It's What You Don't See That Counts…
RZE's reputation for producing incredibly robust titanium watches is very rightly deserved, and this 41mm true GMT professional pilot's watch is a fantastic example of what sets the RZE brand apart from most of the competition, starting with RZE's proprietary UltraHex™ 1200 Vickers scratch resistant coating on both the case and bracelet, which is the perfect match for the scratch resistant sapphire crystal. Most microbrands might've cut corners inside, but not RZE, who have opted to use VITON® gaskets to help maintain 100 meters of watch resistance, the same as many dive watches, and a 20,000 A/m anti-magnetic cage encasing the ultra reliable 9075 high beat automatic movement with Parashock shock protection.
RZE's founder, Travis, is also a commercial airline pilot, and his personal experience as a professional pilot no doubt has strongly influenced many of the design choices here, which include opting for a "true"/traveller's GMT, super convenient for someone traveling between several countries, where the main hands always point to the home time, and the 24 hour GMT hand can be adjusted separately to the local time zone each time you land. Other highly practical choices include an easy grip large screw-down crown, a clear, legible and easy to read dial design, and strong grade A two color lume for dark conditions where we have Swiss Super-LumiNova green lume on the GMT hand and blue Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9 lume on the other hands and major indices, which is a great help when looking at a four hand dial.
Also especially practical is the bracelet size micro-adjustment system on the RZE Fortitude GMT, which can be done on-the-fly via the touch of a button, no tools required. Super handy for when you move from a cooler to a warmer environment, 40,000 feet to ground level, and vice-versa. One of our favorite hidden touches is RZE's very apt motto, "Assembled for Adventure", engraved on the underside of the clasp. This very much sums up what these watches are all about!
…and Also What You Do See!
There are so many little touches here that turn this tool watch into an elegant timepiece, from the decorated bezel, reminding us of a turbine blade on an aircraft, to the subtly textured sandwich dial, to the color matched date window nicely balanced for symmetry at 6 o'clock. Also nice to see are a few nods to pilot watches of the past, with the arrow above the 12 o'clock index and four sector "cross-hairs" dial. We think though that our photographs speak for themselves when it comes to exploring the good looks of the RZE Fortitude Nighthawk GMT.
