Of course, to get this low a cost, you need to use a quartz movement and a mineral crystal. The company also chose to go with a carbon steel case (with stainless caseback). The case is coated to prevent rust, but I have not seen carbon steel used in watches, so I do wonder about the material.
Overall, it is an intriguing project, and it looks to be the first watch project to hit Kickstarter in the new year. There is certainly a market for the watch, judging by the strong initial response, but I am going to sit this one out. If any of our readers have a different take, please weigh in below. elliothavok.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Elliot Havok Timepieces Classic and Premium
- Price: $69 – $79
- Who we think it might be for: You want a smaller dial on a casual/dress watch
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Unlikely. I do like the looks of the black, but from the images the watch looks too hard to read (though that should be changed in production).
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Use a contrasting colored handset for the black dial watches (which it looks like will be done).
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The cloth backed straps.
Tech Specs from Havok
- Movement : Seiko Hattori VX32 Quartz
- Functions : Three hand with date
- Case : Carbon steel (coated to prevent rust)
- Glass : Mineral Glass
- Water resistance : 30 meters
- Lug width : 20mm
- Straps : Black or brown leather on the Classic, cloth backed leather on the Premium
- Diameter : 39mm
- Case height : 7 mm
- Weight of watch head : Not specified
(Note: After this review was initially published, the creators reached out to me and mentioned that the carbon steel case was coated to prevent rust and that the handset for the black dialed watches would be changed during production. This review was modified to reflect that new information. If you are a backer, or a potential backer, please communicate any concerns with the creators through the project page. In my experience, most creators are very good about communicating with backers and responding to questions and suggestions.)
This watch seem to be one of the fine watch. Is it water resistant? The spec doesn’t have this so asked.
Thanks for the review Matt. It was insightful and we definitely appreciate the feedback. And to answer the question below, it is water resistant up to 30M. And the case uses carbon steel with an oxide coating which is corrosion resistant. We definitely wouldn’t want to offer a watch that would rust. In terms of the watch hands, we will be changing them to a more contrasting color for easy reading.
-Elliot Havok Timepieces