The Charismatic Delma Santiago GMT Meridian Automatic

If you’re on the hunt for a dive watch to enjoy during these warmer months of the year, you’re spoilt for choice by brands from A through Z. If you want to add in a practical GMT functionality, there’s still plenty to choose from, but it’s a lot less widespread already. Add in a water resistance of no less than 500m, and there aren’t that many options to choose from, really. Delma looks to fill that gap with its new Santiago GMT Meridian Automatic, the first mechanical expansion of the charismatic yet traditional-looking Santiago dive watch collection.

From the outside, the Santiago GMT Meridian Automatic has a very familiar style. The 43mm wide and 13.3mm thick stainless steel case is brushed and polished and topped with a unidirectional rotating bezel. Since it’s a GMT, the bezel insert has a two-tone colour scheme er black and blue, black and green or blue and red, all with a 24-hour scale. With all the colour combinations, there are seven references in total. The case is sandwiched by sapphire crystal on the front and back and has a very respectable water resistance of 500m.

You can choose four colours for the dial: black, blue, green or white. All have a carbon weave pattern, which stands out most on the black, blue and green ones. The dial is finished with large Super-LumiNova indices, numerals at 6, 9 and 12 o’clock, and a date window enhanced by a cyclops at 3 o’clock. The central hour and minute hands have a luminous insert and are joined by a red-tipped central seconds hand and a red GMT hand with a Super-LumiNova-filled triangular tip.

Power comes from the Sellita SW330-2, which is a Swiss-made automatic movement with a GMT function that can be independently set through the crown. However, it’s important to note that this is an Office GMT and not a Traveller’s GMT, so you set the GMT hand instead of the local hour hand. The movement has a frequency of 28,800vph and comes with a running time of 42 hours. The decorations are basic, although it does come with a Delma-signed rotor.

The Delma Santiago GMT Meridian Automatic comes on a stainless steel five-link bracelet (Jubilee, anyone?) with a folding clasp that has a security clip. The watch is not limited and is directly available from Delma for a price of EUR 1,650.

For more information, please visit DelmaWatches.com.