As I browsed this forum I began to start by viewing as many watches as I could from the WRUW threads in f71. I figured that I would eventually find more watches that I would think would be perfect for my collection. I intended on only purchasing one watch for this year, however that did not happen. I began to also look at the watches in the dive watch section of the forums before seeing some unique and beautiful examples of patina on a brass watch. That was the point I knew I needed a Bronze/Brass watch in my collection. I decided against a bronze diver only because of how expensive it would be compared to a brass diver ($1,300 for Bronze compared to $350-400 for Brass). I checked the Helson website a few times a month and it normally had nothing in stock in the 40mm section, but last month they had several divers including some unique jade dial options. I would have gone for the Zelos Hammerhead, but I missed out on the pre-order and I have a feeling that the watch would be too big for my wrist. I was thinking about getting the version with the mother of pearl dial, but it looked a little too flashy to me and I needed something unique and subtle...and this watch fits the bill! This review was delayed for a few reasons which I will get to soon, but with that said...on to the review!
The Specifications
Case: 40mm Brass, 12mm Height, 20mm Lug Width, and 49.5mm Lug Length
Crystal: 3mm thick Sapphire crystal with AR inside
Water Resistance: 500m
Caseback: Titanium
Lume: Swiss SuperLuminova
Movement: Seiko NH35 24 Jewel Automatic
Crown: Screwed down crown with crown protectors
The watch itself when I received it was quite substantial for its size! On my wrist it also looked bigger than my NTH Scorpène and my SKX007! I think that it might be due to the crown protectors and the lug length, but I am glad that I waited for the 40mm option rather than the 42mm because that would have likely been too big for my wrist. The dial is one of the biggest reasons I purchased this watch and comparing it to the stock photo on their website the jade dial I received was pretty different in pattern to the one on their website. Even though the dial is jade, it reminds me a little bit of the meteorite dials that other brands are starting to incorporate into their watches. The crown action is solid and the hand winding is solid. The bezel action is pretty solid, it is not as great as the Scorpène, but it is better than my Orient and SKX007. The rotor is not as noisy as the 9015 Miyota movement, but it is a 21,600 BPH compared to the 9015 which is 28,800 BPH which makes the Helson have a second hand that is not as smooth as a 9015 movement. The movement is also able to hack and hand wind which is always welcome because having to shake my watch to get it started just feels silly.The water resistance is the highest in my entire collection however I do not see myself ever being under 500 meters of water, but it is nice that it is capable of this much water resistance. The lume was better than I expected too! I expected it to be just as good as the SKX007, but it actually out performed it! I still prefer the lume of my NTH, but the Helson did glow the longest out of all the watches in my collection! The strap is quite nice, but it was a little stiff and it will take some time to break in.
Changing the straps on the Helson was...interesting to say the least only because I was not used to a Hex lug style. Luckily Helson does include a strap changing tool to help you change the rubber strap to a Leather or NATO strap, but it took me a day to realize that you could unscrew part of the tool to reveal a second tool to remove both Hex screws. I delayed this review because last week after picking up the watch and wearing it during the day I noticed that my watch was several hours too slow. I wore it for another day and watched it carefully to see why it might be doing this. After about half an hour of wearing it I noticed the second hand had stopped and that if I began hand winding it that it would continue to move, but would stop again after around 10 minutes. This lead me to almost ship it back to Helson to diagnose the issue, but as I am wearing it right now it is running fine at around +/- 3 seconds a day and it has not stopped again yet.
The Conclusion
Despite the confusion I still enjoy this watch and for $400 I think it is worth the price! The case is solid, the AR coating is nice and makes taking pictures of this watch pretty easy, the dial is very unique, the crown is solid, and the lume is incredible! I think the only thing I would change to improve this watch would be to include regular spring bars rather than the Hex screws when changing straps. I am a little glad this was not my first micro watch because otherwise I might have been more afraid of owning any other micro brand watches due to the slight movement issue. When I bought the watch there were only 4 left which did push me toward buying it as it looked really nice and was at the right price for me (under $500). I think the only thing I regret with this purchase is the fact that saving up for a NTH Devilray pre-order this year will be more difficult and the loss of my WPAC membership. Overall I think this watch is a pretty nice value and I can't wait to see how it naturally patinas!
TL;DR: This watch is pretty nice and I do recommend it, but there was a movement issue.
