Monta Skyquest GMT: Best. But not in the way you think 

And once again, you did not disappoint. I appreciate how you calmly and rationally wrap industry and market analysis into your reviews.

You have shaped my views on the business of watchmaking more than anyone else, thank you

I’m subbed to every popular watch RU-vidr but you are the only one I would watch every video put out regardless of the topic. Just always great insight, analysis, conversation. Less than 100k subs for you is criminal.

Monta Skyquest GMT owner here - he is right. The Skyquest is shockingly close to the quality offered by Tudor, and is on par (or exceeds) Longines and Oris. It’s also above Christopher Ward, for me. And in the wake of the release of Tudor’s new 58 GMT, I can comfortably say that I prefer the aesthetics of the Monta.

Monta is a great brand. Quality offerings. I think secondary market prices are a steal.

Another excellent perspective. I really enjoy watching your videos as you provide a solid, independent and honest analysis.

Thank you for that video. It is a delight as always! 💪🏻 And Monta, if you read this, be smart and open up an European distribution center, so we don’t need to pay import fees 😎.

You should add in a what's on your wrist segment to the beginnings

Great video as always. Awesome Optimus Prime in the background. I am lucky to have a limited edition opaline dial Pepsi Skyquest. It is such a comfortable daily wear. Honestly…it gets more wrist time than my Tudor Black Bay GMT, my Datejust, and my Grand Seiko. It’s not cooler or better than those other watches, but…for whatever reason, it’s the one I reach for most often. I super recommend this watch to anyone considering it.

Pity, I could’ve really sunk my teeth into another one of your food analogy vids 😎! Have a great weekend Mike.

I own this version of the Skyquest and wear it all the time, more than my Tudor BBP. It’s much more comfortable and in many ways, more beautiful. Nobody who sees it on my wrist recognizes the brand, but neither would they recognize a Tudor.

Love the video as always, the insights you give are always so much more than the usual watch channel. It's almost like I'm learning to run my own business! 💪🏼

Great review and agree with your points 100%. As a previous owner of this watch, I can say that without a shadow of a doubt, this is a very, very good watch. Quality is very good at this price. I've had a BB GMT, own a GMT Master II, and the quality is not that too far off. No joke, and no cap. Some say, well, for a little more, one could get Tudor. Well, the Tudor Coke is a little more than $3700, which is over a grand more. For some, that is a deal breaker as their budget just won't allow it. So, for a little more, it is out of the question for many. I sold mine not because I didn't like it, I did, but I just got bored with it, and decided to get something a little bit more unique.

I am honestly enjoying every one of your videos. This one was a killer! ❤

I hit the like button before watching the content.

Once again you’ve proven yourself head and shoulders above your peers, outstanding.

Would love to have Mike's review of Jody's Ascent. Thanks for this analysis with thoughtful insights.

It's always a pleasure to hear a fantastic, honest, watch review from a great guy. Cheers

I'm always excited to see you've uploaded something.

It is very refreshing to see an opinion based review that is analytical and objective. Without the gushing and exaggerated emotional content. We know this will fade with a little time and this is when the reviewer will get objective. Well done sir!

The METAS precision is definitely worth having over COSC. With COSC your watch might lose 20 seconds over the week, and you won't bother to set it because to do so is more hassle than it's worth. Then it slides another 20 seconds, and you might lose a minute before you bother adjusting it. With METAS it won't lose time, but might gain 20 seconds over the week, in which case you will hack it for 20 seconds and you're good for another week.

I really enjoy how you discuss perspective and scale in the watch manufacturing industry.

Cward has built and sold its own movement the SH21. Limited quantities grant you. They also innovate by designing and adding modules and components onto stock movements such as the Bel Canto and the JJ01 module for worldtimers.

Another great video, Mike. I’d love to see you on brands with more distinctive styles like Farer and Serica.

"days since last watch purchase...." chef's kiss :) Now I have no doubt I'm in the right place. Looking forward to the METAS video. I have some thought os my own I'll gladly share in comment.

Of your presentations I have viewed this is my favorite. I especially appreciated your thoughts on convergence.

Subscribed about a month ago. Really enjoying the thoughtful content. Keep it up!

Great video. I really enjoy your perspective and the topics covered. Definitely very different to a lot of the other watch content on You Tube. Bravo 👏

As always, a well considered and informed opinion that adds value for the time spent watching. Thanks!

As always, a great way to kick off the weekend ☕️ 😉

Fantastic detail and review and delivery - fast becoming one of my favourite channels.

How you don't have several hundred thousand subscribers I don't know. It would be great to see you present at Watches & Wonders. Can you imaging the big-boys worried looks. 😁 Such an informative review. Congrats.

Extremely valuable industry insights, hopefully your content will allow viewers in making better watch purchase decisions for them. Whats your take on the likes of San Martin and their respective entry level value proposition.

I live in St Louis and found Monta by accident. They look and feel completely awesome, bracelet is very impressive to me. My favorite Tudor is BB blue dial & is, to me, a significant difference in price & not a comparison but deciding to save up over time and get both one at a time probably a year apart. Thanks for another very good commentary!

A series on the different microbrands like Farer, Baltic and Monta would be amazing, going in-depth into their philosophy and what you like and dislike about these companies.

Mike, great job tying together the Monta review with a discussion on manufacturing at various price points. I’m going to save your viewers even more money - Steinhart! They have a Coke with a ceramic bezel inset AND a cyclops - for €650. I own their Ocean One GMT inspired by the Rolex Explorer McQueen may or may not have worn. Solid and a nice tapered bracelet. Thanks to this video I’m going to pop it on for the rest of the day. Hope you had a pleasant trip to W&W.

Interesting analysis... I have wondered about these! Thanks for sharing Mike! It looks like a solid offering for those in the market for a great sports watch!

What no Johnny Rockets burger mention? I like this topic . Long ago in the early 80's, a family owned watchshop had told me to forget about the brands and focus on 1. The quality of the movement, ETA was good enough, 2. Next the quality the case 3. The dial because you look at it many times a day. Lastly, the bracelet, a decent bracelet is good enough unless you like a leather strap. I bought my second good quality watch from then in 1984 a Heuer 1000 quartz model with full lume dial. It was great! Over the years I have hear echoes of what you are saying here , they were right as you are. Had I listened then all those yrs ago I would have saved myself a lot of cash and angst. My watch hobby would have changed. Your comments here would apply to the under speed GS Seiko divers movements as well I assume. I have reassed my watch collection and put then all up for sale. What does not sell I will keep. My grandfather always said it's just a piece of metal strapped to your wrist, do without, and don't fuss about it. I wish I have his great depression perspective. Mike, there ist no mystique and lore old Swiss farm house deep Winter watch making. After Dec 2024 I will after a 40 yr fascination with watches finally put the hobby to bed. I will still follow you of course. Regards, and great topic. Chris aus Kanada

The Monta is fine but its not going to scratch the itch. For that kind of money I would rather save up for a Tudor. Then I hopefully would be satisfied for a while. I owned the Rolex GMT Master a couple of times and sold both of them many moons ago. Silly enough I didn’t like the smaller crown. Ended up with a Sea Dweller… and had that as a OWG for years. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the watch journey is not ending and your insightful content is the missing link meny of us was looking for. Keep it coming!

Every brand you feature is one I have never heard of (or dismissed as inconsequential) and now has become a new favorite. If I had any serious money this would be a real problem.

Congratulations. You have carved out a solid, meaningful and engaging niche in this crowded market. Good work!

I so hate getting sucked into the micro black hole/rip in the multi-verse at CERN. Man, destroyed my Zelos with the 4.5 billion year old meteorite dial. Made it run 1 year per day slow……..smh…….when will I pay attention to the safety warnings………arghhh

I own two Montas, a Noble and a Triumph. I agree more or less point-for-point with your assessment. I'd love to see Monta blow up.

Mike, surprisingly, an iPad case with magnetic cover will reach 15000 Gauss. My Amazon bought “Fintie magnetic stand case for iPad” does, anyway, when measuring the magnetic field right over one of the magnets, and it has a lot of them evenly spaced out over the cover. I regularly have to demagnetize my watches… my Omegas will get magnetized (the case will), however, they just don’t seem to be affected as much as non-METAS movements are when I don’t pay attention and rest my left hand on top of my iPad.

You missed NOMOS !!!! Incredible value, nearly completely in-house and some models sub $2500 😊😊

When buying a watch, getting the best specs for your buck is engineering, but then marketing comes along, and the heart takes over, and that's when it all goes to pot! Great analysis as usual Mike, always on point 👏🏼

Mass production and automated manufacturing also leads to quality consistency. Possibly the Toyota Production System (TPS) has been embraced. Swatch has the audacity to produce non-serviceable mechanical movements (like ETA 2842, System51) because they have a predictable and acceptable performance. I thought that the monolithic escapement would revolutionize the Swiss watch industry and elevate the art. But I don’t think that it has been perfected.

One of the best informative videos in watches that I've seen in a couple of years.

If this monta was 1200 it would be an amazing offer, but at this price just save up for the Tudor coke gmt

Great video, as per your usual! I don't disagree about the manufacturing, but I do seek to input my own story, my own romance into my watches. Luckily (as, like you, I can't afford it), hand-made watches are not a priority for me when I make a purchase. For me, it is the anticipation of where I will wear a watch and what I will be doing wearing it and the memories of having it accompany me that supply the romance. As an aside, the auto-generated English sub-titles as you are speaking are hilarious. The Greubel Forsey was variously rendered as "Global Force," "to go before a force," "corporate foresight," "group of horses," "probably forsey," "glooby forces," "Kobe Forsey," and "Gilbert Forsey." I missed a few, no doubt. All the best.

Looks like the Tudor is going to make things very tough for Monta. Shed a tear for Monta. I wish them well.

I own a Monta Triumph and the quality for money is exceptional in my opinion.

I listen to a quite a few watch channels and this is my favorite!

I love your analyses. Yourcomparison with the new Tudor was especially helpful.

I do like monta and I could be very tempted, but with the UK import fees, I might as well put the little bit extra and get a Tudor.

With respect to Gauss, many small to medium neodymium magnets have 10k-15k gauss, so if they were to touch or be in proximity to your watch, they could magnetize the movement. (Magnetic clasps and closures, phone cases and chargers, etc.)

you covered every points intelligently and I completely agree with you 100% (which is kind of rare thing from watch youtubers, ha ha) PS: by the way, if Monta can lower the price around $1500 range (which they can do by cutting few corners), they can probably sell twice or 3 times more. However, as you said, that will go against their principal, so there it is....

So good to hear some good industry based watch journalism. We can choose to pay for brand and history but it is fascinating to see how newer brands are evolving into the pricing spaces left behind by some of the 'giants' and delivering quality. ❤

Fantastic video, great perspective. Top 3 watch channel now!

Best watch channel on youtube

My brother was a fine machinist that built parts for the landing on the moon. One job he had was to build one off clocks of original power source and high accuracy for a clock genius. Clocks powered by water evaporating or a ball bearing running back and forth on a track, for example. At the end of his career he was building machines to check the machines that were building parts, for example in chip manufacturing. He said he did not enjoy it because really all he did was write computer programs and he really liked his early career where he was making things using tools.

My first thought on seeing the new the Tudor BB58 was oh, Monta has really arrived, Tudor has made an homage to their Skyquest 😂. And for the record, 64 days since my last watch purchase!

Loved your intro comments - I am new to watches and was incredibly drawn in by the romanticism, technical craftsmanship and ethos of Greubel Forsey I very much want to own artisan materials like this and was interested that several of my friends that own luxury watches were not even aware of the brand let alone the mission and vision.

Great video. Now I understand Monta. I loved the way the first thing on your difference list was the bezel. I love the thin, coin-edged Tudor bezel. Sigh.

Brilliant video as always - you’re fast becoming one of my favorites, love the format and deep analysis. Agreed regarding METAS being a great but overrated spec, I’ve made pretty much the same arguments myself. Outside of possibly magnetism, it’s also not quite as accurate or proven as Superlative - really looking forward to that video.

Good video, reminds me of Rolex's history being founded in the UK. And Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf just sourced parts for Rolex. Rolex bought the movement manufacturer they sourced movements from around 2006 in their efforts to be vertically integrated.

Rolex in the 30s: I can kill your watch with water. Tudor to Monta: I can kill your watch with a fridge magnet.

i had a monta gmt atlas. The clasp when closed poked out and couldn't get a proper fit on bracelet

Another Home run vid Mike! Thanks

After missing out on several opportunities to get a quick-adjust bracelet on forums (they sell quickly), I finally got one for my 1st-generation OceanKing with the Eterna movement. Now it's the best of both worlds. I love the original, curved crystal and the no-guards crown and the perfect date window location. I consider it to be better than every current Tudor, although the P39 is very close. My cost: $1249 for watch, box, papers, and 2nd bracelet.

Really interesting information, as I own a few Tudors and Montas. I love them both but Monta gives me a "they did it for how little " and Tudor gives me the all the pleasure of owning a great watch but not the "low" price wow. Really enjoy your videos...mature, sober, analytical and refreshing

Great video as usual, only one remark though. Where I work (food industry) it is common to use 12,000 Gauss magnets so METAS is a big thing for me. Also, if you have kids and they like to play with those magnets used to build shapes, they are pretty strong. Antimagnetic properties can be very useful.

Come to think of it, we theoretically could draw a graph with price on x and built quality on y. It would be a logarithmic curve, wouldn't it?

Funny to bring up anOdain sourcing and only making their dials in house. Just tried to get an allocation slot for the model 1 green flume and the earliest allocation build date option for me was December 2029. Five years or a anOdain is absolutely absurd.

Some very competent Independent Watch Brands at this price point . Monta has some real Game here in this segment . Not so pricy that the Watch doesn’t see some hard , real world knock-a-bouts . And that’s the real point of a “ Sports Professional “ Tool Watch . It gets worn . IMHO . ❤ the GF 😘

Totally agree. Just wondering about Formex Essence 39. Not seen in flesh but as A Tudor BB58 owner I think the Essence seems to represent very good value and am considering. It’s COSC, nicely finished, good quality bracelet, and most importantly a little different in sports watch case design, compared say to Monta. Yes its dial is a rip off of Aqua Terra but fair game I reckon at the price Omega charge Whadya think?🙂

I would like very much for you to do a big comaprison of all the big players in this price range from cw to tudor. Not necessarily a specific model, more about the tradeoffs they do, cuz some spend more on specs, some spend on design and some try to balance it. Not sure its a fair comparison cuz expenside Tudors are double the price of most these brands and yet they are widely compared as almost egual.

Good insights here, Mike. Now that Longines has the Conquest at 38.5mm I’m looking at it vs the Monta Noble. The Longines is more expensive and has the heritage but the design and actual watch, micro adjustment, dial of the Monta present more value to me. Your video is in my head as I go back and forth thinking about which one I like more overall. Interesting time when a Microbrand can compete Iike this

Wonderful analysis. It's your point at the end that resonates the strongest: Design. At the end of the day, I don't care about the minimal gains in spec that occur between the Monta, the Tudor or the Rolex. So many new releases just fall into a category of "great...but so what?" Now that anyone can source a high-quality watch, it makes it even more disheartening that there is such a glut of "same watch/different brand" designs that do nothing to distinguish themselves and all end up looking like homages to each other.

How would you say it compares to the Zulu Time overall? In terms of finishing, movement, hands, dial, bezel action and design? I have the green and the brushing and polishing reminds me very much of the globemaster, it looks like the same finishing, also love the hands they feel dimensional and not flat like a lot of watches in the 0-4500€ tend to do.

Mike thanks very much for the video -- both the Monta and Greubel Forsey are fascinating. Despite your enthusiasm and all the wonderful insights I am trying to remain an enthusiast rather than a collector 🙂. Going off topic yet again - It is possible to have some . . . romance . . . in competitively priced watches . . . . I appreciate the Muhle Glashutte 29er Casual 'Edition Saxony' Blue Dial watch ------ Because it is a family run business spanning 5 generations AND equally important their successful business, despite being within Russia for a few years.

Great and informative again. Interested in your opinion on the new skeleton CW if you have that on the cards.

This guy is the best ever.

Another angle to consider: What if you could get the Monta lightly used for a 50% discount? I own a Monta GMT (First Gen) and was able to purchase it for just about half off retail (and finance it 0% over 24 months using Paypal Credit on Ebay here in the US). Also, it was still under warranty. Used Tudors don't offer such discounts.

I actually just saw the Bvlgari Aluminium GMT coke was released as well. Looks nice and blends well with the aluminium concept and "coke" 😂

Brilliant as always. I hope that you are a strategy or marketing consultant in your other life. McKinsey needs you. I would love to hear your take on Brellum. Their pilot watch offers specs that compare and, in some cases exceed, IWC's petit prince (in my view) for around $3,000 while being a microbrand. They seem to be playing in a part of the market all by themselves. I personally own one of their watches and love it although their comfortability in wear could be better.

I really like the Monta, great looks, great brand. However, when it came time to decide, I went with Tudor and Longines. I'm willing to spend just a bit more for the name.

The bracelet of the monta is quite an achievement. Truly tudor-style. I agree that big maisons need to watch their back and ensure their customer relationship is solid enough, because brands like Monta, CW and others can easily turn the tables, especially for those watch enthousiasts that want a robust watch that is reliable, serviceable and built to last a lifetime, not be part of a brand club (still remember what you say that above 4000 USD, the main difference is more about belonging to a certain club, and I totally agree). Thank you very much for your insights!!!

Thank you for treating your audience as adults. Subscribed.

Love your videos, man.

Monta Oceanking vs Tudor BB monochrome now ;)

Can we get your opinion or even a review on the Baume et Mercier Riviera Baumatic 39mm? As always excellent Video greetings from Germany!

This is everything that I’m looking for - in the 40mm diameter range, good thickness, date dial, flat crystal face, water resistant, not terrible hands, not a steel slab like Tudor and not Rolex price range

Also remember that after 6-12 months of the Tudor hitting the market, prices will fall below suggested retail. Making the Tudor even more attractive.

always a pleasure ❤

Thoughts on Grand Seiko who pride themselves on hand finishing?

Couple points: you mention the dial finishing of the Tudor to be far better than a Monta. But macro on a Tudor shows dust and slightly rough edges on hands. Does the monta do worse? Also where do you stand on Horage? Self designed movement self built movements and watches. and > 98% swiss. Is that watchmaking art? (Research b4 answering if not familiar with that brand). Cheers, enjoy your philosophy and vids 👍

I have a San Martin watch (china) very similar in look I guess. Cost me £200 UK it's unbelievable in quality the polishing is unreal it really stands up. Sorry but these watch makers really need to watch out.

It's a beautiful piece.

in some way I find it too bad that the massproducing luxury brands have to keep up the romanticized narrative of handcrafted watchmaking, because I would like to see the machined production workflows of Rolex & co. I think there are, from a automatisation/robotics/engineering perspective, impressive nifty feats going on...in a way like when looking at quartz movements: it is not mechanical watchmaking, but there is quartz in cheap plastic watches and there are quartz movements in highly accurate Grand Seikos