Watches with 12 Hour Bezels …what are my choices? And are they Worth it?
Hi everyone. I already have a beautiful GS GMT watch but I really want a simple 12 Hr bezel watch that I can easily use when I travel to check another time zone. The problem is I can’t seem to find one that suits my taste or budget, other than the Baltic 12 hr Aquascaphe (shown below) which I absolutely love. All the other ones that I see are either unavailable, too loud and large or just not my simple taste.
I am open to any suggestions and to hear your thoughts on if a watch like this is really worth having in your collection. Thanks in advance.
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Wayne
Retired engineer with a very late late start in the watch collecting circle. Late but just as enthusiastic as anyone.
Ontario, Canada
Member since
Last active: 1 year ago
Two suggestions;
a. Islander watches from Long Island Watch, they have a few models with a 12 hour bezel in both 43mm, and 38mm sizes.
b. Marathon Navigator. It's plastic, and it's quartz, but it has a 12 hour bezel, and tritium rather than Superluminova. It was designed to be used by aircrew to do exactly what you want.
At that price point, I don't think you can go wrong with the Baltic. Their watches absolutely ooze retro cool.
I specifically got the Breitling AVI 1953 Re-edition for the 12 hour bezel and the 15-minute sub-dial at 3-o'clock, but it's significantly pricier than the Baltic.
Two suggestions;
a. Islander watches from Long Island Watch, they have a few models with a 12 hour bezel in both 43mm, and 38mm sizes.
b. Marathon Navigator. It's plastic, and it's quartz, but it has a 12 hour bezel, and tritium rather than Superluminova. It was designed to be used by aircrew to do exactly what you want.
Thanks a bunch. Will check them out
The Halios Fairwind offers a sapphire 12 hour bezel as an option, but they are currently unavailable. They will be launching a new model sometime in Q2 of 2022, so may be worth checking out.
https://halioswatches.com/products/fairwind
The Halios Fairwind offers a sapphire 12 hour bezel as an option, but they are currently unavailable. They will be launching a new model sometime in Q2 of 2022, so may be worth checking out.
https://halioswatches.com/products/fairwind
Yes I remember coming across this really great looking watch but it was unavailable with no mention of a release date until now. Thanks a lot for the shout out. Will have to consider my few options but still leaning towards the Baltic…ah the choices we have to make.
At that price point, I don't think you can go wrong with the Baltic. Their watches absolutely ooze retro cool.
I specifically got the Breitling AVI 1953 Re-edition for the 12 hour bezel and the 15-minute sub-dial at 3-o'clock, but it's significantly pricier than the Baltic.
Wow, great looking watch, but yeah…different price range. Thanks again.
What exactly is your price point? Ginault is about to launch their new Silent Service model with the option of a bi-directional 12 hour bezel. The no-date version will be $1039. Truly the best built watch this side of a Tudor
Edit: will be a 41mm with 47mm lug to lug. They plan to start taking pre-orders sometime in the next month or two, it is general a couple month wait from their as they are all individually built. So you would still be waiting a decent while just an FYI
I've seen a couple vostoks with this bezel setup if you want a budget option to try it out.
What exactly is your price point? Ginault is about to launch their new Silent Service model with the option of a bi-directional 12 hour bezel. The no-date version will be $1039. Truly the best built watch this side of a Tudor
Edit: will be a 41mm with 47mm lug to lug. They plan to start taking pre-orders sometime in the next month or two, it is general a couple month wait from their as they are all individually built. So you would still be waiting a decent while just an FYI
Hey thanks for the suggestion. Really appreciate it but their website is a mess as I can’t seem to find any detail on this watch which looks great but may be a bit too large for my wrist. Also it seems that Genault has some sort of a shady past but I can’t verify anything. still leaning towards the Baltic which I can order to ship in 2-3 days. Thanks again.
I've seen a couple vostoks with this bezel setup if you want a budget option to try it out.
Thanks for the suggestion. Will try and check it out. Cheers!
I LOVE 12 hour bezels and wish more brands offered them. I travel and bought a watch with GMT as a solution and that works. Then I put a 12 hour bezel on one of my Vostoks and find it to be much easier to read at a glance. I don't need a 24 hour solution. I can keep track of if my home time zone is ahead or behind me. My Nodus is my current go-to travel watch.
I LOVE 12 hour bezels and wish more brands offered them. I travel and bought a watch with GMT as a solution and that works. Then I put a 12 hour bezel on one of my Vostoks and find it to be much easier to read at a glance. I don't need a 24 hour solution. I can keep track of if my home time zone is ahead or behind me. My Nodus is my current go-to travel watch.
Hey thanks for the reply. Yes I do love the Nodus Contrail and Duality but alas…they are not being offered at this time with no definite release date in sight. The Duality looks great on you. Still favouring the Baltic which I can order anytime. Thanks again.
Any update on what you ended up going with? I’m hunting for a higher end 12 hour bezel watch. Some strong candidates: Omega Seamaster 300 Spectre, Tag Heuer Autavia 02, and a couple of Breitling reissues.
Baltic. It just fits perfectly on my 61/2 wrist. Good luck on your choice.