK takes it a step further by adding drilled lugs. It’s time to dig out all your 22mm straps.
Visible through the Seiko 5-Inertia Display case back, the new Seiko 4R34 offers a pager-style GMT function linked to a large red 24-hour hand, controlled through the first position of the crown. The 24-jewel movement, which runs at 21,700 vibrations per hour and boasts a power reserve of around 40 hours, is derived from Seiko’s long-standing line of 4R movements, which are known to be very robust but not outstanding in terms of precision, and which Seiko lists as the standard for the 4R34 at -35/+45 seconds per day.
Furthermore, despite being the high-end model in Seiko’s 5 series, the SSK GMT is still in the brand’s entry-level category, which means it is less expensive than the higher-spec Prospex line.
From my point of view, buying the SSK003. I bought one as soon as possible, a perfect watch for the money. However, bias and consideration must be included in the calculation. I like Seiko and have wanted this watch since owning an SKX. In addition, I prefer travel watches, so when it comes to replica rolex watches that can track two or more time zones, I have a wide range of options.
More broadly, while I think both would make great everyday watches, you’d get more performance and, if it’s important to you, more prestige from Tag Heuer. If you’re looking for a well-made, reasonably handsome, well-specked travel watch that won’t make you fuss like a Rolex, then if the caller’s GMT is suitable for your purposes, the Tag is a good fit. Finally, I know this is coming from me, but if the Tag Heuer has longer lugs that work on your wrist, I think it’s a better-looking blue/black GMT than the Seiko. I like the look of the Seiko, but it’s more of a tool than a beauty.

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If you know me a little about the taste of replica watches, the fact that I own a fake TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 typically comes as a bit of a shock, as there’s a perception that I like the simpler, smaller things in watch life. However, for those who get a better understanding of history in fake watches a little better, the fact that I’m rocking a big, bold, skeletonised chronograph raises no eyebrows at all. But personal preferences aside, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to spend some quality time with the Heuer 01, you make the right choice here.
I first saw the Heuer 01 when it was launched, back in 2015. It was a watch that was presented as the face of Jean-Claude Biver’s ‘new’ TAG Heuer. And while my original focus was on the ceramic bezel version with red highlights, the replica watch I ended up strapping onto my wrist was this, the Grey Phantom, which removed any hint of color, used a titanium case and bezel, and came on a titanium H-Link bracelet.
I chose it because I like lightweight titanium on sporty watches. Once I put it on, it felt … far lighter than I was mentally prepared for. To be honest, the weight is a real draw-card for me. I don’t think that I’d give this fake watch anywhere near as much wrist time if I’d opted for a steel-cased version. In fact, I’ve stripped the weight down even further, wearing it almost exclusively on a three-ring Zulu-style strap, rather than the bracelet. What this combination of large size and light weight adds up to is a watch that, for me, signals fun as soon as I strap it on. That’s not to say that I want to hit the local water park as soon as I’m wearing it— it’s more of a general lightening of mood. I’d almost go so far as to say it inspires a sense of carefree playfulness. Suffice to say it’s my default weekend watch. 
Looks-wise … I like to think this watch has a personality all of its own, even in the (ever expanding) Heuer 01 family. The grey-on-grey might not be ideal for legibility, but it maximizes the textural quality of the watch, which for me is what it’s all about. I also like the fact that this comparatively neutral palette lets me inject color via the straps. What stood out to me … was the height. I think it’s reasonable to say that most of us think about watches from a top-down perspective; it’s how we check the time after all, and most watch shots are all about that smiling face.
I’d wear this with … casual to smart casual, especially given my chunky nylon strap proclivities. The replica Tag Heuer 01 is most at home with T-shirts and jeans, street wear and generous cuffs. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If I could do some changes, I must admit that if I was picking this watch up today, I’d be very tempted by one of the slightly smaller offerings. I surely recommend it to a lot of people with smaller wrists, but I’ve got the wrist that can handle a 45mm watch with ease, so I’m pretty happy on that front. The one thing that does niggle in the back of my mind is the fact that the winding crown is inset with rubber. It’s a cool, fusion-y look, and genuinely makes for a more convenient winding and setting experience, but I know that someday, far in the future, that rubber is going to degrade and need to be replaced, and that’s not something I’m looking forward to.

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