Glycine Combat Sub Review | A Great Submariner Alternative at 1% of the Cost
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The Rolex Submariner will always be at or near the top of the list of iconic dive watches. With its instantly recognizable layout, impeccable finishing, and accurate movement, it’s really no wonder why this is so popular.
As a watch collector, I can’t even begin to name all the brands, reputable and some less so, I’ve seen that have outright copied, homaged, or drawn design elements from the timeless Submariner. I will admit I’ve tried a few of these homages over the years with varying degrees of satisfaction. Some I ended up wearing for quite some time, while others went straight back to the seller in adject disgust. I think it’s fair to say that the less you spend, the worse the quality, but that is true for any product, not just watches.
So, you may have guessed by now I haven’t sprung for Rolex ownership, at least not yet. Many of us have entertained the thought of “selling the collection to buy the grail”. But most collectors have at least a few “never sell” pieces that would survive such a purge.
Since Rolex and other Swiss watch makers have set the standard of high quality for many decades, some brands have aimed to not only match the look, but also the quality of these luxury brands. These days, you would have no trouble finding excellent Swiss Made examples of Submariner-esque pieces for under $1,000.
With this budget in mind, many of us may end up looking at Steinhart or Squale. But every once in a while, we stumble across a non-AliExpress piece that may have eluded us and we hit that buy button after quickly reading the specs. One such moment happened to me in February 2023 while looking at used Glycine pieces online. I suddenly came across the Glycine Combat Sub GL1012 which has a very strong Submariner influence, for $179 (brand new). For reference, the eBay seller was “watchgooroo” who is based in New Jersey, USA and has an almost flawless feedback record. Free shipping was included, and the piece reached me in a couple days.
Funny enough, only hours after purchasing this piece, I saw the price go down to $159 which is a steal in my opinion for the reasons I’ll illustrate below. Now, let’s get one thing out in the open first. Glycine is owned by Invicta. Many of us aren’t fond of Invicta for their rather shady sales tactics, nauseating, over-the-top designs and their willingness to almost criminally copy other well-known pieces, especially the Rolex Submariners. BUT anyone who owns a Glycine will tell you that the brand holds its own for solid build quality and finishing, albeit only taking modest design cues from other luxury brands. So even though Glycine is technically owned by Invicta, it is certainly NOT an Invicta you are buying.
CONSTRUCTION
When a piece says Swiss Made on the dial, you certainly expect an elevated level of materials used and surface finishing. Happily, this piece does not disappoint in the least. For $179, it is the absolute best finishing and build quality I’ve ever gotten per dollar thus far.
Made with 316L stainless steel throughout, the basic dimensional specifications yield a case diameter of 42mm (without crown), a lug-to-lug distance of a hair over 50mm, and a pleasant case thickness of just 11mm. Although the 40+mm case diameter, the modest case thickness allows the watch to “sit down” on your wrist without feeling too top-heavy.
The quartz movement, which I will cover in more detail, also helps this aspect. So, sized for my 6.75-inch wrist, the weight comes in at 146 grams, which is just right for having enough presence without being heavy or tiresome after several hours of wear. I wore this watch for the duration of a 3-day visit to New York City and didn’t take it off once, as it always maintained an agreeable comfort level. It was even comfortable enough to sleep in. So even though a 42mm x 50mm watch may seem like a size boundary that those of us with thinner wrists don’t normally cross, this piece is definitely an exception.
The lug ends are curved downward which helps that 50mm transition down into the bracelet. Too many watches have had a 50+mm lug-to-lug without executing an agreeable downward curvature, making those pieces feel like hockey pucks. The only change I’d request is that these lugs be drilled, which they are not. Glycine has had the foresight to give this piece female end links, so if you hold the watch with the crystal facing straight up, the bracelet links fall straight down and not outward.
The case sides have a high quality, mirror finish while the top exhibits subtle, circular brushing. The well-executed, 7mm crown is polished, with an embossed Glycine logo and an absolutely perfect level of grip. The best element of this guarded crown is definitely the action. The screw-out / screw-down action is an absolutely perfect, buttery smooth experience. The crown action puts most other watches completely to shame simply for the attention to the finishing of the threads alone. I’ve only experienced comparable crown action from a Rolex Yacht-Master that belongs to a friend of mine.
For the price point of under $200, the crown action on this Glycine is a total home run! I actually lament that this piece has a quartz movement for the less “crown time” I spend having to adjust or wind it. The screw down case back is simple but elegant. This flat variety of case back adds to the slimness of the piece and is adorned with some nicely etched details. Along the edges of the case back you’ll find the following info: All Stainless Steel, GL1012 (model#) Sapphire Crystal, 20 ATM, Swiss Made, Serial Number. A large area etched into the center of the case back is the Glycine name and Logo, along with two sea lions converging onto a trident emerging from a banner with Combat printed on it. It sounds hokey but doesn’t actually look that bad.
Watch MOVEMENT
Even though this particular Combat Sub has a quartz movement, it is still high quality. Equipped with a gold-plated, Swiss-made / Swiss-parts Ronda 715 which contains 5 jewels, it will certainly give you many years of trouble-free function.
This movement is built to typically give a 5-year battery life if running constantly. Much like a Citizen Eco-Drive movement and some Seiko movements, this Ronda 715 also begins to tick once every two seconds when the battery does begin to dwindle. Observing this should give the wearer ample time to change the battery, instead of being surprised by the movement suddenly going dead.
Being a Swiss-made quartz movement, you can also take comfort that the accuracy will be a cut above others. The stated accuracy of this movement is -10 / +20 seconds per month, which puts it near the top of the list of affordable movements with the highest levels of accuracy. So, the movement alone is well worth the money from an accuracy perspective. I’ve been wearing this piece almost everyday for the past month and can say I’ve only found that I’ve gained about 4-5 seconds during that time. This translates to about a minute gain per year. Now that’s what I call an accurate analog movement!
For many watch enthusiasts, the consistency of the seconds hand on a quartz movement to accurately hit the minute marks is a must. The seconds hand on this piece does perfectly hit about 85% of the minute marks on the dial. The other 15% of the “hits” are VERY close. So, I didn’t find the seconds hand to be a wonky, jumpy afterthought. It is definitely doing it’s job within an admirable tolerance.
This “full-Swiss” grade version of the Ronda 715 offers a hacking feature as well, allowing you to set the watch exactly to the second. Furthermore, the movement also offers a 70% energy saving function. This means you can pull the crown out to the time-setting position to stop the movement and the battery life can be extended for up to 10 years. This can be a useful feature for those of us who don’t wear the same watch every day. Keep in mind you’ll still have to reset the time and date when you push the crown back in.
BEZEL & CRYSTAL
The height of the unidirectional bezel is a bit on the thin side, but the 60-click action is very easy to advance without feeling loose. The bezel hits all the minute marks on the dial and has no back play.
The coin edge jimping on the bezel grip is interrupted at the 12’o’clock position by a slightly raised bump on the steel, which allows you to determine “by feel” where the pip sits in relation to the dial. I’ve found this feature to be unique to Glycine and can say I’m a fan of this feature. The only downside to the bezel grip is that it may be too thin/low for some users. It is a very low profile and while still grippy enough, may be sitting a little too low for large or wet hands. But for normal everyday use, I certainly find the bezel design to be adequate with a satisfying action.
The aluminum bezel insert gives a nice subtle sheen without being overly shiny, adding to the classic look of the piece. The bezel insert on this particular model is 50/50 black and grey, which in certain lighting situations often looks to be the same color. Though in full daylight, the color separation is more pronounced. The grey of the bezel also matches very well to that of the dial, which is more of a matte finish.
In true Submariner fashion, the individual minute marks on the bezel insert reach to the 15-minute position, then increment of 10 printed in numerals with stick-style minute marks in between. You’ll find an upside-down triangle at the 12’o’clock position with a small lumed pip inside.
Another testament to the value for money aspect of this piece, you get a flat sapphire crystal with a 2.5X magnification cyclops over the date window. Both the crystal and the cyclops are treated with anti-reflective (AR) coating, with a slight blue hue. For under $200 you normally see a standard, but more scratch-prone mineral crystal offered from other brands. For some users, a cyclops magnifier may be an unwelcome distraction, but the sizing of this cyclops doesn’t throw off the symmetry of the piece as it is sized just right. Thank you, Glycine!
DIAL
The dial on this piece is a matte grey with a white minute track printed directly upon the edge. The finish and color of this dial is relatively muted. No sunburst or shiny effects here. But because of this, the dial goes dark in dim situations. In a dim room the dial turns nearly black, as does the bezel insert. Personally, I like how the watch “goes dark” and seems like a different watch altogether.
The stainless steel rehaut ring is brushed and captures ambient light against the dial without much glare. The absence of a minute-printed rehaut means no chance for minute mark misalignment issues commonly found in some other brands I could mention.
The Glycine logo and text are printed between the pinion and the 12’o’clock position. Between the pinion and 6’o’clock position is printed “Combat” then “Sub 20 ATM”. Just below the 6’o’clock minute track is printed “Swiss Made” as is customary. All the aforementioned text is printed in white and is modestly sized.
DATE, HANDS & INDICES
The Ronda 715 movement inside this piece is equipped with a date complication, framed by a small window at the 3’o’clock position. The date wheel also clicks over exactly at midnight and doesn’t “crawl” to the next day like many mechanical movements do as they progress between the 12 and 3’o’clock AM.
The wheel is standard white with black printing, which is a bit of a standard but the date cyclops helps it stand out to be of the same size as the 9’o’clock indice. So even though there is a date AND cyclops, the dial is still pleasantly symmetrical.
These polished hands do not disappoint from a sizing and design standpoint. The thickness is modest to keep the aesthetic intact and the lengths are just right. As a Submariner-inspired piece you do get a Mercedes-like hour hand, but without the “Y” symbol in the center, which allows the hour pointer to match most of the hour markers. The minute hand extends all the way to the minute track as well. Too often have I seen watches with poorly designed hands that allow the user to mistake the hour hand for the minute hand and vice versa, at first glance.
The seconds hand is relatively thin, with a thicker counter balance. Crossing over the hour markers at the end of the seconds hand is also a thin, lumed rectangle. This hand also reaches all the way to the minute track, furthering the direct read of the time unmistakable. So, I can with a high degree of confidence that reading the time quickly with this hand configuration is an absolute breeze.
During the day, the indices are standard and classic like the rest of the watch. You’ll find the triangle at the 12, rectangular markers at the 9 and 6, with circles/dots at all other hour locations. Framed in silver to match the hands and filled with lume, the size and configuration is perfect.
Having said that… I have to point out the only real disappointment with this piece. And that is the lume. It’s bad. Very bad. Embarrassingly bad. As a fan of good lume and an owner of several strongly lumed dive watches, I can’t say I’m not let down by the lack of lume on this Glycine.
This is as good as the lume gets, but fades incredibly fast.
Of the green C1 or C3 variety, it seems like someone was asleep in the lume department that processes these quartz pieces, for I’ve heard and seen other higher priced Glycines to exhibit more than adequate lume. Glycine, if you’re going to cut corners, don’t sacrifice the appearance or functionality of the piece. Skimp on the case back, or the clasp, or the crown. But the lume is one of the elements of a dive watch that should allow the wearer to navigate the dial with confidence and without guessing the time after ten minutes, if that.
The lume appears strong at first charge, but starts fading immediately and with great haste. I do hope that Glycine is paying attention, because a more copious application of lume would turn this watch into a real contender. But for now, I’d have to say that this watch will definitely NOT serve you well in the dark
BRACELET
The bracelet is sized at 22mm in width at the end links, which are solid, and tapers slightly down to 20mm with the clasp gaining back to 22mm. Classic look and feel again, in keeping with the rest of the watch.
Tight brushed finish on all the solid, oyster-style links with polished ends. The end links are mated to the case as a reverse, “male” curvature, opposite of how most other bracelets are designed. However, it’s not a bad design for two reasons pertaining to this particular model.
One reason is that the muted grey/black color scheme allows this model to be complemented by almost any other strap. The second reason is because when you fit this Glycine case to another strap, the bezel grip is much more accessible, since the lugs are well spaced away from the case. So this case configuration will allow for thick nato straps, leather, canvas, anything you may want to pass under the case.
I found a grey nato strap to be a very comfortable and aesthetically pleasing option. But I’ll qualify it by saying the bracelet is excellent and you won’t feel an immediate need to switch to another strap.
The clasp is a fold over, double pusher, milled configuration with easy function and “Glycine” etched atop. For better relief in sizing, Glycine has provided two half-links to offer more of an articulated fit. The clasp, utilizing the three tightly-spaced micro adjustment holes, will further this feature. My 6.75 inch wrist had no complaints after days of wearing this watch. I believe the solid linked bracelet coupled with the modestly-weighted, quartz-movement filled case makes for an excellent weight balance.
PACKAGING & WARRANTY
The packaging from Glycine is miles better than their parent company. With a cardboard outer box, the top reveals the self-opening front, much like a Swiss watch ought to be. The plush clamshell presentation box is well made and subdued. This is the kind of box you keep, if only to store another more expensive watch for safekeeping.
This piece yielded an international warranty card (2 years) stating the place of manufacture as Bienne, Switzerland. Minimalist instructional manuals are also included for automatic and quartz movements. During the unboxing, I found all of the watch to be well-stickered and wrapped; no tag/travel rashes.
The Good
Excellent finishing
Classic look and dial/bezel configuration
Ronda 715 accuracy. No need to reset the movement if sitting in rotation
Perfect weight and balance
Every dollar well spent
The Bad
The lume is unworthy of any dark environment