A tool watch done right – Helicon Master 62 Iridium Skin Diver

I have been talking quite a bit to Jonathan who together with Danielle are the owners of Helicon and to be honest, we have discussed everything but their watches, it might sound odd but when you click with an enthusiast like he is, there is no set topic. That said the topic of aesthetics always came into the discussion.

To me watches are all about personality, how they make you feel, probably because they are no longer used to its limits, meaning that ‘looks’ play a big part of it. Still, this doesn’t mean that they must be fashion oriented to keep the price down, the personality that these small metal objects project, is also down to the fact that they can perform beyond their intentions.

For example, we can agree that nowadays a vintage Patek Phillipe Golden Ellipse can be worn with a T-shirt and jeans, just like a Seiko SK007, but the fact that there is more water resistance, chunkier looks, and an indestructible bezel, well, it changes your overall attitude, at least for us watch nerds.

All this confusing ethos brings me to the Helicon Master 62 Iridium version. We already review the MbE variant, which has a gradient blue dial and same dimensions (review here) and you might be thinking: ‘’a new review because of a dial swap?...’’ but here is when it gets interesting, the personality on the Iridium is completely different. Join me to discover why.

The Specifications

As mentioned, there are no changes on the watch dimensions, everything remains the same with a 38.5mm case and a lug to lug of 48mm and yes, it still fits my 6.25-inch wrist. The reason why I believe this is one of the coolest divers around is because of the dial. Orange dials and dive watches have been a successful marriage for years now, from the days that it was tested against under water with other colours to emerge the winner, orange as a legend was born. Now, there are many varieties, there is the classic matte dial with black markers which Doxa currently uses, the more reddish tangerine shade from the Bulova Devil Diver and somewhere in between, the sunray fume dial from our Helicon Master 62. The orange that Helicon uses contrasts well between stark white printing, it creates this ghost effect making the dial feel a bit more vintage, then you have those square markers and fat hands to enhance legibility in a flawless execution, hope the macros make justice. The small details are what finally won me over, there is a subtle sunray finish with a degrade effect from the center going to black on the edges, Jonathan explained me that there is a lot of manual intervention to create this particular pattern, and that somehow each one is unique, it shows. It looks like H. Moser had a child with a Glashutte Original Sixties Panorama date, and that is a complement.

The Helicon Master 62 also comes with a Seiko self- winding movement, a custom roulette wheel, 200 meters of water resistance and one of the best feeling ceramic bezels I’ve experienced, period. When turning, the mechanical feel is outstanding, it is loud and together with the full lumed graduations in my book, receives a 10 out of 10.

On the wrist

Big part of this review is to describe how the watch feels, and the wearing experience is the same as the MbE, and that is not a bad thing. No surprises here as dimensions and wight are the same but, again because of the dial variation, the Master 62 Iridium feels more relaxed but also more tool oriented at the same time. At 13.1mm height, the watch can be worn on a nato with no issues, the black ceramic bezel becomes grey or ‘ghosted’ under the sun, so naturally a grey strap fits well, black also looks outstanding and as a novelty, the watch can be also spec with a FKM rubber strap, hence the Skin Diver edition name. The quality of the strap is great and with square apertures to allow the skin to breathe, easy to wear also considering the generous tapering at the buckle.

The Helicon Master Idirium can be worn in a variety of occasions, extreme ones I might add but of course me being me, I mostly use it at the office, they gym also made an appearance but in overall it was a quiet period for the Helicon. No regrets here as the orange kept me hypnotized, you can say is the worst watch to tell the time because I got distracted with the dial, always had to look twice.

Conclusions

I have been fan of Helicon Watches since I meet Jonathan and Danielle at the British Watchmakers show last year, the casual way that they work and how they approach this project is very refreshing. There are unique touches to each one of their watches and somehow, they still operate in a price bracket that is unheard of when it comes to this quality. I would recommend checking them out weather is on a show or even by reaching out on Instagram. Part of the charm of being an independent brand, is that you get to talk with the owners and people who care about these watches, and it is always good to remember that the great majority (if not all) of brands started a project because of passion and not as a money-making exercise, and passion when is real, it is always contagious.

The Helicon Master 62 range is now available at 399 GBP – more information here https://heliconwatches.com/collections/helicon-master-62

Technical Specifications

Diameter : 38.5mm

Thickness : 13.1mm

Lug to Lug : 48mm

Case : 316L Marine Grade Stainless Steel, individually numbered 1-50

Bezel : scratch-resistant insert in ceramic, numerals and graduations coated in Swiss C3 Superluminova

Movement : Seiko, self-winding mechanical with custom-made roulette date wheel

Crystal : Scratch-resistant domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating inside only

Dial : Polished applied indices with Swiss C3 Superluminova

Hands : Polished with Swiss C3 Superluminova

Water Resistance :  20ATM/200M/650FT

Lug width : 20mm