Pan Am Waterbury Automatic GMT Timex's jet-age travel watch

What is new about the Pan Am Waterbury Automatic GMT?

Timex has made Pan Am watches since 2022, but this is the first that leans directly on the watch Pan Am actually helped create. In the 1950s the airline asked Rolex for a two-time-zone watch for its crews, and the result was the GMT-Master. The Pan Am x Timex Waterbury Automatic GMT TW2Y94300 takes the same idea, a 24-hour hand read against a two-tone rotating bezel, and puts it in a 41.5 mm Waterbury case.

It appeared in October 2026, alongside a cheaper quartz Waterbury GMT. Timex UK lists the automatic at an RRP of £550. The dial is a creamy white with applied markers, a date at 3 o'clock and a blue Pan Am globe at 9 o'clock, framed by a black and blue 24-hour bezel.

How big is it, and how will it wear?

Timex lists a 41.5 mm case, 48 mm lug to lug and 13.5 mm thick, weighing 160 g with the bracelet. The 20 mm bracelet fits wrists from 150 to 205 mm, according to Timex.

Those are typical numbers for a modern dive-style GMT. On wrists under about 16.5 cm it will look substantial, and the 160 g weight is noticeable. On 17 cm and above it should look proportionate. The double-domed crystal adds some of that height, so it will sit taller than the dimensions alone suggest.

What movement does it use, and how accurate is it?

Inside is the Seiko NH34, an automatic GMT calibre widely used in this price range. Timex quotes accuracy of -35 to +45 seconds a day, about 41 hours of power reserve and hacking seconds. The Timex UK page lists 24 jewels in one place and 21 in another; the NH34 is generally a 24-jewel movement.

Gear Patrol describes the GMT as a caller type: the 24-hour hand is set independently, so it suits tracking home time or a colleague's time zone while the local hours stay put. A display caseback shows the movement and a custom Timex rotor with Pan Am printing.

How well is it built?

• Crystal: double-domed K1 mineral glass with anti-reflective coating. Notebookcheck notes the cheaper quartz model uses plain mineral glass instead.
• Water resistance: 50 m. Timex says it is fine for light swimming and showering, not snorkelling.
• Bezel: two-tone rotating 24-hour bezel in black and blue.
• Bracelet: brushed stainless steel H-link with a butterfly deployant clasp and self-adjusting links, so sizing needs no tools.
• Lume: on the hands and markers.

The Pan Am logo is also engraved on the oversized crown and printed on the caseback.

Is it good value against its rivals?

The closest rival is Seiko's own 5 Sports Field GMT HDB002 at £410 from Seiko UK. Its 4R34 is a sister movement to the NH34, with the same accuracy and power reserve, plus 100 m water resistance and a smaller 39.4 mm case. It costs £140 less but has none of the airline story or the GMT-Master-style bezel.

Within Timex's range, the quartz Pan Am Waterbury GMT costs £290 and gives you the same branding in a 41 mm, 12 mm case. If the second time zone matters more than the movement, it is the better value. If you want a mechanical watch with a bezel you can rotate, the automatic is the one to pick.

What is the catch?

At £550 you are paying a premium for the Pan Am licence. The NH34 is reliable but basic, with a wide accuracy tolerance, and 50 m water resistance is modest for a watch whose bezel looks dive-ready. The K1 crystal is tougher than standard mineral glass but still not sapphire. The Pan Am logo at 9 o'clock replaces a marker, which will divide opinion.

The watch is too new for meaningful owner feedback. Early coverage from Gear Patrol and The Gadgeteer focuses on the design and the price.

“The airline that asked for the first GMT watch now has one with a Timex badge.”