Exploring the Grayton Diplomat

It was just about a year and a half ago when we brought you a hands-on review of our first experience with Grayton, a review of the Grayton Radiance. Today, we don’t have a review, but I did want to cover off on one of their newer watches, the Grayton Diplomat.

What I found particularly interesting was how similar the Grayton Diplomat is to the Armitron Explorer we recently reviewed. And much like I picked up on – and appreciated – the Explorer homage vibe with that Armitron, it’s the exact same deal here with the Grayton Diplomat. Of course, here, we’ve gone from a quartz movement to a Swiss automatic. In this case, it’s the Sellita SW200, which is a movement I’ve been seeing in quite a number of watches as of late. Guess they’ve figured out their production ramp up to start challenging the ETA 2824 as the “go to” movement.

The Grayton Diplomat is also a larger watch, coming in at 44mm. If you opt for the steel bracelet (and why wouldn’t you?) one presumes that the weight will be not insignificant. That, with the Explorer-like look, might put you in mind of diving and then like, but beware. The watch carries just a 50m WR rating. Ok for washing your hands, but not much more than that. Think some gasket rework – or a screw-down crown – could get this to a much more reasonable 100m rating, particularly at this price point.

In terms of dial colors, as with the prior Grayton, you’ve got a number of choices (8, all told), though I find myself partial to the blue and grey variants. You’ve also got some choice in straps, as well as the steel bracelet. As pricing remains the same – $700 – I don’t know why you wouldn’t get the bracelet right off the bat. Straps are easy to come by in the aftermaket. Bracelets with end links, not so much. Any which way, I thought the Grayton Diplomat was worth bringing up, even if just as a point of comparison to the Armitron. We’ve also reached out to the brand, so we’ll see if we can’t get a loaner in for a hands-on review. grayton-watches.com

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: Grayton Diplomat
Price: $700

Who we think it might be for: You liked the look of the Armitron Explorer, but want something automatic (but still affordable)
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? If I were in the market for a simple three-hander plus date, perhaps
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Get the WR up to at least 100m