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Glycine Airman Vintage "Noon" 1953 Automatic Watch

Glycine Airman Vintage "Noon" 1953 Automatic Watch

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Product Description
A recreation of a classic airman’s watch from more than 60 years ago, this Massdrop-exclusive version of the Glycine Airman Vintage 1953 features everything you loved about the original, only now with a different set of hands. Because the hour hand only completes one sweeping revolution per day, the dial has Arabic numerals in intervals of two from 2 to 24 Read More

Customer Reviews

4.3
(10 reviews)
5star
(5)
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razor12
5
Nov 17, 2020
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sadly i had to return this watch
I was in love with this watch but it came with a loose piece floating around in the back. I tried to have it fixed under warranty but would have to send it to Singapore at my own expense as there are no Glycine dealers in Australia. So I returned it for a refund. I have been looking to purchase another one but not had much luck finding one. I now regret returning it.
Recommends this product? Yes
hoffman
72
Dec 12, 2020
razor12A bit late now but you could have returned it to Switzerland. I am in UK and there is no Glycine service agent in the UK. I have just returned another Glycine Sub Combat watch that developed a slight problem just inside the warranty period. With UPS it is not so expensive. I have been lucky, I bought this watch in question the same time as you and it still works flawlessly with good time keeping. Just a bit of info for the future though
bwoo
11
Dec 11, 2018
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The minute hand is to short, taking to long to set the time. As a result, in low light jetlag moments, the time is too hard to get at. Shorten the hour hand or elongate the minute hand into the minute rail. Broad Arrow, and Mercedes hands have fixed other brands watches, I would love the watch with $10 dollars more worth of hands. However 3 stars out of five only, for a watch more accurate than my Explorer ll or GMT Master ll.
hoffman
72
Dec 10, 2018
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I bought this watch about 3 months ago. I was lucky enough to get number 05/ 1000 of this limited edition watch. The workmanship is good and the timekeeping is excellent. I do not know if Glycine spent extra time regulating this watch but this one without any self regulation or from a professional is often running to +5 seconds a week direct from Glycine. This is wearing during the day and at night leaving it lugs up towards midnight on a 24 hour dial. I have a Zenith and an IWC both which are not quite as accurate as this watch. The only downsides is it takes a little while getting used to a 24 hour dial with just one complete turn of the hour hand instead of the usual two but it does make me concentrate more on what the time actually is. The other thing I would have liked to have seen is super luminova on the hour markers and not just the hands. To make it a perfect watch for me would have been if the dial had been in black. Overall I like the watch and certainly a nice change from usual dial configuration of a 12 hour day
hoffman
72
Dec 11, 2018
Yes I guessed that was the reason but just mentioning it as preference. Did the original one from that time have a 36mm diameter. Today 36mm is considered small but in 1953 it would be considered rather large. I have a Universal Geneve from that period and the watch is 34 mm diameter.
Sfg57
4
Dec 8, 2018
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Beautiful watch very accurate. Build quality is outstanding. As good as more expensive watches. Takes a bit to get used to the 24 hour dial. Very good value.
tradrockrat
60
Aug 5, 2018
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I've had the watch (462 / 1000) for a few days now, and here's my impression:
First, I love the watch but gave it 4 stars. Having said that, if I could give it 4 1/2 stars I would, but there are two issues I don't like.
The positive: It's gorgeous, the 42 mm is perfect with this crown, face, and magnifier date window. The lume on the hands is quite nice and bright. The watch band is well stitched and of quality construction. There are no issues with hand or face alignment, time keeping (over three days it averaged +3 seconds a day), or winding / hacking. The glass case back is clean, simple, and the logo on the winding weight is well done. Visually and mechanically, this watch is excellent.
The nitpicks: Why a NATO band on a glass back watch? I can't complain too much because it's not like I didn't know this was what comes with the watch. The lume on the hands is awesome, but if you aren't well versed in GMT 24 hour faces, it doesn't matter as you can't see the face at all in the dark, so....yeah...there's that.
The negative: The free play / wiggle in the crown even when tightened down is disappointing in a watch that I paid over $600 dollars for. It's absolutely unacceptable in a watch at the price point Glycine want's to claim. Had I been the one human being on the planet that pays retail for a watch, it'd be on it's way back to Glycine. As it is, I can live with it because the lock does work and the crown won't slip, but I will take half a star off the rating. The other negative is the watch band - while fine for my wrist - might come up small on big wrist folks out there, and the rings are downright delicate compared to most NATO / ZULU straps I've ever owned or seen. This doesn't really bother me as I'm switching straps anyway, and always planned to, but if you saw this watch and thought the black band was perfect, you might be a surprised at the small rings and lack of fold-able band. Is there such a thing as a "Dress NATO Band"? There is now.
DR.ZAP
39
Jul 15, 2018
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I purchased on the first drop, and find excuses to wear it often. I love this watch. I really, REALLY do. The aesthetic is right up my alley, and you can wear it with almost anything until you start getting too dressy. So what's the deal with 4 stars?... 1. Massdrop-Exclusive Hands - There is literally nothing exclusive about this watch other than the price. You can now get on eBay and buy this watch. MD has explained they THOUGHT they would have exclusive rights to this setup for a certain amount of time, but it's a misleading claim either way. 2. The movement, 'based on an ETA 2893' - It IS based on a 2893 - but it's no ETA modified by Glycine as in the past. You'll be getting a SW-300 that Glycine has toyed with. Not a huge deal to me, but again, misleading - this time by Glycine themselves. Also serves to be mentioned that my watch has run on average +8s/day while worn and +3s/day on the nightstand. Glad to see it running fast rather than slow, but a little frustrated with the positional variance. Also somewhat disappointed Glycine couldn't regulate it any better than that. Combat Sub owners frequently claim near COSC right out of the box. 3. Fit and Finish - All in all, this watch is pretty well-polished (literally and figuratively). That being said, my cyclops is EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY crooked, and the bezel is EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY off compared to the dial. Both are almost imperceptible, but I'm a dentist by trade... I nitpick. Also, many of the dial markings (mostly the triangular indices in-between numbers) aren't perfectly centered where they should be. All small gripes, but something to be mentioned nonetheless. My watch shows NO signs of the misaligned hands, though. Maybe the discrepancy was more of an issue with 4-hand models??? 4. The Strap - It's stiff and uncomfortable, but complements the watch nicely. Simple as that. As stated earlier, I STILL love this watch. The vintage military aesthetic speaks to me, and I know I'm HIGHLY unlikely to run into someone with the same watch on. I wear it casual. I wear it to work. It's just downright cool. If you can get past the shadiness from MD and Glycine, I think it's a fantastic buy at $650. You can certainly pay much more for much less in the land of watches. Feel free to drop me any questions below. Edit December 2018 - Watch is now available on eBay for cheaper than the drop... Glycine seems to be dropping their prices across the board, and on a somewhat unrelated note I recently received a brand new Combat Sub with a grossly-misaligned bezel. I guess Invicta is changing more than they said they would??? Will be interesting to see where the brand goes from here.
(Edited)
SebsterBL
0
Sep 11, 2020
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Berefto6
39
Aug 4, 2019
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Peter.charron
51
Dec 10, 2018
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sgtflc
1
Jul 9, 2018
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