Ridge stands tall in the EDC space for its innovative, stylish, and exceptionally functional tools. The Ridge Wallet turned the wallet world on its head and almost overnight revolutionized a daily carry tool that hadn’t changed much in over a hundred years. (Check out our Ridge Wallet review.)
After the stunning success of its eponymous Wallet, Ridge quickly applied its philosophy of pairing the best materials with the most functional designs to pens, knives, pocket tools, and even bags.
Now they’ve set their sights on watches, with the Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch aimed to shake up the highly structured and sometimes old-fashioned world of premium men’s watches. Today we’re digging deep into the Land & Sea GMT Watch to find out what makes it tick.
Ridge Land & Sea GMT WatchQuick Overview
With the Land & Sea GMT Watch Ridge attempts to apply its design philosophy of innovation and value to diver’s and GMT watches. As with most of Ridge’s attempts, this one was wildly successful, giving birth to a gorgeous watch that pays homage to the finest diver’s watches of the past without sacrificing functionality and user-friendly advances.
Functionality
10/10
Style
9.5/10
Dependability
9.6/10
Value
9.0/10
What We Like
User-friendly modern features and performance
Swiss movement maintains accurate time
Good choices/colors for every style
Solid price point for a premium watch
What We Don’t Like
This is Ridge’s first watch, so we don’t much about the product’s longevity.
What is the Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch?
The Land & Sea GMT Watch is the first watch release from the widely acclaimed makers of the Ridge Wallet. Ridge spared no effort in its first salvo, aiming to combine the functionality of a GMT watch and a dive watch while maintaining the panache and style of high-end watches.
For those new to the premium watch space, a GMT watch is an analog watch that allows you to keep track of two time zones (usually local time and Greenwich Mean Time, regarded as the global standard) at once through the use of an adjustable bezel. Ridge took it to the next level with a removable bezel system that allows you to simultaneously track three time zones at once, great for international travelers and business leaders.
The Land & Sea is Swiss quartz movement watch that offers an accuracy of -10/+20 seconds a month and a battery life of around 45 months. Quartz movement means it runs off a battery, so you don’t need to keep it running or purchase a separate watch winder, nor do you need to wind it up like an automatic movement watch.
Other makers of fine timepieces have tried combining dive watches, GMT watches, and dress watches with mixed results. It’s tough to build a watch durable enough to handle conditions dozens to hundreds of meters underwater that also have interchangeable parts and still maintain a certain level of style.
Key features
- Interchangeable bezels allow you to jump from GMT watch to Diver’s bezel in seconds
- Quick-release strap pin lets you swap out stainless steel and silicone straps without hassle
- GMT features allow you to maintain three time zones at once
- Super-LumiNova lume offers clear visibility even in low light conditions
Specifications
- Case Size: 42mm
- Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel Case
- Case Weight: 2.5oz
- Movement: Ronda Swiss Quartz GMT
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Lume: Swiss Super-LumiNova
- Water Resistance: 200m (20 ATM)
Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch Design and Style
The design of the Land & Sea took as its inspiration the best diver’s watches from the past. It’s not a dainty watch, with its 42mm brushed 316L stainless steel case rated to depths of 200 meters and the muscular angularity of its lugs and bezel a clear statement of bold and masculine style.
The face is available in several seriously elegant dial colors (and even Ridge’s signature carbon fiber pattern), while the hands and hour markers all sport a Super-LumiNova lume. They shine brightly in the darkest conditions and give you a high-contrast view of the time even in bright sunlight. We find the stunning blue dial variant to be absolutely stunning.
Ridge went with a user-adjustable dive watch design that allows you to quickly and easily transition your watch from practical dive mode to a stylish GMT setting. It ships with two bezels: a 90-step unidirectional aluminum dive/compass bezel and a dual-color 24-hour bezel for GMT use.
The Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch takes the timeless style and jet-setting panache of GMT watches and pairs it seamlessly with the adventurous spirit and trail-blazing ethos of the best dive watches of the past. It’s a watch that stands out in every setting yet fits in just as well on a beach in Fiji as in a board room in Manhattan.
Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch Usability
Usability for a Dive/GMT watch like the Ridge Land & Sea comes down to how comfortable it is to wear, how accurately it keeps time, how easily time can be changed, and the adjustability of interchangeable parts such as bands and bezels.
Wearability and comfort
Dive watches are a big, bulky, in-your-face kind of watch. Comfort, while important, generally takes second fiddle to functionality and style. The Ridge Land & Sea GMT shocked us with just how light and comfortable it was to wear.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s a beefy watch with a lot of mass on your wrist, but Ridge put a lot of effort into the band and back to make it as comfortable as possible to wear for the long term. It offers two quick-release wristband options: 1) A Fluoro rubber strap with stainless steel buckle, and 2) a stainless steel bracelet for style and utility. Both come with an integrated magnetic closure system so they are easy to put on and remove quickly.
During this Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch review, we loved the rubber strap. It’s perfect for athletic or water activities. Steel straps can build up dirt, salt, and sweat from high-intensity activities and start to chafe or grow uncomfortable without regular cleaning. Including the silicone strap extends the time between required cleanings significantly.
Timekeeping
The Land & Sea GMT Watch includes a Swiss-made Ronda Powertech Caliber 515.24H movement. It’s exceptionally accurate for an analog movement, with a rated accuracy of -10/+20 seconds over a month.
So long as you sync it up with a precise time system (preferably something like the U.S. Navy Master Clock) every two months or so you’ll have no issues with timekeeping.
Ridge paired this movement with a battery rated at 45 months. That’s about average for an analog watch, and not much of a burden to change every four-ish years.
Chronograph/dive use
A dirty little secret about dive watches in the 21st century is that almost no diver actually uses them while scuba diving. Dive computers have become so accurate and affordable that dive watches have been rendered obsolete. Yes, dive watches are water resistant, but they are almost never used that way.
They’re still worn because they’re incredibly high-quality watches that offer a way for dedicated scuba divers to mark themselves out to other enthusiasts as the adventurous sort.
The dive functionality of the Land & Sea does come in handy as a chronograph and timer. You can use the dive bezel to mark off a starting point and see precisely how long it takes you to complete a run or as a way to set a timer for a short task. In that respect, they work exceptionally well.
Setting time and date
The Land & Sea GMT uses a standard crown-based system to adjust time, date, and to move the GMT arm. As a dive-rated watch, it does have a slight wrinkle to the adjustment.
The crown screws into place to maintain a water resistant seal around the movement. You must unscrew it to adjust the time and screw it securely back in place when done. Failure to fully secure the crown can compromise the watch’s water resistance.
Swapping bezels and watch bands
The swappable unidirectional bezels on the Land & Sea GMT were our only point of concern going into this Ridge Land & Sea GMT watch review. Too often, we’ve seen removable parts that are either nigh impossible to get off when you want them to or that pop off spontaneously when you least expect it.
Ridge did a phenomenal job with their bezels.
It takes a good bit of force to get them off, but we had no issues removing them when wanted with a fingernail and a bit of pressure. Our concerns of the bezel coming loose unexpectedly were completely put to rest.
Exchanging the watch bands was even easier. Ridge went with a quick-release spring bar system to swap the straps. It took us just seconds to remove the stainless steel strap and pop in the rubber strap.
Whereas most metal band watches rely on pin-and-collar type connectors for individual links, Ridge chose a far more user-friendly removable screw link. We could unscrew and remove links in seconds using the included tool to get the watch sized and ready for wear.
This high-accuracy, versatile dive watch is designed for performance and precision; for bold individuals who demand modern functions in a classic form. 200m water resistance Sapphire Crystal Scratch proof lens/glass. High strength corrosion resistant stainless steel 316L.
Durability and Water Resistance
Ridge built the Land & Sea GMT like a stylish tank. Its 42mm brushed 316L stainless steel case is practically bombproof, while the clear sapphire crystal is exceptionally scratch resistant and durable.
The bezel of the Land & Sea is raised significantly off the crystal. It gives you a degree of protection if you drop the watch or (as we do embarrassingly too frequently) knock it against a wall or other surface while walking or standing up.
The stainless steel band is just as sturdy as the watch body itself, and the activity-focused rubber strap was thick enough and robust enough to last through years of regular activity. We had some concerns with the spring-actuated quick-release bar to exchange bands, but both its placement and feel reassured us that it will last the life of the watch.
Water Resistance
A dive watch without water resistance is just a pretty paperweight. The Ridge Land & Sea offers 200 meters of water resistance (20 ATM), on par with many of the most popular and revered modern dive watches.
Obviously, we couldn’t get 200m underwater for this Ridge Land & Sea GMT watch review. Still, the manufacturing techniques behind such waterproofing have been well understood for decades, so we do not doubt that the Land & Sea lives up to its rating. There is one crucial factor to keep in mind, namely screwing down the crown.
The crown adjusts the settings on the Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch and must be screwed down fully before water exposure. Ridge is clear that failure to screw down the crown before taking the Land & Sea into water invalidates the warranty. You should also thoroughly rinse your Land & Sea with fresh water after going into the ocean. Salt buildup is no one’s friend.
Who Needs a Ridge Land & Sea GMT?
The Ridge Land & Sea GMT is a rugged yet stylish watch that updates the timeless aesthetic of the diver’s watch with in-demand features and functions. It’s a watch aimed squarely at those looking to take their style to the next level without sacrificing EDC fundamentals.
At the end of the day, the Land & Sea is for a particular segment of the EDC market with a particular look. It’s a premium watch for those who want to showcase their style and rugged sense of adventure and to telegraph certain things about their aspirations and where they’re headed.
If you’re looking for a classically stylish dive watch that incorporates some of the best features of modern EDC watches, the Ridge Land & Sea is an excellent option.
Is the Ridge Land & Sea GMT Watch Worth It?
The Ridge Land & Sea isn’t cheap by any means, but dive watches generally are a premium and decidedly pricey lot. The Land & Sea doesn’t begin to approach the price of truly expensive dive watches from renowned makers such as Baltic, Doxa, or Rolex.
To someone looking for a diver’s watch, the Land & Sea can honestly be described as a bargain, particularly given its svelte styling and significant range of valuable features. That’s not to say everyone will agree.
Undeniably, the Land & Sea lives up to every claim Ridge made about its function, durability, and multi-role usability. If a diver’s watch is what you’re looking for, the Ridge Land & Sea GMT is very much worth the price.
Ridge Land & Sea GMT Alternatives
The Dive watch market is crowded, with dozens of well-regarded companies producing hundreds of varieties. In every review, we like to offer some alternatives, and this Land & Sea GMT watch review is no exception. Here are a few near the Land & Sea GMT in pricing and function.
Citizen Promaster Diver
The Citizen Promaster Diver offers many of the same functions as the Ridge Land & Sea for a slightly lower price. It lacks the interchangeable bands and bezels of the Land & Sea but otherwise offers the same depth water resistance rating, can maintain GMT, and has a serviceable dive bezel.
The Promaster Diver is 44mm vs the Land & Sea at 42mm, making it a bit bulkier and blockier and slightly heavier. The two differ primarily in the user-friendly features of the Land & Sea, such as the interchangeable bezels and the remarkable ease with which you can exchange the bands and add/remove links to the stainless steel band.
Luminox Bear Grylls Air Series Watch
If you’re more interested in the GMT side of the Land & Sea than the dive timer, the Bear Grylls Air Series Pilot Watch is a solid choice. It’s significantly more affordable than most pilot’s watches with comparable features and offers the ability to keep time in 24 different cities at once.
The bezel lists 24 world cities/countries and allows you to see the time in London, Tokyo, or Rio De Janeiro at a glance. It’s a fantastic watch by any standard, particularly at its price.
Ridge Land & Sea GMT Review Final Thoughts
At the end of our Ridge Land & Sea GMT watch review, we can say that this is truly a marvelous watch. Everything from the dial design to its accurate movements to its chunky second and minute hands are superb. It’s perfect for outdoors adventures or fancy occasions.
With the Land & Sea GMT Watch, Ridge attempts to apply its design philosophy of innovation and value to diver’s and GMT watches. As with most of Ridge’s attempts, this one was wildly successful, giving birth to a gorgeous watch that pays homage to the finest diver’s watches of the past and takes advantage of modern technology without sacrificing functionality and user-friendly advances.
The Land & Sea GMT maintains the style that puts diver’s watches in such high demand while adding modern functionality and valuable improvements. If you’re looking to pick up your first premium watch, the Land & Sea is a tempting option indeed.
This high-accuracy, versatile dive watch is designed for performance and precision; for bold individuals who demand modern functions in a classic form. 200m water resistance Sapphire Crystal Scratch proof lens/glass. High strength corrosion resistant stainless steel 316L.
