The rise of the affordable ?true? GMT continues to be a strong trend in the microbrand arena, as more and more ready new watches sporting the Miyota 9075. This caliber is beginning to feel like a true game changer in the space, allowing brands whose bread and butter are sub $1,000 watches to offer a much sought after complication that consumers would previously have to spend many times that amount to acquire. The latest entrant in an increasingly crowded marketplace for these watches is an old favorite of ours: Zelos. 

Zelos watches have always represented value, whether we?re talking about divers under $500 or a Swiss tourbillon with a case made from exotic titanium alloys. Their watches have a colorful, materials oriented style that places a high value on texture and provides their customers with something unique. For this first batch of GMTs, which are part of the Mako line, each option is quintessential Zelos, meaning that even the most conservative watch in the group is still pretty memorable.  Of the three new GMTs that make their debut today, the most simple is the Mako 300M GMT Frost, which appears at first to be a stark white dial, but is actually fully lumed, so when the lights go out and the lume is completely charged, the entire dial glows, with the ?black lume? hands and hour markers standing in relief. The orange arrow in the GMT hand and a bit of text in the same shade are the only additional colors found on the dial, which is somewhat unusual for...