Vintage details with very high quality – the Vaer Pacific G5

I have written many times that the Rolex Explorer II 1655 (Steve McQueen) remains one of my ultimate grails in watch collecting. Not entirely sure why, maybe because it was the non-obvious choice when it comes to vintage or perhaps those 70’s style orange accents that make it stand out. Whatever it is, this is a watch that makes me look twice and think: ‘’what if?’’.

That has remained a constant thought for more than 15 years, years that I became obsessed with this ticking machines, but there are plenty variables that also stop me when it comes to pull the trigger for this reference.  First, the price, not sure why this variation of the Explorer II is so expensive, sure is rarer that the later 16570 model, but it was still produced from 1971 to 1984, which means that there is quite a lot of them out there, and also at that time, they weren’t exactly popular.  Then there is the vintage side of the watch, most of the remaining example are questionable. Lume has fallen, they are over-polished and coming from the movement angle, that lovely orange hand is a simple 24-hour scale and not a second time zone, yes, it is made to indicate if is day and night which to me it is a bit disappointing.

This is the classic situation when people say: ‘’do not meet your heroes…’’. That said, there are no complaints about the looks of the 1655, which means that there are plenty of homages fitting the bill that could potentially scratch that itch, a cure to the madness. But somehow it feels wrong, even inside the Rolex line up, the cases are larger, and they include generic parts from other watches.

After all this rambling and several years of search, I stumbled across the Vaer Pacific G5. I like it straight away and it wasn’t an obvious clone of my unicorn; it is a subtle recreation of a uniquely designed watch with a quality to match. I haven’t spoken directly with the guys at Vaer in the US, but it is really appealing that we both have that passion for the same piece, and that the watch feels like an improvement of all the areas I mentioned previously.

The Pacific G5 is not the first model that we experience with Vaer, the quality and finishing is quite high. The go anywhere and do anything mode that the brand applies to all their models is obvious, while robustness mixed with design offers a catalogue full of options that I can see myself wearing. This makes Vaer, one of the most exciting upcoming brands these days and when it comes to the watch, nothing is obvious at first glance, and that is what we are here to discover.

Let’s begin.

The specifications

The Pacific case comes is a perfect 39mm size, it doesn’t feel vintage at first because of the sturdiness of the bracelet but once you wear it with a nylon strap or a leather one, the connection to the past becomes more obvious. The twisted lugs are the type of details that I always enjoy, it gives a more curved profile to the Pacific and at the same time makes the full steel 24-hours rotating bezel stand out, and yes, it rotates which is great, allowing the time to track more time zones. The dial is where the guys at Vaer did a great job. The matte surface gives a tool like nature vibe which contrast quite well with the sword handset and aged lume. I quite enjoy that there is no obvious orange arrow hand on the watch to indicate the GMT time, the orange accents come from the markers and a seconds like hand to indicate that time zone, it works.

When you flip the watch over you are greeted with the Miyota 9075 which has become the hero for what we call ‘’true’’ GMT watches. It fits like charm in the case of the Pacific G5 occupying the entirety of its back while providing that jumping hour refinement. This was impossible to think of a few years back, especially at this price range, more on that later.

The Pacific G5 also offers 200 meters of water resistance, it rounds up to a very complete package for a sports-tool watch which can be worn every day.

On the wrist

With a short lug to lug of 45mm and a thickness of 11.8mm (13mm if you count the double domed sapphire crystal), the Pacific wears perfect on my 6.25-inch wrist, it feels more robust than any 4-digit Rolex and to me that is a good thing. I haven’t put it through its paces, but I know that it can take more of a beating, the issue to me is that it really reminds me of the vintage version of my dream watch, so I am precious about it.

The bracelet feels quite good and adds heft to the watch but with a reason, not only the links are solid but also there is an on-the-fly extension that is appreciated. The Pacific G5 is also a strap monster, the capability to switch from a delicate vintage watch to a military tank ‘’do it all companion’’ is quite impressive, that said because of the full bushed bezel, the full metal looks win this battle, at least for me.

The SuperLuminova is also something to highlight, as soon as the G5 hits the smallest ray of sun, it gets charged. It feels more like Seiko lume than Swiss one and that is a complement, specially when it comes to aged or cream versions of it, they usually disappoint and that is not the case here.

The Pacific G5 feels at home with a sporty attire, casual for the weekends but refine enough to go to the office. I wouldn’t mind travelling with it which is the intended purpose, but I’ve also felt that it can be quite attractive to stay at home with it and appreciate it from time to time.

Concluding thoughts

There quite a few watches that get my imagination going and the Pacific G5 is one of them. It ticks all the boxes of what I want in a watch that could be worn all the time but also has that extra nostalgia factor which I enjoy. Also is worth noting that the watch is fully assembled in the US and the QC shows this at every angle.

The price of the Pacific G5 is something that we haven’t mentioned. Our version comes at 935 USD which for what is offering, feels like an outstanding deal. It is an original not overdone watch which brought me a lot of joy in the last week or so. Also, we are glad to report that if this price bracket feels a bit out of your budget, the guys at Vaer have you covered with a Quartz version. The Pacific G5 Quartz gives you the same details and quality by just changing the power train, it also feels appealing as you will not have to set the time again and it shaves more than 1mm of thickness to a watch that is already thin. I am tempted, really tempted specially at 395 USD with a beautiful worldtimer closed case back. I told you this hobby is a different beast.

Whichever version you decided to pick, the Vaer Pacific G5 is currently on pre-order and aiming to be delivered by the end of September which is not terrible if you decide to act now. I believe this would be a great addition to anyone who loves vintage details but also enjoys modern specifications, it is quite a beautiful tool watch, and I do not often say that in the same sentence.

For more information please visit https://www.vaerwatches.com/products/g5-pacific-steel-39mm-usa-gmt

Technical Specifications

- 20ATM (200m) water-resistance rating

- Locking screwdown crown

- Brushed stainless steel GMT bezel

- 120-click bi-directional bezel

- 316L stainless steel

- Double domed sapphire w/ AR coating

- 20mm lug width

- 39mm case diameter

- Case thickness with crystal: 13.06mm

- Case thickness without crystal: 11.83mm

- Lug-to-lug distance: 45.83mm

- Automatic (Self-Winding)

- Miyota 9075

- 42 hour power reserve (28,800 bph)

- -5/+15 sec/day timing tolerance

- Assembled in America

- Vaer Lume Performance Rating = 9/10

- The dial features 15x layers Old Radium Super-LumiNova

- The hour, minute, and second hand also has Old Radium lume.

- This watch has a date window