Glycine is recently acquired by Invicta which caused a lot of controversy around the brand. I also worried at first thinking that Glycine will start to make huge watches with crazy (bad crazy) designs. However it turned out Invicta does not intervene with the brand a lot and kept the reasonable sized designs even though we now have 45mm Combat Subs.
Specifications:
- Caliber GL224 Swiss automatic movement
- Stainless steel with unidirectional turning bezel with aluminium ring colored, Super-LumiNova® C1
- 42mm Case Size
- Waterproof 20 atm
- Flat sapphire with 3 layers of anti-reflective coating on the underside
- Screw-in crown and caseback
- Bracelet or silicon strap
Of course the most iconic model from Glycine is the Airman. Considering the price performance ratio Combat Sub line is also a success for the brand. If you are patient enough and carefully chase the deals you can get a sapphire, Swiss auto movement (mostly Satellita these days), 20 atm watch in a thin case for a very reasonable price.
The fist thing I notice is how thin the watch is. With a larger 42mm case it feels even thinner than it is. With the curved down lugs it sits on the wrist comfortably (I have very flat wrist). Might not be that comfy on a more rounded wrist. Watch is 42mm and it makes you feel its size. You can see the size comparison with skx007 and NTH diver. Lume is not good it is only C1 level so there is no need to compare with lume monsters.
GL088 is the model with the orange minute track and lollipop hands. I think this the best looking one of the batch. Orange makes the classic design more interesting. But it does not come on bracelet and harder to find at a decent price.
One thing might push you to get the older pre-invicta version other than the wingy logo (by the way logo replaced before invicta) is the drilled lugs. Yes new Combat Subs (well some of them has) does not have drilled lugs anymore.
Combat Subs come on a bracelet or rubber band based on which model you choose. GL088 comes on a rubber strap. Strap looks and smells good and has a signed buckle. However it is very stiff and not comfortable at all. I actually never used the original strap. So you should consider another strap. It look amazing on an orange isofrane style strap or any military style single piece straps.
Caseback is laser engraved with company’s new logo. It is not stamped or anything. It is comfortable and does not ditch in your wrist.
Conclusion:
Combat sub is a value packed sub with a modern 42mm size. Do not afraid of Invicta acquisition if you are considering this watch. Only negative effect is loss of drilled lugs. Other than that you can thank Invicta for keeping this brand around. Only negatives of the watch are lume which is a bummer for a dive watch and the stiff rubber strap. Other than these I suggest you to give this slim sexy watch a try.
