VAER G5 Tactical Watch Review | Great Case, Rubbish Bracelet
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In the GMT field, VAER’s Tactical G5 is a bit of a black sheep - in more ways than one. When it comes to more affordable GMT watches, barely a day goes by without another micro-brand launching a new dual-timezone model. Of course, it makes sense; in a burgeoning sub-$1000 watch market value for money is a key priority both for those who are new to mechanical watches and for grizzled collectors alike.
At a relatively small additional cost, manufacturers can offer a 4th hand on the dial, telling you the time in a 2nd timezone simultaneously. In my (slightly twisted) world, that’s 2 watches for the price of 1 - an absolute bargain! Watch-addict-maths aside, the aesthetics, history, and practicality of a GMT complication are objectively compelling. In my case, with family spread across two continents, and as a regular through Heathrow airport, being able to quickly track multiple time zones at the flick of a wrist is more useful than you’d expect.
VAER G5 Tactical Review
The G5 case is 316L stainless steel, 39mm in diameter, although due to the case shape, that's measured from 12 to 6 o’clock. The entire case is DLC coated in black with the metal surface finishing visible through the coating – you can see both polished and finely brushed finishes. We have some very pleasant twisted/lyre lugs measuring 48mm lug-to-lug and spaced 20mm apart for those strap addicts out there.
The signed screw-down crown is well-proportioned, the knurling is grippy, and the crown positions are well-defined. The case profile is curved, much like VAER’s field watches, and combined with the lyre lugs adds to an interesting, premium feeling to the case. The 120-click bi-directional bezel has a heavily lumed, polished ceramic insert, with decent knurling, and sits quite proud of the case aiding in grip, even with gloves on.
The bezel action is excellent; solid with no play. A domed crystal adds a couple of millimeters in height but meets flush with the bezel. On the reverse, a sapphire crystal display caseback reveals the 9075 GMT movement. This model has a water resistance rating of 200m – each piece is wet pressure tested to ensure the 200m rating. VAER guarantees its waterproof ratings, water ingress within the depth limit and during proper use will be covered. This is something I wish other manufacturers would stand by.
Dial
The dial has a satin black finish with an incredibly subtle sunburst – almost imperceptible in most lights and not flashy at all. Highly visible lumed applied hour markers are contained within brushed metal borders and are mixed in shape: VAER’s signature circular plots are found at 2, 4, 8, and 10. With trapezoids on the odd hours, and a healthily sized triangle at 12 o’clock. I found the mixture of shapes aided with symmetry and legibility. The triangle and trapezoids include a concave curve on their outer edges highlighting the seconds numerals at the extreme edge of the dial. The date is displayed at 6 o’clock, with white text on a black background and a muted silver frame.
Dial text is minimal with the Vaer logo at 12, and two lines above the date stating WR and “Automatic”. At the lower edge of the dial “American Assembly” is proudly printed. Both the dial text and the Hours and Minute hands were inspired by Rolex’s 1950s MilSub. The Sword-hands are well-proportioned and clearly visible day and night. The brushing on the hands is quite coarse and stands out from an otherwise very slick package. Perhaps it’s intended to give the dial a more utilitarian feel. I would have preferred a white gloss or matte finish to the handset to aid in visibility – as they have done for the seconds hand.
The GMT hand extends to the edge of the dial, pointing at the 24-hour bezel digits. It’s a highly visible, bright red color, almost dayglo, and stands out well against the rest of the very black color scheme.
Case
Overall, I think the quality, fit, and finish of the case are excellent. There’s no play in the bezel or crown operation. The case has been carefully designed with premium features like the lyre lugs and rounded case flanks. The height is surprisingly tall at 15.6mm, but the G5 carries it very well. Two millimeters of this height is in the domed crystal at the center of the dial.
The bezel and case shape break up the case sides well. As a result, it looks thinner than my slabby 14.3mm Tudor Pelagos. Despite the visual tricks, the watch-head weighed 82.2 grams, a couple of grams more than a 42.5mm SKX007 – so this is quite a weighty piece.
Strap
Strap-wise, this version came with a PVD-coated metal bracelet with integrated quick-release tabs and a complimentary FKM rubber 'tropic' strap. The bracelet coating quality was disappointing, with flakes of the coating coming away from high-use contact points such as the clasp keeper points. Re-sizing the bracelet revealed the tips of the screws were coated black, but underneath they were plain stainless steel. I have a feeling the coating on the bracelet will wear quite quickly. The case itself is coated in DLC and is much more resilient as a result. The bracelet has a handful of micro-adjustment holes, but no on-the-fly micro-adjust.
I opted to test the watch on the rubber tropic strap as it was comfier. The tropic strap was relatively long – I assume to cater to those who spend far more time at the gym than me or to place it over a thick wetsuit. VAER offers different strap options and usually, I recommend going for the metal bracelet option as a default. But this black metal bracelet felt very cheap and took away from the quality casing. I would therefore opt for the free khaki nylon strap, with the additional free tropic rubber strap - and I would mostly wear it on a NATO or MN strap.
GMT
As a tactical tool watch, I think the G5 does an ok job. It’s easy to read, day or night. 200m guaranteed WR means you can operate underwater and the GMT hand can be used for multiple purposes – including as a makeshift compass if you were really caught in a pinch. (By setting both hands to the local time and pointing the local hour hand in the direction of the sun, the GMT hand will always point north). The one big unknown is how tough and reliable the movement is going to be. With so few watches out there with this movement, I think the jury will be out for a while on this topic.
It should be noted that not all 4th-hands are created equally. Specifically, GMT offerings are split into 2 distinct categories; “Caller / Office” GMTs and “True / Flyer” GMTs:
Caller / Office GMTs are the simpler solution. With the GMT hand jumping backward or forwards independently of the local timekeeping hands. A key benefit of this style of GMT is that it retains the quick-set date functionality. The downside is that if you travel to a new timezone you have to stop the watch and re-set both the local and GMT hands to display the correct times. As the name suggests, the office GMT is more suited to someone who doesn’t often travel to different time zones.
Office GMT movements commonly include ETA’s 2893 – exclusive to Swatch Group manufacturers, or Sellita's very similar movement sold as the SW330. These two cover the higher quality, more accurate end of the office/caller GMT spectrum. Seiko’s 4R34 / NH34A provides a more affordable option and can be found for as little as $25. Many of the sub-$1000 microbrand GMTs use the NH34A.
Famously developed by Rolex for PanAm pilots, the True/Flyer GMT movement solves the problem for travelers who regularly need to adjust their local time to new time zones. This is done by allowing the local hour hand to jump forwards or backward independently of the other hands, crucially, without stopping the seconds hand. The date is linked to the local hour hand and will jump forwards or backward together with your local hour hand. The benefit is a simple timezone adjustment when you land in a new location, without affecting the timekeeping accuracy. The downside is that this comes at the expense of the quick-set date functionality. The date display in a True GMT has to be set by rotating the local hour past midnight. So if the watch stops for a few days, it means you must rotate the local hour hand multiple times around the dial to set the date. Having owned several flyer GMTs I have to say, they’re rarely off my wrist for any serious length of time, and the quiet satisfaction of using the jumping local hour hand when you touch down in a new country is worth the rare inconvenience of having to set the date.
Due to the added complexity of the flyer GMT, it’s usually reserved for watches in the $3k+ range. However, Miyota had different ideas and quietly launched their own flyer GMT caliber 9075 in 2021. Only available in a handful of watches to date, this affordable Japanese flyer GMT is an exciting prospect and opens the door to attenable true GMTs. Of course, being no strangers to maximizing value for money, VAER has taken the opportunity to offer the Miyota 9075 movement in their G5 ‘Meridian’ GMT line. Openly inspired by early Rolex GMT Masters, the Meridian line-up consists of 4 colorways; a Red & Blue "Pepsi" bezel, a Black & Blue "Batman" bezel, a Green bezel, and what I’ll call the ‘Black sheep’ the G5 Tactical in full DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) Black.
Specifications
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Case Diameter: |
39 x 40.3mm |
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Bezel Diameter: |
40mm |
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Lug Width: |
20mm |
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Lug-to-Lug Distance: |
48mm |
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Case Thickness (Incl. Crystal): |
15.6mm |
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Accuracy: |
-5 to +15 s/day (+6 as tested) |
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Bezel: |
120-click bi-directional bezel |
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Water Resistance: |
200m |
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RRP: |
$799 |
What I liked
The X1-grade lume is very strong, it can be seen glowing during the day even in a mild shadow. At night, it’s a torch - to the point that it could actually be problematic if remaining undetected in a low-light situation was important for you. Bezel and dial markers are easily read, and the hands are all lumed and easy to distinguish. Not only is the luminescence bright, but it lasts through the night and can be read in a dark room with bleary eyes. Or, of course, on a moonless covert operation in a destabilized nation.
The anti-reflective coating is on the internal side of the crystal, avoiding issues with scratching an exterior coating – something the likes of Omega sometimes suffer from. I found the AR coating worked reasonably well. You may notice a slightly blue hue to some reflections where the coating is filtering shorter/bluer wavelengths. I’ve just reviewed a smaller VAER C3 and the AR struggled for that model. The G5 performed significantly better. There was still a little bit of obvious reflection due to the doming, but it’s a lot better than the C3 Field watch and wasn’t a concern for me during the test.
For the US patriots out there, the “American assembly” together with VAER being American-owned, is going to be a nice plus. The G5’s Miyota movement is Japanese but the case and components are assembled, tested, and quality-controlled in the USA. It’s great to see an American brand offering such good value for money. They also reference Waltham for inspiration in some of their watches – a historically important American watch powerhouse known for its tough tool watches supplied to the likes of Ernest Shackleton and the American Military.
The case has clearly been thoughtfully designed. It’s not your basic square slabby watch profile. The curved lines are reminiscent of Rolex Oyster or Seiko Dive watch cases. Whilst the lyre lugs add yet more interest for the wearer. These details weren’t necessary, but VAER has gone above and beyond to make the case interesting and attractive for the wearer. Obviously, these features are more visible in the stainless steel versions of the G5, but there’s something very cool about having these upscale features somewhat hidden by the black DLC coating. They are there for the wearer to admire, but from a distance, this watch plays the ‘gray man’ very well – blending into the background and not drawing unwanted attention.
For what it’s worth, the bracelet has quick-release tabs, making it very easy to add/remove it. This is a nice touch and VAER clearly knows their customer base are watch enthusiasts with a penchant for switching out straps. I suspect the bracelet will be used more on the non-PVD-coated stainless steel models, and here I think the quick-release tabs would be a really welcome feature.
What I didn’t like
It seemed incongruous that a tactical watch has a highly polished and reflective ceramic bezel insert. If your work or pastime requires your watch to be blacked out for tactical reasons - reducing signature/visibility, I would have thought a matte ceramic finish would have been preferable over a flashy polished version. In a similar vein, I would think that a watch required for tactical applications will almost certainly be involved in considerable physical activity. It’s going to get knocked around and as such, it really should have protective crown guards. I guess this hints that this watch wasn’t developed from the ground up to be a tactical watch, but rather, it’s an adaptation of the existing Meridian GMT range; it is a color-way rather than an out-and-out mil-spec tool watch.
The polished sections of the DLC coating look incredible when you first see them, but like the shiny ‘piano black’ interior trim in cars, these surfaces are fingerprint magnets. Grease from fingers and dirt is more visible on the slick polished black case than on the stainless steel versions. This might not bother some, but for the 'professionals' who like to keep their tools clinical, this surface finishing will collect prints that could be incriminating..
The black bracelet was quite low quality. The PVD coating on the hardware was very susceptible to damage – particularly around the clasp which relies on friction between the coated metal parts. Some of the coating was already starting flake off after just 5-10 uses of the clasp. The bracelet has no on-the-fly adjustment, which is a shame for an $800 watch. Especially a flyer GMT that will likely be used for traveling to hotter and colder climates, with some physical exertion – wrists naturally swell and contract in such situations, so on-the-fly adjustment is very important. I would not spend the extra at checkout to add the bracelet on the Tactical version of the G5.
The case diameter is misleading. Quoted as 39mm - this can only be measured by avoiding the bezel and measuring the case from 12 o’clock position to 6 o’clock. This is not a particularly useful measurement if you’re trying to imagine how this watch would wear on your wrist. The Bezel is 40mm wide. To complicate matters further, the case is wider than the bezel at the more traditional point that you’d measure a case diameter - between 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock, the calipers read 40.3mm. It’s not a large watch, but it’s certainly not small. I think it suited my 6.5” wrist relatively well but I wouldn’t go below 6” with this one and I’d be careful if you have a rounder wrist to frame the watch.
Alternatives
As previously discussed, the affordable Flyer GMT market is relatively small, with Miyota cornering the market. Two alternatives with the same movement but slightly different takes on the low-key stealthy tool watch stood out for me:
The BOLDR “Black Dragonfish”. This all-black offering from BOLDR takes stealth to an all-new level with almost no dial text, and a highly geometric case. On first impressions, it looks like it might be more of a fashion watch than a hard-hitting tactical tool. However, digging deeper, it’s clear that this model comes with some significant advantages over the VAER G5. The case is titanium, water resistance is up to 300m, case thickness is just 13mm including crystal, and the bracelet clasp includes quick adjustment on the fly. I haven’t seen this watch in the flesh yet to gauge the build quality. But on paper, this looks like it might solve several of the shortcomings of the G5. I would add that the difference between a guaranteed, wet-tested 200m WR of the VAER, and the 300m claimed by Boldr is pretty trivial – since the deepest most of us will ever dive is 40m. However, the rest of the specs look very competitive. RRP $799.
Whilst the WISE Adamascus ADX110 is not DLC coated, there is a black/grey bezel version on a black rubber strap which I think is also a pretty serious contender for an under-the-radar flyer GMT. Also benefitting from the Miyota 9075, and with a choice of GMT hand colors (yellow, red, orange), this is a slightly more luxurious offering in stainless steel. As seen in Ben’s “15 best GMT watches under $1000” Wise is offering great quality pieces at very good prices. A particularly nice touch on this model is the internal 24-hour track on the dial. Allowing you to monitor 2 timezones on the dial and a third using the bezel. 3 watches in one!? I’m sure my wife would strongly disagree, but even considered as just one watch, at $690 on sale right now, the ADX110 is a bargain.
VAER also offers an Office GMT in the same case as the G5. The G7 is Swiss-made, utilizing the Swiss Sellita SW330-2 caliber. The Sellita has a greater power reserve of 56 hours vs. the 9075’s 42 hours. All other physical features of the watch remain the same. If your tactical operations remain mostly domestic, perhaps with international teams who you need to coordinate with, this Office GMT version might suit you better than the G5. RRP:$1099
Conclusion
Having handled a couple of VAER watches now, I am impressed with their build quality and value for money. They certainly aren’t sourcing their products from AliExpress, adding a ‘cool’ dial and selling it for massive margins. These guys seem to genuinely want to give their customers solid offerings which they stand by with guarantees. They don’t seem to be cutting corners. There’s passion and innovation and I really appreciate that.
The G5 Tactical GMT was not a watch I would usually wear – there’s no way my skinny arms are fooling anyone into thinking I’m an off-duty badass. But it was a piece that I quickly warmed to and found useful in my highly un-tactical world; The case thickness wasn’t nearly as bad to live with as I’d expected and slipped under a coat sleeve for the morning dog walk without a problem. On a NATO strap, the G5 was comfortable and easily legible. The lume was greatly appreciated in the wee hours of the morning for baby-wrangling duties. The Flyer GMT function was a delight to use. I’m pleased to see this Miyota 9075 caliber opening up access to this complication at a much more accessible price point. It’s truly my favorite horological complication and whether you opt for the G5 Tactical, the classic Pepsi, or the Green bezel (which would be my pick of the G5s), I am sure you’ll find it extremely satisfying to own and travel with.
Do I think it's truly a tactical watch? I think it sits more in the "Tacticool" category. A fun watch, and great to use in the civilian world. But I would probably be prioritizing bombproof reliability over a fancy GMT complication if I were truly depending on a watch in a deployment scenario. (I'm looking at you, G-shock Square).