STEINHART Ocean TWO

By TLex Introducing the all new Ocean Two from Steinhart - developed by them over the course of several years.



It is a watch that is made up many fine details both sporty and elegant. Far less derivative than it predecessor and a whole lot more evolved. I must admit I really like it!



The new Ocean Two comes in 3 different color versions: Ocean Two Orange, White and Yellow each with their own distinct look.



The partly polished, partly satin finished 43mm x 13mm case has been constructed from high-grade Stainless steel. It features:



a screwed and engraved caseback and crown, a domed Sapphire crystal with double anti-reflecting coating on its inside, a 120-click unidirectional rotational divers bezel and a water-resistance of 300m / 990feet / 30atm.



The crown is color coded to match. The bezel is with a Sapphire crystal inlay with SuperLuminova markers. Both the crown and bezel have polished knurled edges. The bezel with 6 additional scoops.



The dial is made up of multiple parts. The hands, applied markers and date surround have been polished. The markers are applied with BGW9 SuperLuminova.



The watches are powered by an ETA 2824-2 Swiss Made, automatic movements 25 jewels and hacking seconds.



However they will also be available with Soprod A10 movements with exhibition casebacks sometime this year as a further option!

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EXT�tico JUNTOR Al 7075 BLUE

By TLex This pretty blue bezel belongs to the EXT�tico Juntor.



Its case will be constructed from Aluminum 7075, a specialized material used for high-end bike to missile cases.



The bezel has been anodized blue, but theoretically any number of colors could be used.



The Juntor will be offered in a number of different case finishes and materials.



You can read about them HERE. The BRONZE version looks amazing!



See live images of EXT�tico DIVER N�1 #7, read about the new REGULADOR or follow the embedded link below to discover EXT�tico's full collection of dive watches . . .

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TEMPEST Viking V2.0 PROTOTYPE

� OceanicTime

Stay tuned for full details coming very soon . . .

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BLANCPAIN Fifty Fathoms Chronographe Flyback Quanti�me COMPLET

By TLex When THIS was released in March 2010, I have to admit I found it a little busy � however on reflection and 3 years on I might add (and after seeing the video) I�m all over this watch. This particular model of the Fifty Fathoms collection houses a complicated 448-part movement.



It has been fitted with a host of wonderful Blancpain movement innovations. The moon phase complete calendar mechanism is based on the caliber F185 movement and it offers the capability of �risk-free� setting of any indication regardless of the time of day or night. Beautifully brilliant!

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UHREN von UHR UHR442

By TLex Something cheap 'n' cheerful! The not too imaginatively named (new) UHR-442 from UHR von Uhren boasts: a generous 46mm Stainless steel case, a Sapphire crystal and a Swiss made automatic mechanical movement. It costs just 349euro.



Further features include: a unidirectional rotational divers bezel, 200m / 20amt of water-resistance and a screwdown crown and caseback. The watch is powered by the (not so) ubiquitous Swiss made ETA-2824 automatic mechanical movement.



The black dial is with luminescent hands and markers. There is no text or branding on the dial other than the word 'Automatic'. Dimensions include: 46mm diameter x 14mm thick x 53.5mm lug-lug. The overall weight of the watch is 231g.



The watch comes on a Stainless steel bracelet with a divers 'UHR' signed deployment clasp. Not a bad looking watch really, a little boring if I'm honest, but at a fair price. Was it expecting too much that the bezel be aligned properly, though!



More info. HERE . . .

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ARMIDA A5 1000m NEW

By TLex Let's get all the references about circular saw blades and Ninja shurikens out the way with! Armida have released a new version of their A5 Diver. The main case is the same as the previous version, so that's 44mm x 17mm with a lug-lug of 53mm, a lug width of 22mm and a water-resistance as per its name.



The case is fitted with: an HEV, a screwdown crown and caseback and a 3.5mm double domed Sapphire crystal with AR-coating on its inside. Under the hood of the new A5 1000m is a Swiss made ETA 2824-2 with 25 jewels and a power-reserve of 40hrs. The dial has new hands and markers. Swiss C3 lume has been used for them and the 12hr bezel marker.



The watch comes on a 22mm steel bracelet plus an additional rubber divers strap. Price is 699USD inc. international shipping.



Whilst the new bezel design is a little polarizing - it might be an acquired taste; it does offer something new and interesting for those who want just that! Follow the link HERE for more details . . .

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HEXA K500 Premier EDITION Review

BACKGROUND HEXA, who are based in Tampa, Florida are a relatively new boutique watch brand whose aim is to build purpose-built mechanical dive watches with original designs that are innovative and utilitarian. Their first model, the K500 takes its name by combining the 'K' in Kraken, the legendary giant sea monster and the �500� of its 500 meter depth rating.



PACKAGING The K500 came suitably packaged in a custom �Hexa� Seahorse waterproof case in tough black plastic. Carefully wrapped up inside was the K500 watch on its link bracelet along with an Italian black rubber divers strap and the K500�s credit card-style warranty card and a small instruction booklet.



AESTHETIC HEXA set out to design a watch that was original in its design and utilitarian in its form � with the K500 they have achieved that goal. Whilst there are some notes of Sinn�s U series watches; the block hands and markers, the 4 o�clock crown position (inverted to 10 o�clock) and the overall simplicity of the design: specifically the dial layout, the K500 is its own thing.

There is an element of quirkiness with the crown and crown guard set up at 10�clock, you could be forgiven for thinking the watch is upside down on occasion. However the main theme is utility and ruggedness, which comes across loud and clear. I chose bead-blasted because for me it is the epitome of utility.




DIAL The matte black dial of the K500 is with rectangular luminous markers and Arabic numerals (12hr only). The numeral letterforms are based on interstate signage, designed to be absorbed at a glance. The dial is clean and simple. Text has been kept to a minimum. The �500M� text is in red � cool! And the date wheel (4 o�clock) is in black � perfect!

HANDS The K500 is fitted with block hands. The hour and minute hands are in grey and the seconds hand is in red with rectangular luminous pointer.



LUME The K500�s uses luminescence by L�m-Tec, who are one of the industry-leaders in luminescence technologies. Luminous material has been applied to the dial markers, hands and the bezel�s 12hr marker. The lume has a very bright glow with a light green hue. I would rate it at very good.



BEZEL The K500 has a 60 click-type unidirectional rotational divers bezel with an elapsed dive-time scale engraved and painted in black (5min increments) and a luminous triangular 12hr marker. The clicks are precise with a good amount of springiness to them. Whilst the bezel has good fit, there is tiny amount of movement � it is well within the acceptable range, though.

The bezel�s grip comprises of 12 widely spaced rectangular teeth. The bezel has a nice height to it making it easy to handle and turn. The bezel teeth by their design are a little sharp on their corners.



CASE The K500�s 316L surgical grade Stainless steel case has a diameter of 44mm x 14.75mm (thick) with lug to lug distance of 51mm and a lug width of 22mm. Features include: triple O-Rings, a screw down signed crown and a Hexa integrated crown-guard. The case has an unusual shape. It is blocky and angular with a slight roundness in the middle. I really like how each of the K500�s components compliment each other; the case, bezel, crown, hands, markers all working well in unison.



CROWN This is where things get a little interesting! The basic crown design is excellent � it�s nice and long with three tracks of teeth making for excellent grip. However it would benefit from a slightly wider girth and because of the way that it is positioned in relation to the top left lug�s underside it is inherently fiddly to operate � that�s without taking into account the topsy-turvy upside down time adjustments! The crown stem is rock solid. In short the crown setup looks cool, but might frustrate those of us who are a little less than nimble fingered!



CASEBACK The K500 is fitted with a solid screwdown Stainless steel case back with double O-Rings. It is engraved with a diagonal striped pattern with the HEXA star motif in its center. The watch�s serial number and some basic spec. is running around the caseback perimeter.

CRYSTAL The K500 is fitted with 3mm thick Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on its inside. The crystal is flat and as such works well with the angular theme of the watch.



WATER-resistance Each K500 watch has been individually pressure tested to ensure reliability at 500M (1,640 ft). As well as this it is also shock resistant and resistant to magnetic fields.



MOVEMENT The K500 is powered by a Japanese made Sii NE15/Seiko 6R15 automatic movement with 21,600 vibrations per hour, 23 jewels and 50 hours of power reserve. The movement hacks � meaning that the second hand stops during time-setting, allowing for precise (to the second) setting of the time. The movement has been adjusted to 6 positions in-house to ensure maximum accuracy (very impressive).



BRACELET The K500 comes on a heavy duty 316L Stainless steel 5 Link bracelet with a ratcheting divers clasp. Whilst brick-link bracelets don�t particularly excite me, in this instance it was a fair choice for the K500. Having said that the K500�s case in particular the chunky bezel design could have easily handled a heftier and more substantial bracelet design. Also included with the K500 was an Italian rubber divers strap with a lovely vanilla scent.



BUILD The K500 watches were assembled and tested in the United States by L�m-Tec. The fit and finish on the watches is excellent. I wouldn�t say that they�re most refined of watches, but certainly everything has been put together nicely. The dial and bezel markings are neat and crisp � all the various components are well fitting.

VALUE The K500 bead-blasted is priced 699USD, which is a more than fair price for the watch.



on the WRIST For a relatively big and clunky watch, the K500 wears pretty well thanks to downwardly angled lugs. The bezel has a lot of height to it, which is quite deceptive because the K500 actually has quite a low profile. HEXA have collaborated with Stone Creek Straps and the Strapsmith to create some lovely custom straps for the K500, which are bound to be a lot more comfortable than the bracelet. Worth checking out!



also CONSIDER It�s hard not to the think of Sinn�s U series watches when you see the K500, so, sure if you�re on a bigger budget and appreciate no nonsense tool watches I would recommended a visit to Sinn. Looks wise the K500 is a uniquely designed watch, so nothing particularly comes to mind, but for similar value for money check out some of the other Boutique brands in my listings.


� OceanicTime

OVERALL / 5 Some of things that I really appreciated about the K500 were: its slightly unusual design, the Seiko automatic movement adjusted to 6 positions, its fantastic luminescence by L�m-Tec, the clearly legible (at a glance) dial, excellent bezel height and action and great fit and finish. The only noticeable area for improvement would be the crown�s size and position � aesthetically it makes for an interesting looking watch, but I found it a little awkward and fiddly.

As mentioned at the beginning of the review, HEXA have achieved what they set out to do with the K500. It is very much a tool watch. You can tell that it was designed from the ground up and by an actual designer, which really seems to shine through. For a debut model, the K500 is a worthy contender. It�s reasonably priced and won�t disappoint!

My thanks to Rocky and Vic!

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