Glycine F104 Pilot Watch Review

I am admittedly a big fan of Glycine. They are more mainstream than some brands and many of the watch community own at least one of their models, or have at least heard of them, but they are still somewhat more niche than say Tag Heuer or Hamilton. They have a wide range of models, from the Combat Diver models, to the Lagunare, to their classic dress watches and the ever popular Airman models.

Today I get to talk about the Glycine F104 Pilot. The F104 comes in two sizes, a 40mm and 48mm. The one I am reviewing is the large 48mm case. The watch is inspired by a cockpit instrument and blends modern and classic elements together for this new line of Glycine Watches.

Below is a video presentation and my first impressions:

Glycine F104 Specifications:

48mm stainless steel polished case
9.40mm thickness
Length of case 51mm
22mm lug width
GL 224 Swiss automatic movement
Sapphire crystal front
Mineral Crystal back
3 atm water-resistant
Calf leather strap
Dial with inclined ring conceived like a board instrument
Mobile steel lugs for smooth fitting on the wrist
Retail Price: $1600

One of the first things you will notice that is immediately different about the Glycine F104 is the lugs, which I found to be very unique, but might not be for everybody. The mobile lugs which are connected with either friction pins or pressure pins, are attached to a piece of the steel that extends from the round case, and allow the lugs to move up and down. Now while this sounds like this should make the case hug the wrist better, with its slim and very large case that has no curvature, I don’t feel it does exactly that. It does give the watch a very different look, and for those strap guys out there, fret not, switching out straps is just as easy as any other standard lug watch.

The 48mm polished steel case is almost a mirror polish and is only 9.4mm thick. So while it is a large watch in diameter, it should still fit under most shirts and cuffs. I call the non-screw down crown a pumpkin crown; Glycine seems to refer to it as pyramid shamed.

The dial is my favorite aspect of the Glycine F104 with its matte black finish, the embossed F104 into the bottom center, and its inclined chapter ring. The dial appears in certain light to be more of a dark charcoal grey than a full black, and is beautiful in its simplicity. The large sword style hands are long enough to fill up the dial, something certain brands seem to get wrong, using small hands that do not reach to the ends of the markers/dial. The crystal is sapphire for great scratch resistance and uses an inner AR coating.