Last Updated on May 16, 2023 by swisswatchreview
Founded in Switzerland in 1914, Glycine started as a company producing women’s watches, with a few pocket watches here and there. They weren’t a big company. Like most Swiss watch manufacturers, they were just chugging along. Then 1930 happened. Glycine released the world’s first mass-produced automatic watch. This led to the production of the Glycine Airman, a watch that put the company on the map. Nowadays, watch enthusiasts looking for an affordable, but luxury Swiss-made watch have turned their attention to one of the most popular products in the company’s range; the Glycine Combat Sub GMT.
The Glycine Airman was designed for pilots. It was even rocked by several astronauts. The Glycine Combat Sub GMT is a watch designed for people of the land. It is for divers. It is for those working in industry. It is for the military. It is designed for every man that wants to wear a stylish, but affordable, watch on their wrists. It isn’t a surprise that the Glycine Combat Sub GMT has rapidly become the most popular product from Glycine.
The Glycine Combat Sub GMT – The Specs
Like most watches from Glycine, the Glycine Combat Sub GMT is available in a variety of different styles. You can choose from automatic or quartz movement. Your choice of casing boils down to bronze or stainless steel. Sizes range from 36mm to 48mm. The bezel color and strap selection are even more extensive. So, if you are a watch lover on the hunt for a quality Swiss watch that matches your personality, then you should have no issues finding a Glycine Combat Sub GMT that matches your personality and dress style.
While the Glycine Combat Sub GMT models are made in a variety of different styles, the base spec remains the same. They are all designed to be water resistant up to 200 meters. Automatic watches use the GL293 (this is the Sellita SW330-1) which boasts the following specs:
- 4 hands (seconds, minutes, hours, and second timezone)
- The date is at the 3 mark.
- 42 hours of power reserve
- 25 jewels
- Diameter: 26.20mm
- Casting Diameter: 25.60mm
- Thickness 4.10mm
- Incablock Shock System
The watch movement is actually a replication of the now-discontinued ETA 2893-2, which Glycine used in their old Airman watches, although they have now moved onto the Sellita SW330-1. They didn’t change their part number (GL293), though. The two watch movements are interchangeable.
The GL293 is well-known for its ability to keep accurate time. All thanks to the 25 jewels it utilizes. It has a maximum deviation of 20 seconds of all hands per day, with the average hovering around the 5-second mark. This is barely anything considering the Sellita SW330-1 is designed to be an affordable watch movement. There are more expensive watch movements out there with more time deviation. So, if it is accuracy that you crave in your watches (who doesn’t want that?), then anything fitted with the GL293 is a great choice.
Glycine GL0382 Review – All You Need To Know
This page is going to focus on a very specific model of the Glycine Combat Sub GMT. This is the Glycine GL0382, launched in 2021, it is currently the most popular product in the Combat Sub GMT range. While this is a review of the Glycine Combat Sub GMT GL0382, the information here applies to almost all of the products under the Combat Sub GMT banner.
Most of the specs are the same as other models in the Glycine Combat Sub GMT range, with most of the deviations being cosmetic e.g. size, bezel color, strap, etc. The watch glass is slightly different between models too, with most including the Glycine GL0382 offering sapphire. Here are the specs for the Glycine GL0382:
- Caliber: GL293 Swiss Automatic (Sellita SW330-1, with 25 jewels)
- Case Material: Stainless Steel
- Back: Exhibition
- Diameter: 42mm
- Waterproof: up to 200m
- Glass: Sapphire
- Crown Type: Screw Down
- Strap: 22mm stainless steel, fold over with push button.
The look of the GL0382 is absolutely stunning. The black bezel and stainless steel combo create a beautiful, understated design that is perfect for every occasion. This watch would look equally at home at a black tie event as it would navigating the ski slopes of Switzerland, or as a good dive watch. This watch is versatile. Those in the market for a quality watch that they could wear just about everywhere would be more than happy with the GL293.
The Case of the Glycine Combat Sub GMT
One of the reasons why the Glycine Combat Sub GMT became so popular is due to the quality of the watch casing. Not just the design, but the way it feels when you are wearing it.
At a shade under 11mm thick, the Glycine Combat Sub GMT is one of the thinnest dive watches on the market. Its sleekness not only helps with the overall aesthetics of the watch but also ensures that you don’t feel as if you are lugging around something that is overly heavy. Although, it still has a luxurious weight to it. It has been made from stainless steel, after all.
The distance from lug tip to lug tip is 50mm. They are curved lug tips, something which you often don’t see on larger watches. Many competitors have opted for straight lugs, perhaps because they feel it offers a better fit. However, it is evident that Glycine has poured a lot of effort into the design of its lugs. They are perfectly curved, and they feel comfortable when on the wrist.
The bezel offers a 60-click mechanism. The beautiful black design of this flat bezel stands out against the stainless steel strap. The steel numbers on the bezel are striking and easy to read.
The case design is completed with a prominent screw-down crown. While the crown is rather hefty in size, it does contribute to the overall design of the watch. It is also well-inset into the watch case, so you don’t feel it while you are wearing the watch, something which isn’t the case with other timepieces that opt for roughly the same size crown.
Watch Face
The watch face is protected by sapphire and is scratch-resistant, which is important in a general-purpose watch, especially one designed for those into more adventurous activities. It really is scratch-resistant too, you could really put this watch through its paces and barely see a mark on the front of it.
Thanks to the GL293 mechanism, the Glycine Combat Sub GMT offers four watch hands. You have your typical seconds, minutes, and hour hand. There is also an additional hand for keeping track of GMT (although, this can be set to whatever you wish). There is an additional wheel to display the current date. The main watch hands are colored silver, while the GMT and date hand is red.
While there are no numbers on the watch face, there are stunning silver dots on each hour mark on the watch face. They stand out wonderfully against the black background, allowing you to quickly tell the time with a quick glance. These marks have been coated in SLN luminous material to ensure that the watch can be read in the dark.
Watch Movement
All Combat Sub watches in recent years have used the GL293 mechanism. As mentioned, this is a third-party mechanism produced by Sellita. This mechanism is constructed from brass and utilizes 25 jewels. This ensures that not only is good for keeping time, but it is hardwearing. While the current version of the GL293 was launched in 2015, it is based on a design much older than this. This is a design that has shown it is built to last. This movement can handle pretty much anything thrown at it.
As an automatic watch with a 42-hour power reserve, you will never have to worry about the GL293 losing its power on you. This is a watch that will keep ticking consistently, and it will keep the time accurately as it does so.
The watch movement is equipped with the Incabloc anti-shock system. This design was originally introduced in the 1930s, and has remained in use by many Swiss watch manufacturers since. The Incabloc system ensures that the watch can put up with significant bumps without the movement being thrown out of sync. This is exactly what you want in a watch designed for daily use.
Are Glycine Watches Good?
Absolutely! While Glycine watches have never really been a firm favorite among watch collectors, they are fantastic timepieces. Each and every one of the Glycine watches has been lovingly designed and assembled in Switzerland. Like most Swiss watches, Glycine watches have been built to exacting standards, and remain a timepiece that you will be using decades from now.
Are Glycine watches as great as watches like Rolex, Breguet, etc? Absolutely not. Glycine watches come in at a fraction of the price of those brands, though. Glycine watches are designed for the entry-level market. Those that want a luxury Swiss-made watch but don’t want to spend the big bucks on one. In that section of the market? Glycine is absolutely unbeatable.
Remember, even though Glycine watches are significantly cheaper than their competition in the Swiss timepiece market, their watches are still far, far superior to almost everything else that you would pick up at this price. You can trust their products.
Why Are Glycine Watches So Cheap?
When most people think of Swiss watches, they think of watches that are way too expensive for the vast majority of people to afford. They then look at Glycine watches. They are Swiss, and while more expensive than many watches, still come nowhere near the price that other Swiss manufacturers are charging. So, why is the Glycine Combat Sub GMT so cheap? Is there a catch? No. There are a couple of reasons why Glycine watches are so cheap, but there is no ‘catch’.
Brand Perception
We will let you in on a little secret here. Most of the cost of Swiss watches isn’t because of their design or components. It is about perception. A lot of people know that Swiss-manufactured watches are great, and they are willing to blow holes in their bank accounts to get their hands on one. Because of this, Swiss companies can charge much, much higher prices for their products. Glycine could too. To an extent.
A while back, Glycine was purchased by Invicta. If you are into your watches, then you know that while Invicta produces some good stuff, they are squarely in the budget range. While Glycine has worked hard to be seen as separate from Invicta, a little bit of the ‘cheap brand perception’ that Invicta has ended up rubbing off Glycine, forcing their prices down.
Still, it is not a major issue. This is because Glycine has tried to reposition itself in the market. They have tried to lean into their lower brand perception, and they are now one of the best ‘affordable’ luxury watch companies operating from Switzerland.
Lack of Marketing
Glycine isn’t aggressive with its marketing either. Sure, you will see ads for Glycine watches here and there. You may have seen one for the Combat Sub GMT, which is why you stumbled across this page. However, Glycine isn’t spending tons of cash putting their watches on celebs or having big-budget adverts playing during major TV events. All of these savings are passed onto their customers.
They Don’t Make Their Own Watch Movements
Unlike many other Swiss watch manufacturers, Glycine doesn’t produce its own watch movements. Instead, they buy in their movements from Sellita. Although, don’t worry. Sellita is one of the best watch movement producing companies, and they are also based in Switzerland. In fact, many of the larger brands also buy their watch movements from Sellita e.g. Bravur, and Farur.
Sellita produces watch movements to a luxury standard, and their watch movements have been known to last decades without any issues. By buying their watch movements from Glycine, the company is able to keep the price of their watches low while also offering the quality that people demand from their Swiss-made timepieces.
Conclusion
Those looking for a luxury Swiss-made timepiece at an affordable price would do well to look at the Glycine Combat Sub GMT. It is just a fraction of the price of many of its competing watches but brings the same flair to the table. This is a timepiece designed for those that want something luxurious that can be used in their day-to-day life. Whether you are looking for a watch to go to formal. events, or something that will keep the time during the most damaging physical activities, the Combat Sub GMT delivers.
