My review of About Vintage’s 1926 At’Sea was one of 2022’s most popular posts. Since you guys enjoyed this timepiece so much, I decided to go deeper into the About Vintage rabbit hole with the 1982 GMT World Traveler.

In line with the rest of About Vintage’s collection, the 1982 GMT derives its name from a special date according to the company. Whereas 1926 from the At’Sea was a pretty easy reference to get, the 1982 left me scratching my head.

After reading more about it, I discovered that this date refers to the birth year of Pilou Asbæk, a Danish actor which is an ambassador of the brand. While his story about keeping track of is homeland’s time throughout is travels is heartwarming, I’d much rather have had an historical horology date for the name instead.

Indeed, I loathe the day when a friend asks where the 1982 name comes from and I have to explain that it’s the birth year of a Hollywood star I didn’t know.

Whereas the name didn’t hit the mark for me, the actual timepiece packs quite a punch. The World Traveler is the first GMT watch I’ve owned, and what a treat has it been.

The 24-hour bezel is sturdy, well-aligned, and satisfying to click throughout its 60-tooth mechanism. Both 1982 GMT models offer subdued, understated colorways for the insert; dark blue & off-white like mine, or warm grey & cool grey.

I think that’s what sold the watch for me; I’m so used to (and almost tired of) the loud Pepsi, Batman, and Coke bezel insert which all have at least one flashy prominent color. The 1982 GMT instead sports an elegant insert that leaves room for other louder elements.

Thanks to the bezel’s sober color palette, the bright orange GMT hand jumps right at your eye, leaving no confusion as to where to find it. It also allows the wearer to notice more easily some subtle parts of the watch such as the grey sunburst dial.

Layered on top of this great dial are 11 off-white round hour indices. The 3 o’clock one is replaced by a deep date display with a crisp black-on-white contrast and no frills. The off-white/goldish minute marks give a vintage look to the piece whilst providing enough contrast with the dial for great visibility.

This color matches the font of the wall of text below the center post. Once again, my suggestion to About Vintage is to purify the amount of text on their dial to better fit their minimalist styling.

Speaking of visibility, the 1982 GMT got you covered day and night. The lume is pretty strong and it won’t disappoint you in a dark setting as long as you’ve charged it in the sun enough.

The first reaction I had when I took the 1982 GMT out of the box (which is gorgeous, by the way) was to notice how heavy it feels for a quartz watch. Of course, I mean that in a good way since it gives it a high-quality feel.

Let me tell you, About Vintage didn’t place rocks inside the case to make this piece heavy, they simply invested in high-quality parts. For instance, the Ronda 515-24H gets you all the great reliability and accuracy of a traditional Swiss movement without having to disburse ETA money if you must replace the movement down the road.

Another high-quality part is the jubilee bracelet, which is solid all the way from the clasp to the end links. I also received an Oyster bracelet with my 1982, but even the quick-change system couldn’t convince me to part ways with the magnificent jubilee one yet. 

The 41mm case diameter paired with the downward curved lugs make for a super comfortable wearing experience. To achieve this level of comfort, you’ll probably have to toy around with the multiple micro-adjustments and add or remove a few links. When you find the perfect combination, you’ll know because the watch will feel like it’s kindly hugging your wrist.

This nice wrist feel is helped by the slim profile of the 1982 GMT. This is impressive for a watch with a 4-hand movement and a curved sapphire crystal.

With my GMT timepiece, About Vintage kindly sent me a sample of their brown travel roll, as well as a brown travel pouch. The travel roll is truly my favorite of both since it allows me to bring 3 watches (+ the one on my wrist) on vacation very safely.

The snap fasteners between the watch cushions and the ones keeping the roll closed are very sturdy and leave me feeling confident that my watches will make the trip unscathed. About Vintage sells the roll in black, dark blue, or brown colors. I couldn’t help myself but choose the brown one since the color reminded me of my trusty nubuck Timberlands which I had to part with recently after 7 years of great companionship.

The craftsmanship of the roll is great, and I wouldn’t expect less from its $149 price tag. However, I found that the leather collected scratches quite easily (and it came with a few). I’m sure if I weren’t this lazy, I could find a way to polish it up like new, so this isn’t a deal breaker to me.

I can’t talk much about the small watch pouch since the 3-slot roll filled all my traveling needs up until now. However, I’m sure it will perfectly serve someone who only travels with one or two watches and doesn’t want to spend a hefty amount.

By now I think I left you guys with all the information required to decide if the About Vintage 1982 is a good match for you. If you wish to buy it and enjoy a 15% off coupon feel free to use the code ROMEOWATCHES at check out!