I’ve always been in love with Seiko vintage divers, specially the affordable 6309.
I was on the hunt for one for years, they usually pop up every now and then on the bay, mostly in bad shape or sellers using stock pictures, and whenever I find a nice one, it is usually above my budget.
W&W has made a sweet review for the 6309;
http://wornandwound.com/2014/07/07/affordable-vintage-seiko-6309/
A couple of years back while browsing the diving forum I found about Helson;
Helson is a relatively new boutique watches brand, operating out of Hong Kong.
Usually all their models got very good reviews, but to me all their models where a bit expensive for what they offer; at least this is my humble opinion, and any one can agree or disagree with me.
The Spear Diver caught my attention because of the nice cushion case which clearly pays tribute to the legend 6309 but the crown at 3 rather than at 4 as in the 6309.
One day I found a Helson Spear Diver on sale on f29 from a fellow member of one of the forums.
We exchanged few emails and soon enough this beauty was on its way to her new home.
Helson watches’ travel cases are similar to Armida’s, which is kind of unique, cylinder like, and the warranty looks like a mini CD.
The watch case is brushed with a brilliant finish, I haven’t seen a cleaner brushed surface before, off course I’m comparing it with pieces within the same league.
It has drilled lugs, which is a nice touch; the package also included a rubber strap which is extremely comfortable with a nice smell and a mesh bracelet.
I asked the seller to give me a discount and keep the mesh bracelet as I’m not a big fan of those, so I don’t have anything to say about its quality; as I’ve never seen it.
The crown is sturdy and screws in very well, and it has the largest O-Ring I’ve ever seen!
The bezel is nice and has a good grip, it snaps very well in its position with no play at all.
It is a bit hard to turn, but probably will get easier by time.
The sapphire crystal almost sits flat to the bezel, maybe 0.5 mm high.
I would have loved this case with a domed sapphire, it would have complimented the vintage vibe very well.
The crystal has nice AR coating though, which is very neat.
The lume is crazy, I think this is the strongest lume application I’ve ever encountered, but this is Helson’s repetition for all their line anyways. The lumed bezel insert is definitely a plus!
The case back is nice, it has a diver holding a spear engraved, I would have preferred more details, but I really can’t complain.
The case profile fits the wrist nicely, and very comfortably due to the slightly curved lugs.
This beauty is powered by the Miyota 9015, nothing new to be said here, it is a real work horse that hacks and winds with high beat rate of 28,800 bph; but I find the rotor to be the noisiest of all the watches I’ve ever checked.
It spins like crazy with any slight arm movement, it is much louder than the Obris Explorer that has the same engine, and even louder than my DG movements.
Overall I love this watch and it definitely gets good wrist time.
But again I got it second hand with about 25% less than its original value, so for the original value I think it is a bit over priced; comparing it with similar offerings from Obris Morgan and Armida, this one is way more expensive. Again it is slightly better quality but not really justifies the price tag.
So if you like this one, then you can go with a second hand one, they pop up rarely, but with some patience you can score one.
And now some more pics 🙂
