When microbrand stalwart Hemel Watches launched the Eylandt sub-brand in 2022, I was curious to see how it would diverge from the rest of the Hemel line. To date, Eylandt has released five dial variants on the initial Resolute model, and while they are all handsome and affordable, they are eclipsed in both departments by the watches I have today, the Eylandt Radio Room and Avenger.
Of course, both “handsome” and “affordable” are subjective terms, but I can provide objective support for the latter as the new watches are $100 cheaper ($199.99 versus $299.99). I will spend the rest of this review explaining my rationale for the former.
The Radio Room and Avenger are what we might call puck watches, which is to say, they have round cases with hidden lugs. The absence of visible lug horns reduces the overall visible area of a puck watch. As a result, watch designers can go big with pucks, and even skinny-wristed people like me can wear them. The Vero Workhorse, for example, is 43mm, and the iconic Halios Puck was a whopping 48mm. Both are large, yet have a short overall length, making them very wearable.
Hemel took a very different approach, creating a puck case that is 40mm wide and a mere 11mm thick. Many watches try to appear larger than they are. This one wants to be small. The bezel is an undersized 38mm, which allows the polished chamfer to peek out beneath it. The crown is tucked at 4 o’clock. Even the floating lume pip, perched at the very perimeter of the aluminum insert, reduces your perception of the watch’s size.
I know this is a gross oversimplification, but I’m going to say it anyway: the new Eylandt feels more like a 38mm watch, and I like that.
It is a refreshing approach; modern, distinctive, and yet with a familiar vintage feel. Those vibes only intensify as you tour the rest of the case, taking in the polished coin edges, the embossed and gold-topped crown, and those slimming chamfers, all of which stand in contrast to the brushed case sides.
This svelte profile is made possible in part by the Seiko VH31 movement inside. Yes, it’s a quartz, but I will beg the movement snobs to hear me out. The VH31 hums along at 4 Hz, and its 1/4-second tick yields a satisfying smoothness that is vastly superior to a typical quartz’s jarring one-tick-per-second jump. This two-jewel marvel hides under an engraved case back sporting Eylandt’s cheerfully retro logo.
The watches come with 20mm leather straps that are appropriately color-coordinated. If you choose to swap a strap of your own later, please note the curved spring bars. They will make your life much easier.
Both watches are equipped for outdoor use with screw-down crowns, AR-coated sapphire crystals, and a 100m water resistance rating. They share a 24-hour index and a general military bearing, but otherwise tell very different stories.
The Avenger’s black dial, rounded typeface, and reticle center recall mid-century military watches, while its 12-hour bezel serves as a poor man’s GMT. I see a hint of aviator and more than a dash of field watch in here. It adds up to an attractive piece that telegraphs functionality with timeless charm.
The Radio Room, on the other hand, tells a tale of the sea. The color bands indicate 3-minute intervals of radio silence, in which ships can send distress calls without the risk of interference. One might find this on the wall clocks in a ship’s radio room, and indeed the Eylandt’s no-nonsense layout and heavy, sharp-edged typeface would have been right at home on an industrial wall clock in the 1950s or ’60s.
Radio room designs are rather rare in the watch world. You are likely to see some Vostocks in this style, but that’s about all. Eylandt’s is a retro-colored delight, using mellow cream, red, orange, and navy offset by the contrast of the cold, brushed silver bezel insert that frames it. In fact, the bezel’s absence of color shifts your focus to the warm dial, making the Radio Room appear ever so slightly smaller than the back-on-black Avenger.
At night, both watches light up with the glow of BGW9 Super-LumiNova.
The Radio Room’s full-lume dial shines a bit brighter. So cool!
It is impossible to go wrong with either Eylandt. I have a soft spot for the Radio Room, but the masses voted with their wallets and sold out the first run of the Avenger in no time flat. Not to fear, Hemel has another batch in progress that should be ready shortly.
The Hemel Eylandt Radio Room and Avenger models offer great value and distinctive looks that set them apart from the homage-heavy crowd. Head over to hemelwatches.com for more.
