It’s been a little over six months since we first heard the news that Leica was branching out from its position as a longtime leader in the camera industry and into the world of watchmaking. The reaction at that time by industry pundits and enthusiasts was one of mixed enthusiasm. Would this be another example of a brand overstepping its boundaries and thinking that they could slap some branding on a Chinese quartz watch and sell it for a lucrative profit" It’s a trap that many prestigious brands of all sorts of industries have fallen into.
The Leica L2 GMT.
It’s a good thing then that Leica, renowned for its quality control and precision mechanics, didn’t disappoint when prototypes of its two initial models, the time-and-date-only Leica L1 and the Leica L2 GMT, arrived stateside for the first time. We were able to spend some extended time with the attractive and technically intriguing L2 GMT a little while back, and the level of quality and detail found not only surpassed our initial expectations but also made us excited to see what else is to come from this new initiative.
The most important thing to discuss from a watch enthusiast perspective when it comes to the Leica L2 GMT is its innovative ? and exclusive ? movement that was built for Leica by Lehmann Präzision GmbH out of Germany?s Black Forest. Leica said that maintaining the ?Made in Germany? designation was extremely important so finding a local manufactory was one of the brand?s...