Laco has long treated the Frankfurt GMT as a study in restraint — a pilot’s tool watch stripped to what a cockpit actually demands. This month the German manufacturer extends that study rather than reinventing it: the Frankfurt GMT now comes in a 40 mm case, sitting alongside the existing 43 mm version rather than replacing it.
Two Time Zones, One Crown at Two O’Clock
The second time zone is shown through the 24-hour hand and an internal rotating bezel, adjusted via an additional crown at two o’clock — a distinctive feature of the Frankfurt GMT.
Frankfurt 40 GMT Schwarz and Frankfurt 40 GMT Grau
The 40 mm case is offered in two dial finishes. The Schwarz leans into classic pilot-watch contrast; the Grau takes its tone from the lower bezel for a quieter, more monochromatic face.
Case & Design
The dark, sandblasted stainless steel case is inspired by historic Laco pilot watches, its matte finish originally chosen to reduce reflections in the cockpit. The 43 mm Frankfurt GMT already earned a Red Dot Award for Product Design in 2020.
Delivered as a Complete Set
The watch arrives in a padded aluminium travel case with a FiberTech strap as standard, a second grey-and-orange NATO-style strap, a strap-changing tool, and a “Remove Before Flight” key tag.
Vampirsky take
I confess a quiet fondness for watches that resist the urge to grow. This 40 mm version does not chase a different achievement than its 43 mm sibling, only a different wrist — and there is a kind of discipline in building for the traveller with narrower bones, rather than assuming everyone has caught up with the industry’s taste for excess.
