This No-Nonsense American-Built GMT Puts a Twist on the Rolex Explorer II Formula

If you are drawn to those vibes but dream of a bit more functionality and a much lower cost, take a closer look.

Close-up of a silver watch bezel with city names including Detroit, Chicago, Puerto Rico, and Rio de Janeiro.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published April 16, 2026

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Updated April 16, 2026

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Sure, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when you can imitate and iterate at the same time, then you have our attention.

That’s what comes to mind checking out Shinola’s new Monster GMT Worldtimer Watch.

Stainless steel Shinola GMT watch with black dial, white markers, date window, and city names on bezel. — The Monster GMT Worldtimer combines Rolex Explorer II vibes with its own unique personality and powers.

While the Rolex Explorer II nods are unmissable, it brings unique Detroit energy and globetrotting capability to the party.

The fact that it goes for less than a quarter of the price of the vaunted Swiss brand’s offering certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

Super duper

You don’t have to be a watch expert (I’m the furthest thing from one) to spot the similarities between the two watches.

The most notable include the stainless steel case and bracelet. (Yes, Rolex uses “Oystersteel” and the case is 42mm to the Monster’s 40mm, but hey, close enough.)

Stainless steel Shinola automatic GMT watch with black dial and city names on bezel. — From the case and bracelet to the dial, indexes and hands, similarities to the Explorer II are hard to miss.

Both watches feature 100mm of water resistance and a screw-down crown.

The black dials with white branding share an aesthetic; Rolex also offers a white-dialed alternative, however.

Close-up of a stainless steel watch band clasp with a folding deployment mechanism on a light background. — The Monster’s quick-release removable links enable you to adjust it with the press of a button, no tools needed.

The lumed white indexes look similar, though Rolex employs a variety of shapes while Shinola’s are mostly baton-like.

The watches also have lumed hour, minute and second hands and orange 24-hour hands, though in Shinola’s case, only the arrow-shaped tip takes the hue.

Time bandit

When it comes to differences, while Rolex opts for opacity, the Monster has an open case back displaying its Sellita SW330-2 automatic movement.

It looks cool, but also serves as a reminder that while this watch is assembled in Detroit, the parts are sourced from elsewhere. (Not that I’d ever complain about a Swiss-made movement, to be clear.)

Silver Shinola GMT wristwatch with black dial and world time bezel worn on a wrist with a blue striped shirt cuff. — Being a proper global citizen is a simple matter of rotating the bezel to line London up with its current time.

However, the much bigger difference is that Shinola outfitted its classic traveler’s watch with not only the aforementioned GMT capability but with a unidirectional world timer bezel encircling the dial.

This bezel features the names of 23 cities, keeping you generally apprised of zones across the globe while also enabling you to pinpoint the time in these places.

Rotate the bezel so that London (aka GMT ±0) lines up with its current time on the 24-hour internal concave ring. Once it’s aligned, as Shinola says, “the whole world is synchronized.”

Close-up of a Shinola watch face showing hour, minute, second, and orange-tipped GMT hands with city names on the bezel. — Given the Monster’s provenance, it would be much more surprising if the Motor City did *not* appear on the bezel.

The 24-hour number next to any city indicates the time there, without you needing to do any math in your head.

Of course, because like all Shinola watches, this one is proudly built in Detroit, at the GMT -5 position that’s the city you’ll find.

Availability and pricing

Shinola’s Monster GMT Worldtimer Watch is available now for $2,295.

Stainless steel Shinola GMT watch with black dial, white hour markers, date window, and city names on bezel.

Shinola Monster GMT Worldtimer Watch

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Automatic
Water Resistance	100m

$2,295 at Shinola

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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