The Laco 'Frankfurt' GMT Schwarz

As I spend quite a bit of my time below sea level, underground or in the mountains, you could be forgiven for thinking 'What does this guy need a pilot's watch for?', and I can see where you're coming from. Even though my accountant has accused me of 'flying too close to the sun' on numerous occasions, I'm still not sure that it qualifies me to wear a flieger. Generally speaking, these types of watches follow a trend, much like dive watches do. This trend normally manifests itself in the form of large, clear, no-nonsense dial that can be read in an instant, regardless of position; however, the vast majority have little resilience when it comes to any form of liquid shenanigans. Indeed, why should they? If a pilot gets submerged in water, it's reasonable to assume that things aren't going particularly well. Bearing this in mind the time will, almost certainly, be some way down their list of immediate priorities.

Why then, have I spent my hard-earned money on what appears to be little more than a 'dress trinket'? Well, this 'flieger' is good-to-go down to 200m, thanks in part to the twin, screw-down 'onion' crowns positioned at 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock. It's also a GMT, and that's not only useful for travelling, but also for navigating. I can't believe just how well this watch transmits information; diver's watches are generally very good, but the Laco 'Frankfurt' is on another level entirely.

The Germans called these 'Beobachtungsuhren' which literally means 'observation watches', the term often abbreviated to' B-Uhren. These watches played an important role in navigation during WW2, offering accurate timing information to German bomber crews. The dials came in two flavours, type 'A' and type 'B'. Type 'A' featured a triangle in the middle of two dots at the 12 o'clock position, with Arabic numerals or hour markers on the remainder. It is a slight variation on this dial that adorns the 'Frankfurt'. Of course, this watch also features a GMT complication, and Laco have combined this exceptionally well. This is achieved in the usual manner but with an internal rotating bezel, offering multiple options. A date has also been added, and sits quite nicely at the 6 o'clock position. It's true that all these extra features detract from the original 'flieger' design; however, Laco were one of only a handful of manufacturers that made the original watches, so there's nothing to worry about. Laco have used their experience to maintain everything about the original while propelling it well into the 21st century. To my surprise, I have developed a real passion for this watch and after wearing it on one or two adventures, its practicality has really hit home. Let's move on now and take a look at the 'Frankfurt' in a little more detail.

The Package

The 'Frankfurt' arrived in a very impressive aluminium case. On opening the case the watch is presented on a black, Laco, two-piece leather strap. An additional grey/orange, Laco, two-piece nylon strap is also included along with a Laco spring-bar tool, Laco keyring, warranty card and booklet. Quite frankly, the presentation is an absolute joy to behold!

The Movement

The Laco 330 is, of course, the Sellita SW330-2, and this upgraded edition of the SW330-1 is just the ticket. The changes amount to increasing the power reserve from 42 hours to 56 hours as well as improving the GMT mechanism. The improvements to the GMT make it much smoother to operate and reduce backlash in the gear train to almost zero. Is it noticeable? Yes, it is. I have another watch with an SW330-1, and the adjustment of the GMT hand is noticeably harsher; there is also a little backlash in the GMT mechanism that results in a slight movement in the GMT hand if the watch is tapped with your finger. Don't get me wrong, this backlash is incredibly small and can only be picked up when the pointer is aligned exactly with one of the markers. The SW330-2 is, without doubt, a better proposition altogether. The SW330 has always been good, and this one just takes it to the next level. This particular specimen is running consistently at +3 seconds/day, and that's pretty good. The 'Frankfurt' is also equipped with a well above average magnetic field protection system, finishing the job off quite nicely.

The Lume!

As a diver, my collection is predominantly dive watches, and these tend to have incredible lume. So for something to impress me on that front, it has to be better than good, it has to be incredible! I don't really know what I was expecting on this front, but what I did get was a shock! The lume on this watch will hold its own with any dive watch, including the 'Tuna', and that's an incredible compliment. Although the brightness and longevity of the lume is indeed, impressive, it's the clarity that's absolutely amazing; every single marker on the dial and internal bezel is visible. The entire length of the seconds hand is lumed, and it's incredibly clear! The orange triangle on the internal 24 hour bezel, along with the orange, skeletonised arrow on the GMT hand are also lumed, but in orange! All lume is courtesy of Swiss Super-LumiNova C3.

The Case and Crystal

The case, caseback, crowns and bezel ring are all S316 Stainless Steel that has been dark-blasted. I have to say that I'm not a great fan of blasted finishes as any marks cannot be camouflaged, but as of yet the case is still pristine, and I've not molly-coddled it in any way whatsoever. The very slightly double-domed sapphire crystal is AR coated on both sides. Again, I'm not a big fan on outer AR coating as it can become scratched, but even after a few knocks and scrapes, this has remained completely free of marks. On the early models the AR coating was on the inside only, but there was an option to have it on both inside and outside at extra cost; I think that this was a much better idea altogether. The caseback has a jet flying over Europe in relief and although of little practical use, it's a nice touch. As of yet, everything has remained blemish free, but it's early days!

The Crowns

I have to say something about the crowns. The twin 'onion' crowns are typical flieger in design and are the best crowns I've seen on any watch; their grip is almost skin-shredding! Not only are they a pleasure to look at, but sit so well into the crown-guards that it's difficult to envisage any problems on the damage front. Both crowns are silky-smooth in operation, and catch cleanly every time. I could go on and on, but I'm close to boring myself, never mind you!

The Internal Rotating Bezel

This operates bi-directionally and has detents every 30 minutes, allowing those few half-hour time zones to be tracked accurately. The 48 detents all align perfectly, as you would expect from one of Germany's most prestigious watch manufacturers. I have used this bezel as a countdown timer on a number of occasions by subtracting the number of minutes that I wish to time from 60, and then setting this number to align with the tip of the minute hand; when the minute hand comes around to align with the orange triangle on the bezel, your time has elapsed.

The Hand-Set

It wouldn't be right to overlook the hand-set on the 'Frankfurt'. The outline of the hour and minute hands have been thermally blued. Not immediately noticeable, but when the light catches them they add an elegance to the whole thing. The seconds hand features a jet as its counterweight, serving as a discreet reminder of Laco's enviable aviation heritage.

The Last Word

The 'Frankfurt' has made an incredible impression, there's no denying that. Up to yet, it's performed impeccably, and I've no reason at all to think that this will change. I've no doubt that an update in a year or so will be forthcoming when it's really had time to show me what it can do. Is it really all good? Yes, pretty much so at this point. If the 'Frankfurt' does have any weaknesses, I'll find them as time goes by. Although you'll have to make do with land and sea based adventures, as I'm not prepared to shell out on a WW2 bomber on the strength of an update. I've listed all the usual stuff below for the benefit of the 'number crunchers' out there. I feel that the 'Frankfurt' wears a little larger than the 43mm would suggest, but it's nothing to write home about. If you have a 'Frankfurt', don't forget to comment; It's always interesting to see if others view things in the same way.

Technical Specifications.

Brand: Laco.

Model: Frankfurt GMT.

Price: ￡1455.00.

Material: S316L Stainless Steel.

Movement: Laco330 automatic. (Sellita SW330-2 Elabore)

Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and GMT.

Crystal: Double-Domed Sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides.

Dial: Dark grey with rotating, bi-colour internal bezel.

Size: 43,0mm diameter. Height 12,5mm. Lug to Lug 50,0mm. Lug Width 20,0mm.

Crown: Twin screw-down 'onion' crowns positioned at 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock.

Caseback: Screw-down.

Water resistance: 200m.

Weight: 106g on the Laco nylon strap.