H2O Kalmar Prototypes (preview)

By TLex Last week I was lucky enough to receive the new H2O Kalmar prototypes for a bit of play. First impressions are great, the titanium cases feel lovely and light, the tones of the titanium are nice and soft. The DLC finish is a dusky matte not a glossy black; If you’re into the tactical look you'll love the DLC version. The watches feel very substantial, almost tank-like. Yes, the lugs are quite large, noticeably so, too, but not overwhelming by any means. There'll be a bit of an overhang for those with smaller wrists; those with slightly larger wrists or those that wear their watches close to the base of the hand won't feel anything too unusual.



The bezel is the 60 click type, ergonomics are great, but the crown was a little too snug into the crown guard for those with larger fingers. The overall finish and build quality is excellent, the beveling on the crown guards beautifully executed. The case back engraving isn’t deep enough or nearly pronounced enough, but the production model will have a deeper engraving, so the squid is gonna look even cooler. The bracelets are light and comfortable; the DLC one needs a little more work; the DLC links weren’t coated in-between the links that well, but production models will be redone properly. The Kalmar buckle not shown here is incredible, I’ll post some shots that I took of the Mokume Gane buckle shortly.



The dials were lovely and crisp, even when you consider their size and shape, and how close the gaps are between the markers. The water-resistance text is looks quite small to me, I’m not sure if H2O will change this, though. The lume is super nice, see for yourself! Looks wise it’s a charismatic piece, not what I'd consider a gentleman’s watch but rugged and manly. It seems like a hell of lot of watch for its asking price, too!

H2O will open pre-orders on Friday; stay tuned for an announcement then.























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