Whenever the topic of future collecting goals has come up in recent months, I didn’t have a good answer to the question of “what am I looking to buy?” Strangely, for the first time in my collecting journey, I felt satisfied with where I was. Admittedly, I had a steady supply of watches coming through for review and through the WatchPoint store, but that alone was never enough to keep me happy. Whether this was a genuine feeling or just being jaded, I don’t know – but that’s a conversation for another time, because my state of content was interrupted by the most unlikely watch – the Lima GMT Transit. Up until the point they landed in the showroom, I never had the opportunity to experience one in person, and was only anecdotally aware of the brand’s existence until a few months prior. And yet, the sharp, minimal lines of the Transit spoke to me, and I bought one immediately. Even though I’ve owned it for a month, it may just end up being one of my most worn watches of the year.
A little bit about Lima
With so many microbrands popping up these days, it’s difficult to expect one to keep up with them all. So, if you’re like me and Lima has somehow snuck past your micro radar until recently, here’s a quick intro. Starting our as a graphic designer, Herman Tantriady’s career has gone the way a usual designer’s may pan out – some web design, move to advertising, and eventually start your own agency. In 2014, however, Herman founded Lima Watch, which began with ultra-minimalist pieces that were less capable timekeepers and more affordable design exercises using alternative materials.
Lima’s first release that made waves in the micro space was the Kronosprinter, a minimal take on the a chronograph inspired by classic racing liveries and fitted with Seiko’s mechaquartz movement. Taking those learnings, a collaboration with watchmaking’s favourite flippant Frenchman seconde/seconde/ followed in the Meca Revolt, laying the design groundwork for the subject of today’s article.
All about design
If you’ve spent any time on the horoweb this year, you would’ve come across mentions of brutalist design. In fact, alongside stone dials, it’s been one of the trends of 2025, with watches like the Toledano & Chan B/1 and Alto ART series leading the charge on the micro/independent front, and vintage pieces like the Rolex King Midas gaining traction. But as it tends to go with any trend, there are also those just looking to cash in on what’s hot, with varied success – I won’t name any names, but I think we could all name two Holy Trinity brands here.
So, if slapping on some matte facets and a greyscale colour scheme on a watch and calling it brutalist just won’t do, what makes for a good brutalist design? Exhibit A: the Lima GMT’s case profile. The way the top of the lugs drops away from the flat bezel, looking like load-bearing struts that suspend the round, central medallion over your wrist, and the sides come up higher than the lowest point betwixt the lugs, in a sort of saddle shape. This sounds like a whole lot of detail for a watch that is supposedly brutalist and minimal, but they come together in perfect unison and really make the watch stand out.
Then, there are the details that don’t add to the design’s overall business, but are definite hallmarks of good attention to detail. Mildly recessed into the case side, the crown sports a deep indent housing the Lima “l” logo. I’ve not come across this crown shape before, but the protruding knurling makes operation a breeze, while respecting the design codes of the rest of the case.
Perhaps unfairly, I’ve left it until very late to talk about the design of the dial, arguably the most important bit of a watch’s design. I say unfairly not just because the Transit GMT is very handsome, but because the dial was the first thing that attracted me to the watch. Similarly to the case, it’s an exercise in restraint, omitting superfluous design details but not being afraid of a bit of flare. All the hands are skeletonised, but the colour contrast is fantastic, especially on that oversized GMT hand that points right to the outermost part of the dial that hides a 24-hour scale. I’m actually glad Herman didn’t go fully minimalist here – I’m sure he could’ve fully hidden the brand name in the minute track the way he did with the model name, but I think that would take away from its charm.
Minimal, but very usable
I’ve talked a lot about the design, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a watch that wears well. Thankfully, that’s not a disclaimer I have to worry about adding for the Lima. It measures 37.5mm in diameter, 12mm in height (2mm of which is the box-domed acrylic), and 45.6mm lug-to-lug. That said, the GMT Transit’s muscular lugs and wide bezel make it wear larger than those dimensions would suggest, though not overly so. The lug profile curves down ever so slightly thought they still sit above the plane of the caseback, so regardless of your wrist size, the tips of the lugs will sit above your wrist. I’m not bothered by the look, and it actually makes for a more comfortable wearing experience at times.
With stencil-like, non-serif 3, 9, and 12 numerals, the 6-o’clock houses a neatly designed model designation with “1978” in a colour matching that of the GMT hand and the second hand’s tip. Any more of the fluorescent orange would be too much – Herman judged it to perfection. The same can be said for the 6 o’clock date window, which keeps the dial’s symmetry with a round aperture. I would love to see Lima go with a colour-matched disc here for future iterations, though I can hardly complain considering the price.
I’ll also very briefly mention the movement, which is part of what makes the GMT Transit such good value. It’s a Seiko NH34, an automatic calibre with a jumping GMT hand for easy adjustment. I can already hear some complaining about it not being a “true” GMT, but come on – does it really make that big of a difference? I recently used the Lima for our Spring Sprang Sprung trip instead of my usual travel watch – a Grand Seiko GMT which I’m sure to review at some stage – and it did the job perfectly.
Conclusion: more than just “good for the money”
Every once in a while, I get weirdly obsessed over something that others don’t quite get – and that’s fine. I did think the Transit would be a similar case, but from the first day of having the watch, I keep being proved wrong. Of all the watches that I’ve owned – and there’s some pretty cool stuff, if you won’t mind me saying – I’ve had more watch and non-watch people alike asking to see the Lima from just having a glance at it on my wrist. The customers coming into WatchPoint have also said their piece – we can’t keep them in stock, and neither can Herman himself. This is all testament to a genuinely great design, and one that I’m not afraid to say executes the brutalist/minimalist tool aesthetic as well as, if not better than, any other watch on the market.
The Lima GMT Transit is available from the WatchPoint Webstore and our Melbourne Showroom
