I remember exactly where I was when I first saw this watch: jet lagging in a hotel in Berlin, scrolling through watch blogs. It was the opening hours of Baselworld, the annual fair in Basel, Switzerland, where many watch brands announce new releases, and so far the news has been lacklustre. Then the Urban j’rgensen one GMT popped up on a few seats. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Urban J’rgensen is the latest brand you’d expect to see a steel sports watch from. The city company “Jargensen” dates back to 1773, when the company was founded in Denmark. It has been making smart, ultra-high-end watches longer than America has been a country. Then, in recent years, customers began asking for steel sports watches. The result is not a piece that will simply satisfy existing customers. One GMT could actually go up against the Nautilus and Royal Oaks of the world.

One GMT was actually born outside of the watch industry. A friend of urban Jorgensen’s CEO who specializes in uI design came up with the circular concept. It’s that sleek circular case that initially grabbed me – it’s completely timeless and a nice transition from the angular 70s designs that everyone wants in a sports watch right now. Even the hatches that connect with the beautiful oval bracelet have an elegant touch on them.

I love everything about the face, too, from the deep blue dial-the wavy guilloche is a nod to Jurgensen’s history of making marine watches for the Royal Danish Navy-to the classic jargensen round watch hand. (This is, I think, the coolest side hour I’ve ever seen. Looks like you could skateboard inside it.) And the GMT function, the first brand, is incredibly intuitive – just press the push buttons to adjust the main dial. It’s almost too easy to use, really. I missed a meeting when I had one in front of me because I couldn’t stop playing with it.

At nearly $ 40,000, One GMT will take a while to become a thing. Jargensen is a small company, and the mileage of One GMT is tiny, so it won’t immediately create a worldwide frenzy that could make it a status symbol on par with Nautilus. But if you’re only into hours that will make people jealous, this column may not be for you. I truly believe that the One GMT is a new classic and that it deserves its definitive place in the Pantheon of great sports watches.

A version of this story first appeared in the October 2019 issue titled Reason to travel…»

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