It
is easy to see the appeal of a military watch. They tend to be
practical and tough with clean, functional designs. Finding an
affordable "military style" watch is easy, but finding one with actual
military pedigree is a bit harder. Enter, the Gavox
Squadron. In 2013, the Belgian Air Force commissioned 115 of these
chronographs for fighter and transport pilots. Gavox produced 500 units
for civilian sale: the brushed stainless GA350.0 reviewed here (350€),
and the slightly more expensive (380€) PVD GA350.1.
Gavox was a natural choice for this project. The Belgian brand has
produced other pilot's watches and founder, Michael Happé, is the
grandson of one of the famed Flying Tigers of World War Two. The
Squadron is unmistakably mil-spec in appearance, with a stout stainless
steel case, clean white-on-black three-register dial, and matte black
timing bezel. It reminds me of several far more expensive German
military chronos but does not mimic any of them. It the right specs for
military maneuvers too: sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating,
SuperLuminova, and 100 meters water resistance.
This is a mid-sized watch case by contemporary standards and I found the
proportions to be perfect. The 41mm diameter body makes it very
wearable, and although the dial is densely packed with information, it
did not feel in any way undersized or crowded. Its relatively long lugs
are thick, drilled through with exposed screw heads, and only slightly
tapered. They create an overall length of just about 51mm (still
comfortably within the confines of my wrist) increasing presence without
adding unnecessary bulk. They also allow the watch to swallow a wide
variety of straps – something I have found lacking on some larger
watches. The watch is 12mm thick, which is just low enough to fit under
most shirt cuffs, but the vertical sides, brushed finish, thick lugs,
and exposed fasteners give it a sturdy, industrial look.
The unidirectional timing bezel has ample grip and smooth, easy action
as it rotates through 120 clearly defined detents. The markers align
precisely without any slop or play. Its matte insert is engraved and
painted, but is not luminescent. A single lume pip would have gone a
long way to increase its utility. The signed, screw-down crown is coin
edged, slightly recessed, and easy to operate. The chrono buttons are
unadorned plungers. Flipping the watch over, you are treated to an
engraved case back, decorated with the Gavox "Flying V" logo and
a Fahrenheit/Celsius conversion scale. This last detail is uncommon, and
while I am far more likely to ask Siri for such a calculation, it looks
mighty cool.
The dial displays the three registers of the Swiss Ronda Startech 5130.D
quartz movement: a 30 minute/12 hour counter on the right, active
seconds on the left, and a 12 hour alarm dial below. There is a ton of
data on display here, yet it is all legible. Primary time is marked by
white, lumed syringe hands that are mirrored in all the sub dial hands,
except for the small seconds. The 2, 6, 9, and 11 are cut off by the sub
dials, which is a well established chronograph design element, but one I
have never really understood. If you are obliterating numbers, why
print them at all? This is just one of my personal hang ups. Viewed as a
whole, the dial looks properly balanced – with one tiny exception.
"Ronda Movement" is printed at the very bottom of the dial, and
"Movement" outweighs "Ronda." It is hardly a deal breaker, but the text
adds nothing, so its asymmetry bugs me.
The 30 minute dial functions just as any other chronograph save for the
small orange hour hand traveling a smaller 12 hour track within (is that
a sub-sub dial?). The 60 second dial is the most open of the three,
made more so by its slim stick hand. Chronograph operation is
straightforward: start/stop with the upper pusher, reset with the lower.
The large, arrow shaped sweep hand runs with the chrono. It has add and
split functions. The alarm feature is an unusual complication, but easy
enough to use. Pull the crown to position one, and advance the alarm
using the lower pusher. It sounds with an electronic chirp. I have never
used an alarm function on a wristwatch before (again, I leave that duty
to my phone) but I can see its utility, and it adds considerably to the
Squadron's character.
Gavox provides a 20mm stainless steel bracelet with the watch. I am a
bit of a strap junkie, but I appreciate it when get a bracelet as part
of the package as it makes the watch that much more versatile. It
has solid links, solid fitted end links, and a brushed finish. a signed,
flip lock clasp closes it up and screw bars secure it to the case. Ah,
screw bars... How I love your solid attachment; how I hate fiddling with
two screwdrivers. Given the nature of the watch, they make sense, and
certainly look the business, but be prepared with a steady hand and a
sharp eye.
I like the way the watch looks on the bracelet, but could not resist trying it on a pair of NATOs: a matte brown leather "Bootstrap" from
The NATO Strap Company, and a Bond nylon Zulu from Victor & Wells.
Both fit the Squadron's martial nature, and would be a great weekend
choice. This is certainly a tool watch, but it is nicely sized and
sufficiently handsome to wear to the office on the bracelet or a black
padded and tapered strap.
Gavox has hit all the right notes with the Squadron. It is attractive,
functional, versatile, and best of all, reasonably priced. The 350€ list
price includes 19 percent VAT that U.S. buyers do not pay. This means
we Yanks can get ours for the decidedly Bum-friendly price of $339 at
current exchange rates. I think this is a heck of a deal for a
legitimate military chronograph that you can easily wear every day.
Pro: Perfect proportions, cool alarm function,
Con: Anal retentives might obsess over text.
Sum: A real jet fighter's watch for an excellent price. The Time Bum approves.
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