Smaller watches are indeed getting back in style, and they’re here to stay. At a time where many watch brands are shaving a few millimeters off their timepieces to embrace the enchanting vintage size, dive watches don’t have to look like giant nautical clocks on the wrist anymore. Having said that, Glycine dropped a range of exciting new Combat SUB models coming in a delicate 36mm case size while retaining all the things we love about the classic Combat SUB. Relish this new introduction with a splendor of a beautiful sunburst dial and a reliable automatic movement packed full of Swiss-made goodness.

Glycine Combat SUB 36 2-tone Green Ref. GL0341

With the landscape of watches getting crowded with the ever-growing competition, many strong players dominate the market to overshadow brands like Glycine. Nevertheless, Glycine continues to produce a wide array of compelling watches that hold their own. Established back in 1914, Glycine was founded by Eugène Meylan in Bienne, Switzerland, a place where countless prestigious watchmakers call home. Meylan was an accomplished watch engineer who strove for perfection and nothing less. Through his strong will and determination, he brought Glycine to greater heights with the successful production of extremely precise and fine miniature movements that were encased in precious gold and platinum cases.

Famously known for their historic Airman models from the 1960s, Glycine has put their watchmaking expertise to create new categories of robust tool watches apart from aviation timepieces. In the late 1990s, Glycine introduced the Combat SUB collection, a series of solid dive watches that have since grown to be well respected by watch lovers for its value proposition and outstanding build quality. Along the years, Glycine added a whole array of designs and colour variations to the Combat SUB line up from classic designs to fancy-looking ones, we’re definitely spoilt for choice here.

GL224 Swiss automatic movement

Coming in a compact size that will please those with slender wrists, the Combat SUB 36 Two-tone Green Ref. GL0341 sports a stainless steel case measuring at a graceful 36mm diameter, a lug to lug distance of 42.5mm and a thickness of 12mm. There’s just something exceedingly appealing about a small dive watch like this, appearing elegant and refined on the wrist, blurring the lines between a dive tool watch and a watch fit for a cozy dress-up dinner. Even for the ladies, this would be a compelling choice as a modish dive watch that doesn’t look too overwhelming.

Entirely hand-finished in Switzerland, finishes on the case are executed to a high level of precision with satin brushing on the top of the lugs, as well as the side of the case. Despite the rather compact case size, the watch achieves an astonishing water resistance of 300m as a result of its screw-down crown and screw-in solid case back featuring an emblem of a manta ray - a symbol of diving excellence. Complementing its sporty appearance, the watch fits securely on the wrist with a 18mm stainless steel bracelet finished with a mix of brushed links and highly-polished gold-tone center links, fitted with a butterfly deployant clasp for a seamless look.

Unique Curved Lugs for a Comfortable Fit

Being a diver, the Combat SUB 36 Two-tone Green Ref. GL0341 flaunts a gold-tone 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel with a deep green, circular-brushed aluminium insert, rotating with crisp and defined clicks. At the 12 o’clock position, the bezel sits a prominent lume pip for orientation under dark lighting conditions.

Moving on to one of the key highlights of the piece, the exquisite green dial presents a majestic sunburst effect, elevating the finesse of its refined appearance while capturing the light excellently. Just like the rest of the Combat SUB collection, the gilt hands and indices provide exceptional visibility for easy time reading, treated with C3 Super-LumiNova for an outstanding glow in the dark. Above that, the dial is protected with a flat piece of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with 3 layers of anti-reflective coating on the underside, a real treat to see at this price point. 


C3 SuperLuminova

Housed within the beautiful exterior, the Combat SUB 36 Two-tone Green Ref. GL0341 runs on Glycine’s Cal. GL224 Swiss automatic movement. Based on the ETA 2824-2/SW200-1, this 25/26 jewel movement is renowned for its reliability as a ‘workhorse’ movement with a 4Hz beat rate of 28,800 BPH and a power reserve of 38 hours.

For the first time, a 36mm variant of the Combat SUB family has landed, fulfilling the needs of those who are out for an elegantly-sized dive watch yet packing the full performance of a conventional-sized one. As watches with smaller form factors become increasingly popular in the watch community, it is truly delightful to see such an amazing release from Glycine that takes a huge leap in product design.