Worn & Wound
Hands-On: the Split GMT
The longer I navigate my watch journey, the more I realize it’s a bit like dating. You get a press kit and metaphorically swipe left or right in a very judging-the-book-by-its-cover type of way. The aesthetics are often the first thing to draw you in and make you curious or to turn you away. In either case, as a good journalist, I’m usually compelled to read the press release and gather a bit more information, skim the profile if you will. I can fully admit aesthetics are highly subjective, but substance is vital. Still, I can’t fully assess a watch without going hands-on. Images can either disappoint or not quite do justice to a design, and the promises spelled out in specs need to be put to the test. Seeing a watch is the real make or break moment to determine if we’re a perfect match. I recently went through this dating ritual with Split watches, a London-based independent brand making its U.S. debut with a new GMT. A few things really stood out to me when I first received the announcement. The look of the watches was interesting, combining unique design elements, shapes, and colors. Reading about the vision behind the design was poetic, drawing from elements of music and nature – two of my favorite sources of inspiration. The watches are powered by the Miyota 9075 true GMT movement – calibers I’ve developed even more appreciation for after visiting Citizen’s movement factory earlier this year. Beyond the watches themselves, I was equally impressed wit...