Gant Watches Review – Austere Styling

Gant Watches Review

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gant watches reviewIf you’re familiar with the Gant name, it likely isn’t because of wristwatches.  Gant watches are a relative newcomer to the company, which was founded in New Haven, Connecticut in 1949 as a maker of men’s shirts.

The company expanded their lines over the years and eventually changed hands.  Now headquartered in Sweden, Gant offers a variety of clothing and accessories for men and women.

Among those accessories the company’s watches, which offer mostly traditional styles.  They’re well made, have accurate movements and good water resistance and are offered at prices that are reasonable as designer watches go.

Read on for the full Gant watches review.

Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary

Gant Watches Build Quality

The quality  is certainly good enough for most buyers; the watches are built with stainless steel cases.  You won’t find any gold or platinum or high-tech ceramic at their targeted price points, but stainless steel is what most watchmakers use, and it’s a tried-and-true material for building a solid watch case.

Water resistance is better than average, with most models rated at either 50 or 100 meters.  That’s good for getting them wet, but you won’t want to go swimming or diving while wearing them.

The watch face is protected with mineral crystal, which is a heat-tempered form of glass.

Movements

We had trouble finding out information about the current lineup, but a press release from a few years ago stated that they used quartz electronic movements from Swiss movement manufacturers Ronda and ETA.

Both are companies that make movements only; they do not manufacture complete watches themselves.  Both ETA and Ronda have a reputation for building a reliable, accurate movement.

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Innovation

Given that these watches are made as fashion accessories and that the company is not a wristwatch-first manufacturer, it won’t surprise you to find out that the company doesn’t really offer anything in the way of technical innovation.

Still, you will find chronograph, date, and day/date complications in the Gant watches lineup.

Not only that, but their watches often display the day or the date in rather clever ways, rather than using a digit or a name in a window on the face.  Some models do have that traditional feature, but others use dials other representation for the day and/or date.

Styling and Features

gant watches cameronBig.  Cases are in the mid-40mm range, so these are not watches for people with small wrists.

These watches are also likely not watches for women, as they seem not to offer models for women specifically, and the watches they do make, even those with unisex styles, are huge in size and might be too large for most women.

Cases are all stainless steel and are either silver or gold-toned in color.  All watch displays are analog, and watch faces run from black to white to blue to gray.

You won’t find gemstones or precious metals here, but then again, they’re not priced like watch brands that do offer those things, so in order to keep them affordable, they’re sticking with stainless steel.

There are a number of time-only watches in the lineup, and overall, you’ll find the designs to be simple and austere, rather than colorful and edgy.

That said, the watches are attractive, if overly large, timepieces that will wear well for just about any occasion, be it work, a night out, or a casual day in town.

Care and Maintenance

You won’t have to worry too much about care, as they all feature highly reliable quartz electronic movements.

You will need to have the battery replaced every 2-3 years, and you should store your watch away from extremes of temperature and store them in a cool, dry place.

With proper care, your watch should run well for years to come.

Gant Watches Warranty

The company’s watches are warranted against defects in materials and craftsmanship for two years from the date of purchase.

This is a typical warranty; about 90% of all watch companies offer a warranty of two years.

As these are well-tested movements, defects are likely fairly uncommon.  A longer warranty may be available for purchase through your retailer, so you may wish to ask about that at the time of purchase.

Prices

gant watches park hillAs designer watches go, they are quite reasonably priced, though they cannot be described as “cheap.”

The price range for Gant watches runs from a low of about $70 to a high of about $500 or so, with most models being priced in the $150-$200 range.

That’s a reasonable price for a well-made watch with a Swiss movement, and it’s a comparable range to other fashion brands that do not include gemstones and precious metals in their watches.

Where to Buy

You will likely find them for sale at any brick and mortar retailer that carries their clothing, but your best bet for buying them would be to shop online, where dozens of retailers carry the brand.

You cannot, oddly enough, buy Gant watches at the official company Website.  For whatever reason, their accessories section of their site does not include any wristwatches.

Gant Watches Summary

Most people who buy a watch are looking for an attractive timepiece that can be trusted to keep accurate time without costing a fortune.

If that’s you, then you’ll find that this brand fits the bill rather nicely.  They offer a variety of styles and more features than you’d expect from fashion watches.

You will find that the cases to be rather large, so if you’re small-framed, you may not find them to your liking.  Another downside is that they are all designed for men, and we’re not aware of any women’s models.

Still, with Swiss movements, a variety of features, and good build quality, you’ll find a good value, especially since they are not overly expensive.

All in all, as fashion watches go, Gant watches offer a pretty good product.

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