Hemel Sea Dart HD2 and Hydroendurance HD1

Today, I am reviewing a pair of watches I’ve already covered twice before. I know that sounds a bit redundant, but the stash of watches Hemel sent for the District Time show is sitting right here and it was my first chance to go hands-on with the Sea Dart HD2 and to see more of the colors available in the Hydroendurance HD1 range. So here it is.

I’m not going to reiterate everything I said in my previous reviews (Sea Dart here, Hydroendurance here). I’ll just hit the highlights.

Both watches are capable divers, equipped with double domed and anti-reflective coated sapphire crystals, 120 click bezels, C3 SuperLuminova, and 300m water resistance. Inside, they run the smooth (28.8k bph) and reliable Miyota 9039 automatic movement.

The Hemel Sea Dart HD2 is named for the water-ski equipped Convair F2Y supersonic fighter jet. As such, it incorporates elements from both divers’ and pilots’ watches. Its brushed and polished case is 39mm wide, 45mm long, and 11.5 mm thick on a 20mm beads-of-rice bracelet.

A toothy, engraved steel bezel gives it a gruff industrial look that can be softened by your choice of sunray dial, for instance, the Black Gilt and Juniper Green look more somber than the Robin’s Egg Blue. 

Lume is excellent, not just on the hands and dial, but on the crown as well.

The Hydroendurance HD1 is the larger of the two. It features a brushed stainless steel case and measures 42mm wide, 46mm long, and 12mm thick with a broad, knurled crown and substantial guards. It comes with an H-link bracelet. Its case back bears a Hemel-designed coat of arms complete with Renaissance-era dolphins.

I did a full hands-on review of this one before, so here, it’s just about the colors. A domed sapphire bezel evokes the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, never a bad thing in my book. The samples were blue and black, red and blue, and a ghostly full lume.

The HD2 Sea Dart is $499, and the HD1 Hydroendurance is $599. Both offer clever spins on the traditional dive watch formula, one mid-sized, one large, and both with everything you might need for undersea adventures — or perhaps even an inopportune water landing. For more information or to order your own, visit HemelWatches.com.