



The design of the watch is classic Bauhaus - and, like most Bauhaus watches, there's very little to the case, which means the dial is the star of the show.



Tianjin, China, and as well as offering Sea-Gull and Rodina watches through their website - seagullwatchstore.com - GT&FQ started making their own watches last year. This model is their first to be powered by a Miyota rather than Sea-Gull movement.The design of the watch is classic Bauhaus - and, like most Bauhaus watches, there's very little to the case, which means the dial is the star of the show.







The M005 is a three-hander, unlike the popular

Bauhaus

offerings from the likes of Sea-Gull and Rodina, which feature

small seconds sub-dials

. The result is that the M005 takes its design cues more from the Stowa Antea, rather than the more frequently copied Nomos Tangente.

The key difference from most three-handed Antea models is that the M005 features only even numbers on the dial. The date window sits at 3 o'clock, rather than 6 o'clock, which helps to maintain the symmetry of the numbers - but it does add some asymmetry to the overall design. I actually quite like that - the design is so simple and austere that the

asymmetry

lends a touch of drama.



Here's a picture next to the Rodina for comparison:









The dial itself is a beautifully finished silvery white. The numbers, markers and brand name are all neatly printed in black. The quality of the printing is excellent, with nice, sharp lines. The cut-out date window is also nicely finished, and the date wheel features a version of the typeface used on the dial - a nice touch. It's all brought together by a set of heat-treated blue hands, which look superb. The second and minute hands in particular are very easy to read, as they stop just short of the minute markers.





The popularity of Bauhaus-inspired watches shows no sign of abating, with the market now saturated with affordable mechanical offerings. I took the plunge last year with a Rodina watch which, at the time, represented the best value for money. But I think there's an even better proposition on the market now - the Rider M005 from the GT&FQ watch company. There hasn't been much discussion of this watch, so here are some thoughts after a few weeks with mine.The M005 is a 38mm dress watch powered by the Miyota 9015 automatic movement, which offers both hand-winding and hacking. It features a slim, well-built stainless steel case, a sapphire crystal and an exhibition case back. That's a lot of watch for $170.This is the second GT&FQ watch I've owned. If you haven't read my earlier review, here's a quick run-down on the company. They're based inThe case is made of high-quality 316L stainless steel, and every surface is nicely polished to a mirror sheen. As with my previous GT&FQ watch, the finish is excellent - there are no sharp edges, even on the severe angular lugs. The only issue I could find was with the signed crown, which didn't sit quite flush against the case. However, the issue is barely noticeable and doesn't affect the watch's functionality at all.One of the M005's biggest drawcards is how slim the case is. It's only 9mm thick - a full 1mm thinner than the similarly designed Tisell Bauhuas watch, which uses the same Miyota movement. The top of the case also curves down from the sapphire crystal, unlike the straight-edged Tisell and Rodina cases, which makes it wear even smaller. Here it is next to the 9.4mm thick Rodina for comparison:Much has been written about the 9015 movement - one of the most popular workhorse movements built by Miyota, part of Japanese company Citizen. I won't add much other than to say it's been keeping good time in the Rider, gaining no more than five seconds a day over the three days that I wore it consecutively late last year. The hacking works fine, and the hand-winding is smooth.The movement can be seen beneath the M005's mineral crystal exhibition case-back. It's not the prettiest movement - it's utilitarian at best. But it's good to see it's a genuine Miyota, and you can also see the care with which the watch has been assembled - there's no stray dust or debris lurking in there.The M005 comes on either a black or brown 20mm leather strap with a signed buckle. I got mine on both. The leather looks inexpensive, but it's supple enough and comfortable to wear. The quality is on par with the Rodina strap. I know a lot of people don't like that strap, but it's never really bothered me. The strap is easy enough to change thanks to the drilled lugs.The watch sits quite flat, so it wears well on my flat wrist. Although it's not much smaller than the Rodina, it actually wears a lot slimmer, in no small part due to the curved case top.The watch is well-sized at 38mm without the crown. It's all dial, so it wears a bit larger than the numbers might suggest - but it's also small enough to look good on smaller wrists, too. I really like how it looks on my 6.5 inch wrist.Although it's more of a dress watch, the dial is simple enough that it looks great as a casual watch, too. I've been wearing it around the house today with shorts and a T-shirt, and it doesn't look out of place at all.Overall, the GT&FQ could very well be the best affordable Bauhaus for your money. It's $50 pricier than the Rodina, but the slimmer case and the hacking, higher-quality movement are well worth it. And it's slimmer than the Tisell for the same outlay. Throw in free shipping - from warehouses in the US and Germany, for those in North America or Europe - and it's an excellent proposition.