Introducing The Formex Stratos UTC – A Practical New Take On The GMT (Live Pics)

The Stratos UTC has "flyer" GMT functionality, but instead of operating through the crown, there are pushers at two and four o'clock to manage the local hour hand. Pushing either jumps the local hour forward or backward one hour, all without having to pull out a crown (or even stop the balance wheel from running).

Formex accomplishes this with a custom Dubois Dépraz module sitting on top of an ETA 2892. The date is connected to the local hour hand, though there's also an independent date corrector hidden in the left side of the midcase. The date is displayed in a subdial at 6 o'clock. A pimple-like day-night indicator sits at nine o'clock on the dial. There is a 24-hour scale in the rehaut, and another on the bi-directional rotating bezel. This means you can track three time zones at once. It also means the overall design is quite busy. Formex regulates the movement to +/- 7 seconds per day, with the movement visible through a sapphire caseback. 

Formex fits all this into a squat stainless steel 41mm case that measures 47mm lug-to-lug and a comfy 11.8mm thick, water resistant to 100 meters. The Stratos UTC is delivered on a strap or bracelet (20mm lug width). I recommend the bracelet, which also has tool-less micro-adjust and quick-release. Formex excels at case and bracelet manufacturing and finishing, and the Stratos UTC is no different. The bracelet is sturdy but thin, articulating nicely around the wrist. 

Meanwhile, the dial has a sunray finish, with contrasting graining on the subdial and outer ring. There are three dial color options: blue, grey, and green. All have bright orange accents. On a bracelet, the Formex Stratos UTC costs $3,990 and is available for pre-order. On a strap, it's $3,850.

Operating a GMT with pushers isn't exactly new, see e.g., Patek 5164 or Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT. But Formex building a module on top of an ETA to keep this take on the complication relatively affordable is still commendable. 

I'm hoping Formex uses the complication in another watch, or it cleans up the design of the Stratos UTC, because it's an idea with a lot of potential. Because while the design of the Stratos UTC might not be for me, Formex's technical chops, engineering, and manufacturing are something everyone can get behind. 

The Formex Stratos UTC has a 316L stainless steel case measuring 41 x 11.8mm (47mm lug-to-lug), with 100 meters of water resistance. The Stratos UTC features a "flyer" GMT using a custom Dubois Dépraz module built on top of the automatic ETA 2892 (+/- 7 seconds per day), visible through a sapphire caseback. Date display at six o'clock. Sunray finish dial available in green, blue, or grey. Bracelet has screwed links with tool-less micro-adjust and quick release. MSRP: $3,990 on bracelet ($3,850 on strap). Bi-directional, 48-click stainless steel rotating bezel.