Enjoying the Monta Skyquest
Checking in on six months of wearing my favorite microbrand travel watch.
The Monta Skyquest is my favorite pilot watch from a micro/independent brand. I've been wearing the Skyquest as a regular part of my rotation for the last 6 months and it's time to review the experience as I reflect on its place in the collection.
My first Monta was a second generation Oceanking no date and the moment I received it, I understood why people spoke so highly of Monta's quality finishing. While working on figuring out my collecting goals, I realized eventually that I would enjoy having a small set of microbrand watches as part of the collection. Although I loved the Oceanking, I was also curious about other Monta offerings. When I fell for a Halios Seaforth Pastel no date, I wondered if I really needed two no date micro-divers in the collection or if I should try another Monta instead.
Eventually, I decided that I needed to try the Skyquest next. Although I liked the initial version of the Skyquest, the 24 hour numerals on the rehaut made it feel a little busy for me. While pondering this, Monta announced that they were releasing a new Skyquest so I waited to see what they would come up with.
Once the second generation Skyquest dropped, my initial impression was that the numerals on the bezel were too oversized and this turned me off. During a visit to Saint Louis to go to a Cardinals playoff game, I stopped by the Monta office and met Justin, one of the co-founders. He had the then-unreleased black bezel Skyquest to show me at the office and once I put it on the wrist, it immediately won me over. I finally "got" what Monta was trying to do with this new release and knew that I was going to have to try one.
Waiting for a few months until the Skyquests were shipping, I finally picked up a preowned gilt variant with the Pepsi-bezel. I initially thought I would prefer the Coke bezel but the gilt on my Oceanking was so appealing that I decided to try it on the Skyquest as well. Monta executes gilt finishing better than anything else I’ve experienced. It’s subtle enough to not be too blingy but brilliant enough to catch your eye as the light reflects off of the hands and indices.
The second generation Skyquest did not disappoint and has been a consistent piece of my watch rotation ever since it arrived. One of the things I love about it might seem small but compared to the first generation, I really like how the date window sits a little lower on the dial and takes over the 6 o'clock marker. I also prefer the more prominent 12 o'clock marker, compared to the smaller lume plot on the 2nd generation version.
The aluminum bezel is attractive for this piece and gives it a less-shiny and more timeless look than the older ceramic variant, even though ceramic was more durable. I haven't found a single mark on my aluminum bezel yet and it's a pleasure to use in all lighting conditions. The red and dark blue bezel colors also look great alongside of the gold indices and bezel markings.
Finally, the version 3 clasp on the new Skyquest is just a delight with the excellent Monta bracelet. It's more rounded than the previous clasp so it hugs the wrist better and still offers the incredible micro-adjust function that keeps it so comfortable on the wrist.
I've worn the Skyquest in Uganda and Ethiopia as part of my journeys and just find it a delightful travel and everyday companion. Some complain that they wish it would have a “travelers” or “true” GMT movement. Although I would find this appealing as well, the only movement available with this function is from the Miyota 9000 series and is probably a little below the quality of the higher grade SW-330 deployed with the Skyquest.
One downside that some might point out is that it could be construed to be a mere homage of a Rolex GMT Master II but I think that the branding and design work that Monta has done over the years stands on its own. Although they are admittedly inspired by Rolex, the look and feel of each Monta is consistent with the brand's design ethos that they continue to refine and I think that the latest generation of the Skyquest is just gorgeous and a brilliant reflection of the brand's achievements.
My only problem now is picking which Skyquest to keep. I kind of want them all but that's not practical so I think I'm going to try to white dial/gilt variant next to see if that wins the spot in "permanent" collection. It will be hard to beat out this incredible black dial, but we will see. I considered the Monta Skyquest to be one of the best GMT watches around and perhaps the most desirable micro brand pilot watch on the market.