We released our first GMT watch in 2022, with the release of the Swiss Made G7, which retailed at $1,199, and carried all the hallmarks of a luxury mechanical timepiece. Last year, in 2023 we followed that up with the release of the USA assembled G5, which started at only $799.
Today we're proud to announce the newest addition to the GMT lineup with the arrival of the G2 Meridian GMT—bringing together style, functionality, and craftsmanship in a versatile, everyday timepiece.
1) A Badass Caseback
We love quartz watches here at Vaer (we launched our business with them in 2017), but one area where they tend to fall short is the caseback. Unlike our automatics, where we’ve always used sapphire exhibition casebacks to show off the movement, our quartz casebacks are all solid steel. For the G2, we turned that design reality into a selling point, using the case back area to etch a 24-timezone world map.
In addition to looking cool, this “infographic” serves as a visual reference point to keep track of what timezone you’re in while traveling and what time it is back home. Because it’s Vaer’s world map, we chose timezone locations that resonated with our personal experiences and brand journey - including Vaer operating locations like Kansas City and LA, our favorite world cities like New York, Tokyo, and London, and iconic outdoor/surf destinations like Jackson Hole, Hawaii, Fiji, and the Gold Coast.
2) A Perfect Fit for Most Wrists
One of the oddities of the existing Vaer lineup is that, prior to the G2, we never sold a 39mm quartz watch. Even though that has been the standard size for all of our automatic divers and GMTs (like the G5/D5), we’ve always split our more affordable collections into small (38mm) and large (42mm). From our personal on-wrist experience (and what we hear from customers), 39mm is a sweet spot for most men’s wrists, feeling substantial but not bulky. Additionally, the G2 has an oversized 40mm bezel, which increases the tactile ergonomics of the bi-direction bezel and gives the watch slightly more presence on the wrist, looking slightly larger than it feels.
3) Our First 15ATM Watch
Like all Vaer watches, the G2 comes with a waterproof warranty, which means that if you can flood it (with the crown screwed down), we’ll replace it. This level of confidence in the in-water functionality of our watches is an integral part of our brand’s value proposition. While 30ATM or 50ATM watches are technically interesting, they’re also extremely thick and bulky and don’t serve any purpose aside from a talking point. Even within our own line-up, the failure rate between 10ATM and 20ATM is negligible since the conditions required to flood a 10ATM watch are already at the limits of what the human body can tolerate. So why make the G2 15ATM? We made this decision because it allowed us to a) make the case super thin (10.5 mm) while b) still delivering the boosted specs you might expect from a premium diver.
4) Our Thinnest Dive Case Ever
As mentioned above, by making the watch 15ATM, we unlocked the ability to slim down its mid-case significantly. Including the watch's domed crystal, the G2 measures only 10.8mm in total thickness, comparable to most of our field watches. Combined with the 39mm diameter, this gives the watch a great on-wrist presence and a very low-profile feel.
5) A Watch That Suits Any Strap
As the first-ever release in this new G2 collection, we wanted to keep the aesthetics rooted in the classic vision of a GMT dive watch. The red and navy split bezel indicates Day and Night within a 24-hour cycle, and the overall proportions, color, and material design take inspiration from our favorite historical GMT watch, the ref. 1675 Rolex GMT Master, first introduced in 1958. The combination of an understated matte black dial with the colorful pop of the red and blue bezel makes the G2 an immediate attention grabber while still being refined enough to balance nicely on just about any type of strap or bracelet.
