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Since its founding by Eugène Meylan in 1914, Glycine has been producing watches at its factory in Bienne, Switzerland.
Meylan was an uncompromising watch engineer who strove for perfection and nothing less. He had a profound understanding of both the market demands and the possibilities offered by the technological advances of the time. Today, offering excellent value at reasonable prices is an essential part of Glycine's philosophy. The company's strong foundation, coupled with its emphasis on rugged and reliable products, make Glycine a respected name in Swiss watchmaking today.
Since the early 60s, Glycine has served the market with this line of sturdy and captivating watches, made for severe conditions of wear and use. The precise automatic and chronograph movements are housed in a high-grade steel case of rugged construction, offering excellent value for money.
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Glycine Airman Vintage "The Chief" GMT Aged Blue Ref. GL0308 |
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Aged treated case that looks like its from yesteryears |
Glycine Airman Vintage “The Chief” GMT Aged Blue Ref. GL0308 is the new edition based on their original and famous watch from the 50s. It features a charismatic bronze-like case, a stunning blue dial, complete with a GMT function. Further, featuring vintage triangular markers, period-correct hands with age-coloured SuperLuminova lume, doing things the Glycine way. All in the name of a sweet-spot 40mm case.
Made from 316L stainless steel treated in a rustic bronze-tone plating, the Airman Vintage “The Chief” GMT Aged Blue Ref. GL0308 bears nostalgia yet with a distinctive vintage aesthetic from its unique case coating, achieving the look of aged bronze ‘patina’ that lived through years of adventures. It’s classic aviator case style measures at 40mm and 12.5mm thin for unsurpassed comfort on all wrist sizes. The slender lugs with lugs to lugs length of 49mm, help the watch to wrap around the wrist like a pair of gloves while glamouring on one’s wrist. Glycine’s airman collection are all based historically from their 1950s tool watches, this particular model, known as “The Chief,” is traditionally styled to the Airman No. 1 watch - now with a long-tail hour hand - the very first edition of the 1950s. It is a faithful reproduction aesthetic wise through and through.
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Bezel locking system done by the crown at 4 |
The bronze-tone bezel is true to the 50s Airman design through and through; featuring the hallmark 24-hour bezel of the original Airman. Furthermore, the only way to rotate it is through manipulating the retained locking feature on the thumbscrew crown at the 4 o'clock position on the case. Once it is unlocked, the friction bezel can rotate in both directions at ease — absolutely pure charming 1950s technology. The crown at 3 o’clock features all the necessary time, date and GMT adjustments.
The Glycine Airman Vintage “The Chief” GMT Aged Blue Ref. GL0308 stayed faithful to the original, coming with a sapphire crystal with three layers of anti-reflective coating on the inside, and topping off the OG red-colored date.
The highlight of Airman continues onto the sunburst deep blue, military-format dial. It seems like Glycine has brought everything from the 50s Airman without tweaking anything, but with a brand new eye-catching dial color. For instance, it features the original 24-hour format with double 24 hours markings on both the dial and bezel, this allows one to track up to two different time zones still, even without a new GMT hand. The sword handsets are filled with a right amount of vintage SuperLuminova for superb glow-in-the-dark.
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C1 SuperLuminova |
Used to be powered by vintage Felsa Bidyanator automatic movements, the Airman got its upgrade by having a Glycine cal. GL293 movement which is essentially an ETA 2893-2/SW330, operating at 28,800 bph (4 Hertz) with hacking and hand winding capabilities. It has 25/26 jewels with a power reserve of 42 hours. With this movement, the Airman follows a more current style time reading by driving the main hour hand around twice per day, having a slim baton GMT hand doing the 24-hour duty. The Airman comes with a 22mm Glycine brown leather strap and signed tang buckle.
Overall, the Airman Vintage “The Chief” GMT Aged Blue Ref. GL0308 exhibits very great value given the history and build of the watch. Now in the perfect 40mm size, it imbues the essence of the original airman with a truly charming vintage aesthetic that brings so much character to the classic design. The unique Glycine looks thoroughly purpose-built and radiating its origins in the cockpit of many airliners back in those days, make this an exceptional bargain and hard to beat. The Airman fits Glycine's philosophy that Mr. Eugène Meylan set out in 1953.
Maker | Glycine |
Movement | Swiss automatic movement SW330 GMT |
Dial | Blue |
Luminous | C1 SuperLuminova |
Case | Stainless steel |
Bezel | Bi-directional bezel for double GMT display |
Crown type | 3 o'clock for time/date adjustment, and 4 o'clock for bezel system |
Lug width | 22mm |
Crystal material | Sapphire box with A/R coating (3 layers underneath) |
Strap | Brown leather strap |
Water resistance | 30m |
Dimensions | 40mm in diameter. 12.5mm thick. 49mm lug to lug. |
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