One of the most anticipated Glycine novelties from this year was their new Airman 17 Sphair 3927. We’re happy to say, the new styled GMT has landed at AZ Fine Time and this piece is by far more impressive then pictures can do justice.
The Airman series is celebrating their 60th birthday this year, and in turn, a slew of new Airman’s have been introduced for this tremendous occasion. The newly delivered Sphair is a part of the revamped Airman 17 line up. As some of you may know, the 17’s have changed in movement as well as the thickness, making for a thinner timepiece than its predecessors. The movement has changed from a Valgranges A07.171, to the newly introduced GL 293, which has 21 jewels, a 42 hour power reserve, 28,800 bph and incredible fit and finish using perlage, striping and blue screws.
The most appealing part of this piece is the rubberized bezel, crown and secondary crown which acts as a lock for the 24 hour bezel. The rubber for the bezel not only makes for an easier grip on the bezel itself, but also helps add protection and shock absorption to its front side. The rubber on both crowns also makes for an easy grip and easy adjustment when necessary.
The Sphair is available in 2 movement types, the GMT as featured in this reivew, or a purist. The biggest difference between the two variations is that the GMT versions hour hand reads in 12 hour increments and the GMT hand will read in 24. This allows the user to adjust the bezel making 3 timezones visible on the dial/bezel. The purist version will not have the additional hand, and will only display 2 timezones, with the hour hand reading only in 24 hour increments.
The overall look of this piece is quite stunning. The matte rubber works well with the black matte dial. The burnt orange accents create a little extra “pop” which is a very nice touch. The overall legibility is very good, especially considering all that is going on within the dial.
The case is mostly a high polished finish and measures out at 46mm wide and 10.75mm thick. The old variations were 15mm thick, so the new movement has made a substantial difference. This Glycine comes on a black calfskin leather strap with white contrast stitching, which certainly blends very well with the rest of the watch.
The Glycine Airman 17 Shpair 3927.196-LB9 retails for $2,950. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-486-3996 and be sure to check us out on AZFineTime.com.
See our video review below…
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