Monta is a US-based, Swiss-made watch brand, founded in 2015, which produces classic-looking professional tool watches.
The Skyquest GMT Opalin Gilt Limited Edition launches today inside the company’s existing 40.7 mm x 11.8 mm (47.4 mm lug-to-lug) 316L stainless steel case with beveled and polished lugs, and a premium flat-beveled sapphire crystal with 7-layers of anti-reflective coating.
The Skyquest GMT was first introduced at Baselworld in 2017, and the first production model arrived in 2018. This limited edition colorway was used at the end of the first-generation Skyquest and features a silvery-white opaline dial with gilt hour markers and hands.
This second-generation Skyquest GMT retains an old-school (non-ceramic) anodized aluminum insert with a bi-color Pepsi-colored day/night color scheme including gilt 24-hour markings, and with a bi-directional rotation that works in unison with the red 24-hour GMT hand to display the second time zone.
With regards to the case, the GMT bezel features a patent-pending construction, the crown screw-down to the case, and is protected by integrated crown guards, the steel and sapphire caseback screws-in (engraved with “300 M/1000 ft Serial: BXXX”), and the depth rating is 300 meters. A robust stainless steel bracelet with full-articulating screwed links and a three-position quick-adjust deployant clasp offers an ergonomic and reliable wearing experience.
According to Monta, “After several years of that production, the design team felt the overall theme was too sophisticated and lacked the tool watch roots that originally inspired its creation. The design team spent over 16 months creating and analyzing prototypes until they created the exact watch MONTA set out to create years ago. This new version is intended to capture the essence of the 50s and 60s era of steel tool watches while also bringing it into modern day. MONTA worked directly with Sellita to create a unique hand height allowing the case proportions to balance with the space needed under the crystal while maintaining an adequate thickness. The team at MONTA felt that 175 units would give our following the opportunity to enjoy a piece of MONTA history. The total of this reference that will be offered to the public is 175 units.”
Being a tool watch, the dial is highly legible with Swiss-made, gilt (gold), diamond cut, Sword style hands filled with bright blue-emitting lume. The Skyquest has applied hour markers with gilt plating that are filled with the same blue-emitting luminous material.
Driving the hours, minutes, center seconds, GMT function, and date functions is Swiss movement maker Sellita’s latest generation SW-330-2 movement. The Selllita SW-330-2 is a 4Hz automatic caliber with bi-directional winding and has been enhanced with a 56-hour power reserve, compared to 42 hours for the SW-330 and SW-330-1. Additionally, this new third-generation SW-300-2 caliber has a redesigned GMT mechanism, so when you’re setting the GMT 24-hour hand in jumping one-hour increments, it does so faster and smoother than the previous versions.
The Skyquest GMT Opalin Gilt Limited Edition (Ref. O16724AB) will deliver in April 2023 for a retail price of $2,435 and is limited to 175 pieces (pre-orders start February 15, 2023, at 2 pm CT).
Learn more at Monta.
Photos by Monta.
