Seiko Gives American Buyers the Best-Looking SKX GMT So Far

Since it launched in 2022, the SKX GMT has mostly been a way for Seiko to try out colors. The first three came in black, blue and orange, the 2023 U.S. specials added yellow, a charcoal Pepsi and a gold-accented version, and the SSK036 brought root beer. The new HDB016, another U.S. limited edition, goes maroon with a red and brown bezel. Out of all of them, I think this one might be my favorite.

The case is unchanged: 42.5mm wide, 13.6mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 46mm and 22mm between the lugs. The thickness makes it wear bigger than the diameter suggests, but the short-ish lugs keep it manageable on a mid-sized wrist. The crown is still at four, and I still can't decide if I hate that or not. The bidirectional bezel has a 24-hour scale split between red and a very, very, very dark brown. So dark, it took me minutes to realize it's not black. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The maroon dial has a sunray finish, so it shifts in the light. Gold shows up in two places, the GMT hand and the lower half of the sloped flange that holds the 24-hour track. The applied indices, chunky hands, LumiBrite and date window all remain unchained.

Inside is the Seiko calibre 4R34, the automatic this line has used since 2022. It beats at 21,600 vph and has a power reserve of 41 hours. It’s a caller GMT, so the GMT hand sets independently while the hour hand stays on local time. The steel bracelet closes with a folding clasp, has a push-button release and safety lock, and it’s just OK.

Now, for availability. Sites and instagram accounts are reporting that this is on sale already in the US, but I can't find it on any websites just yet. I would bet that it goes on sale in November. Price is supposed to be $525. Keep an eye out on the US Seiko website.