This Affordable American Watch Is Discreetly Perfect for Travel

There isn’t much watch manufacturing taking place in the United States these days, but the past several years have seen a strong resurgence in watch brands that are based in America.

Arguably the best of the bunch is Monta, which is based in St. Louis but whose affordable-yet-premium watches carry the coveted “Swiss-Made” designation.

Despite only being in business for less than a decade, Monta has carved out a nice niche for itself thanks to its high levels of quality and finishing, along with the agreeable and versatile Rolex-like vibes of its designs.

The brand keeps a tight catalog limited to a small handful of well-known models, and this week, Monta’s collection grew just a bit with what may be the American microbrand‘s most versatile watch yet.

Monta

Monta Noble Voyager

• $2,150 at Monta

A watch for every day, even on vacation

Monta’s models typically fit into nice little buckets. The Oceanking is its diver, the Skyquest its sporty GMT, the Triumph its field watch, etc.

The Noble is best described as the brand’s everyday watch; the sort of simultaneously sporty and dressy watch that’s ideal for practically every situation. Think Omega’s Aqua Terra or the Rolex Datejust. It’s that style of watch.

Now, Monta has a new version of the Noble that makes the watch even more versatile and better suited for all occasions. How’d they do that? By adding a GMT complication, of course!

Monta

The Monta Noble Voyager is, at its most basic description, a GMT version of the existing Noble. It has the exact same 38.5mm case design, complete with an identical conical crown and the same thoughtful design flourishes like the lugs’ polished inner bevels.

It boasts the same fully articulating and tapering bracelet with quick-adjust clasp for which Monta is known. (The brand claims its bracelet is the best in the business; it’s almost certainly the best at its price point.) It also has the same sunburst dégradé dial with identical jewel-like indices, framed 6 o’clock date window and sleek diamond-cut handset.

The only visual differences between the Noble and the Noble Voyager are subtle, and they directly correlate to functionality. Odd numbers from 1 to 23 are printed just inside the minute track on the dial of the Voyager, working in conjunction with a fourth hand to read a second time zone.

Monta

The GMT hand itself is one of the most subtle I’ve ever seen, as it is shaped similarly to the hour hand but is slightly smaller and skeletonized.

The look reminds me of the fourth hand seen on some Patek Philippe travel time watches, though on those watches, the GMT hand slots behind the hour hand when not in use and works on a 12-hour scale.

The Monta uses a traditional office-style GMT movement that operates on 24-hour time (Sellita SW330), so it can’t hide behind the hour hand like on the Patek, but it’s still discreet enough that you don’t really notice it unless you go looking for it. Plus, the watch is a whole hell of a lot cheaper than the Patek.

Monta

As is always the case with Monta, the Noble Voyager offers a ton of bang for your buck, perhaps more than any other watch from the brand given its versatile sizing, styling and functionality (Did I mention it has 150m water resistance and a screw-down crown? ‘Cuz it does.)

The Noble Voyager is available now to pre-order directly from Monta’s online shop and is priced at a very reasonable $2,150, which is a $355 premium over the non-GMT Noble. It’s expected to ship in late August.

Monta

Monta Noble Voyager

A GMT version of Monta’s elegant everyday watch, the Noble Voyager combines versatile styling with robust water resistance and one of the more discreet second time zone complication on the market.

Specs

Case Size	38.5mm
Movement	Monta Cal. M-23 automatic GMT (Sellita base)
Water Resistance	150m

• $2,150 at Monta

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