Fratello’s Top 5 GMT Watches Of The First Half Of 2025 — Featuring Rolex, Nomos, Doxa, And More

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another list. Today, we continue our series of articles highlighting the best watches from the first half of 2025. It’s been a busy year so far in the watch world, so every category has an abundance of great options. In today’s article, we put the spotlight on the best new GMTs we’ve witnessed up close. This varied list shows the incredible diversity that is possible in the world of GMT watches. Let’s find out what our five favorites are.

I’m a huge fan of GMT watches, so making a list like this is special to me. It gives me a good idea of potential additions to my ever-growing wish list. After a busy couple of years full of GMTs, the number of releases in the category seems to have slowed down. Having said that, GMT watches are one of the most popular genres in the watch industry, so it’s not difficult to find five releases from 2025 that make for a great list. So, without further ado, let’s get going.

Doxa Sub 250T GMT

An easy first pick for all of us was the new series of Doxa Sub 250T GMT watches. Doxa has graced us with a wide variety of its dive watches in the past few years, and a GMT diver was a logical next step. We love how Doxa integrated the GMT function into its popular Sub 200T series to come up with the new Sub 250T GMT. The Sub 250T GMT features a 40mm stainless steel case with a 10.85mm thickness, a 42.9mm lug-to-lug, and a 250m water resistance rating. With those dimensions, it is slightly bigger than the Sub 200T. Considering that you get the extra GMT hand, that is a nice accomplishment by Doxa. It makes the watches extremely wearable.

No matter which dial color you prefer, each is available with either a matching rubber strap or the beads-of-rice bracelet. As we know from Doxa, there are many versions to choose from. Your options are an orange Professional, a black Sharkhunter, an ombré black Vintage Sharkhunter, a silver Searambler, a dark blue Caribbean, a yellow Divingstar, a turquoise Aquamarine, a white Whitepearl, and a green Sea Emerald. Honestly, I would have a hard time choosing just one.

The GMT function is neatly integrated into the overall design

The Doxa designers did a great job of adding the GMT function without negatively affecting the original design. They added a large skeletonized GMT hand that tells the hour in another time zone of your choice on the 24-hour scale integrated into the rehaut. It’s a clever solution because there is plenty going on, including two scales on the bezel, a date window, and the usual timekeeping functions. But I must say that the dials are easy to navigate and adapt to quickly..

Powering the new series is an unspecified Swiss (but likely Sellita) automatic caliber that operates at 28,800vph and offers 50 hours of power reserve. The 24-hour hand is independently adjustable, making this a caller-style GMT. As Mike explained in his review, at €2,550 on the rubber strap or €2,590 on the bracelet, the watches are competitively priced considering the prices of competitors. We all greatly enjoyed spending time with the new Doxa Sub 250T GMT series, and I would not be surprised if they make it to some of our writers’ year-end lists.

Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Limited Editions

Another hardly surprising pick is the series of Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Limited Editions. We featured it in our team-assembled list of favorite summer watches for 2025, and I also picked one of the models for mine. Yes, you have probably seen these watches quite a bit in the last few weeks, but when a series is as impressive as this one, it deserves the attention it gets. Nomos introduced two nice regular-production models of the Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer with sunray dials, but our favorites are the six limited editions with different dial colors. Nomos announced that there will be 175 pieces of each of these dial variations, and they will undoubtedly sell out soon if they haven’t already.

The watches have a 40mm stainless steel case with a 9.9mm thickness and a 48mm lug-to-lug. The polished case matches the center link of the stainless steel bracelet for visual impact. However, Nomos also offers the option to purchase the watch on a fabric strap, which completely transforms the look.

The six limited-edition options are the gray Volcano, green Jungle, brown Canyon, blue Glacier, red Magma, and yellow Dune versions. All of the dials feature a colorful 24-hour indicator at 3 o’clock and a contrasting outer ring with city codes. A firm click of the pusher lets you rotate the ring to the city in the time zone of your preference.

It is worth chasing this new Nomos

Making this possible is the in-house Nomos caliber DUW 3202. As Daan explained, the movement was designed, developed, manufactured, and assembled at the brand’s manufacturing plant in Glashütte, Germany. The automatic caliber operates at 28,800vph, features 37 jewels, and holds a power reserve of 42 hours. It’s a great new movement that you can see at work thanks to the sapphire display in the stainless steel case back. At €3,940, the series is a brilliant option as a travel watch. As mentioned, you might have to search for these watches in one of the brand’s boutiques. If you find one, jump on it because you won’t regret it.

Rolex GMT-Master II “Tiger Iron” ref. 126715CHNR

Our next pick is a divisive one. Technically, it’s just a new dial variation of the current GMT-Master II. But this new “tiger iron” dial is something else. It makes the standout Everose gold GMT-Master II even more extravagant. The watch features a stone dial made from a mixture of tiger eye, red jasper, and hematite stones.

As a result, it adds to the watch’s colorful look. As this is a stone dial, every single one will look unique. We have already seen some that are predominantly gray, as well as ones with a vibrant mix of gray, yellow, and red. As you will understand, those tones add to the watch’s colorful presence.

The same dial is also available for the yellow gold model, but we feel that the Everose gold version is the better option for this dial. The fun thing is that we have recently seen quite a few new stone dials modeled on or inspired by Rolex’s famous stone dials of prior decades. But you know that Rolex wasn’t just going to bring back an old dial. That’s not how the Genevan brand operates. Instead, we get a new one made from three stones with a unique look.

A stylish travel watch that will stand out every time

The GMT-Master II has a 40mm Everose gold case with a 12mm thickness and a 48mm lug-to-lug. Rolex paired it with a black and brown Cerachrom bezel insert that matches the dial colors nicely. It’s the model that many think of as the current full-gold version of the “Root Beer.” Finishing the look is an Everose gold Oyster bracelet. Inside the case, you will find the in-house caliber 3285, which ticks at 28,800vph and offers 70 hours of power reserve. At €51,250, this third pick is the most expensive on the list, but it’s also the most extravagant and stylish.

Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT SPB509

Another GMT that stood out for us was the Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT SPB509. It debuted alongside the Marinemaster SLA081, the brand’s new heavy-hitter diver. While the SLA081 took the spotlight, this SPB509 is a nice new version of the Prospex 1968 Heritage GMT Diver, which came out two years ago. Seiko has slowly but steadily introduced new versions and impressed with quite a few of them. Another one from this year was the 60th Anniversary Edition SPB519 with its brilliant white and blue aesthetic.

Just as a reminder, the SPB509 and its peers have a 42mm case with a 13.3mm profile, a 48.6mm lug-to-lug, and a 300m depth rating. For the SPB509, Seiko matched the case with a stainless steel bezel and a dark blue bezel insert that matches the stunning blue wave dial. The dial uses two shades of blue and looks impressively detailed. The large applied lume-filled markers and sword-style hands contrast with the dial. Neatly tucked in at 4:30 is the date aperture. It displays a dark blue disc and white printing. The GMT hand is a beautiful gold color. It looks super classy and indicates the time in a second time zone in conjunction with the dial’s 24-hour rehaut.

The GMT version of the Marinemaster

Inside the case, Seiko uses its in-house caliber 6R54. This automatic GMT movement operates at 21,600vph and offers 72 hours of power reserve. The caller-style GMT movement lets you adjust the 24-hour hand independently from the others, and the crown at 4 o’clock allows you to change the main time and the time in the second time zone.

Finishing the look is a nice three-row bracelet that features a new toolless extension system. Seiko has made great improvements to its bracelets in the past few years. This year, we have also seen the first new clasps, which show that Seiko is catching up with enthusiasts’ demands.

At €1,900, this watch is an awesome option if you plan on diving and traveling. The SPB509 looks awesome and has the chops to be the perfect daily GMT diver.

Ressence Type 7

Back in March of this year, Ressence surprised us with its new Type 7. It is the brand’s first sports watch with an integrated bracelet, and it also happens to be a GMT. As Daan explained, the sporty Type 7 features a full-titanium dial, case, and bracelet, offering something radically different from the brand’s other offerings. However, the signature orbital dial ensures that you will immediately recognize it as a Ressence watch.

The watch features a Grade 5 titanium case with a 41mm diameter and a 14mm profile, including the domed sapphire crystal. The case is matched with an integrated three-row bracelet. However, as you can see, the center links take up the vast majority of the total width. To add elegance, the sleek titanium bracelet tapers nicely from 24mm at the case to 20mm at the clasp.

Ressence introduced two versions of the Type 7. The first is the Night Blue, a regular edition to the lineup. The second is the XV Aquamarine, an 80-piece limited edition to celebrate Ressence’s 15th anniversary. Other than their colors, there are some small differences between the two. The Night Blue version features a ceramic bezel, while the XV Aquamarine has an aluminum one. A nice functional design twist is the direction of the numerals on the bezel. If you look closely, you see they are all oriented toward the wearer. For most bezel designs, this would look strange, but it fits the unique Ressence style perfectly.

The magic of Ressence’s oil-filled dials

The Type 7’s oil-filled convex dial features the brand’s characteristic satellites. The longer of the two “hands” shows the minutes, and the shorter one displays the hours. An additional display indicates the temperature of the oil underneath the crystal, which provides a magically legible display. Lastly, you will see the running 120-second indicator and the hour in another time zone.

The watch’s power source is the patented ROCS 7 (Ressence Orbital Convex System). It is driven by the minute axle of a customized ETA movement. The automatic caliber also allows manual winding, operates at 28,800vph, and offers a 36-hour power reserve. It powers a new release from Ressence that we didn’t see coming but that surprised us in all the right ways.

At CHF 36,000 (ex. VAT), this new Ressence has a steep price. What you get in return, however, is a unique take on a GMT. Come to think of it, there aren’t that many integrated-bracelet sports watches that feature a GMT function. The brilliant Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante is the first that comes to mind. The new green-dial Verzasca version of that watch could have also been on this list. However, despite its classy looks, it is not as exciting as the new Ressence Type 7.

Final thoughts on the best GMT watches of the first half of 2025

As mentioned in the intro, there have been quite a few nice GMTs this year, making this list of five way too short. On top of that, you will see the Nomos and Doxa in plenty of articles, so this list is not necessarily the most surprising. Then again, if releases are good, there is no reason why they should not be on this list. But we invite you to share your favorite GMT watches of 2025 so far in the comments section. Which of these five do you like the most, and what great GMT watches did we forget to put on this list? Let us know, and we will see you for a new list next week.