Based out of St. Louis, Missouri, Monta Watches is one of the most recognized names in the burgeoning scene of independent American watchmaking. Along with a few other small-scale firms, such as Oak & Oscar and Autodromo, Monta has a well-earned reputation of producing no-nonsense sports watches at a reasonable price point. Joining Monta’s catalog this past week is the Atlas, the young brand’s second GMT wristwatch.
Aesthetically, the new watch isn’t much of a departure from previous Monta designs. In fact, the Atlas effectively uses the Triumph case as a base with the addition of a few small details. What is new, however, is the dial which features a new lacquer application. The GMT hand was designed to be non-intrusive but highly visible when desired. The non-rotating bezel (24-hour track can be found on the rehaut) also differs from the Triumph thanks to a new polished, knife-edge design that helps increase the total height of the watch about a single millimeter larger than the case in the Triumph collection (total height for the Atlas: 10.2 mm). At launch, the 38.5-mm Monta Atlas comes in three separate colorways that should be familiar to followers of the brand: Monta blue, opaline silver (the brand’s first white-ish timepiece), and charcoal. The Atlas GMT uses a Sellita SW330 caliber with a 42-hour power reserve.
Adding a new travel-time focused watch to Monta’s overall collection makes sense. Previous models like the Oceanking (probably my personal favorite of the entire catalog), the modern field-watch style Triumph, and the Skyquest, the brand’s first GMT wristwatch, offered a lot of intrinsic value for enthusiasts looking for an attractive, no-frills sports watch that could be worn as a daily wearer. The new Atlas GMT offers that in spaces and we’re looking forward to receiving the model for some extended wrist time in the coming months.
Current preorder pricing for the Atlas GMT is at $1,410 on rubber, $1,420 on leather, or $1,615 on a bracelet. Click here to find out more about the Atlas GMT and stay tuned for more to come from Monta.
