I’ve reviewed Helm’s Vanuatu (both the first release and the V2, the upgraded version), and can honestly say that it’s one of the finest affordable divers available; punching well above it’s weight for $275.

The Khuraburi is only $25 more, so it still looks to be a pretty epic watch for $300 / ~£215. Let’s take a closer look to see if this is the case.

The specs

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 16mm height x 49mm lug to lug
• Weight: 200g (with links removed)
• Water resistance rating: 30ATM / 300m
• Movement: Seiko NH38
• Accuracy: +4.2 s/d
• Lug width: 22mm
• Warranty: 1 year
• Price: $300 / ~£215
• Available from: http://helmwatches.com/khuraburi2.html

The case

With the crown at 10, the crown wears a little unusual – I like it as I wear watches on my left wrist and it keeps the crown clear from the back of my hand. Whilst the diameter of 42mm isn’t anything outrageous, the 16mm height is definitely on the tall side – so beware. The drilled-through lugs make changing straps much easier.

It’s entirely brushed which is hard-wearing and ensures longevity. The shape of the case is nice and rotund, with rounded sides breaking out of the barrel shape norm.

Sitting on top of the case is a double domed sapphire crystal – this watch is from the second Khuraburi production batch, with some slight modifications, one being that the crystal has been cut slightly differently to reduce the bevel that created some distortion around the edge of the dial. It’s rather reflective still: the anti-reflective coating not doing the best job.

The sapphire bezel insert is a pleasant, unexpected feature. The naturally reflective appearance is eye-catching and merges well with the crystal. The bezel action itself is a little on the stiff side for my liking; not the smoothest. It is very easy to use thanks to the decent toothed grip.

The caseback is updated in the second production batch too; the central H logo is deep–stamped rather than etched, and it really is impressively done for this price. The rest of the detailing is all accurate and deep.

The crown has a smooth thread and is really easy to use thanks to the huge grip. It has the Helm logo accurately and deeply engraved on the end.

The dial

The dial is exceptionally bold and legible – just look at those chunky hands and hour markers. The blue base of the dial is a pleasant change to the normal black you see so often; it’s not a super bright blue either – quite classy.

Pretty much the only issue I have with the entire watch is the printwork of the logo in the top half. It’s not standard printed like the details in the bottom half, but rather a thick shiny paint, and it doesn’t look right to me – the colour clashes with the colour of the dial base and looks a little bit tacky.

The hour markers are all applied, heavy wide arrows which provides a nice amount of depth to the dial. The subtle minute track is also on a higher level to the base of the dial, which support this feeling of depth.

The hands are a similar shape; very wide swords with a skeletonised base. The seconds hand is a straight stick with a lighter blue tip and a lume filled arrow.

The lume strength is great throughout the watch – matching well from the hour markers, to the hands, through to the bezel insert.

The bracelet / strap

The bracelet measures at 22mm wide at the lugs, tapering down to 20mm at the buckle. It’s super engineered and the thick, angular links are chunky and a sight to behold. The angular tops provide a variety of reflections in the light. They’re fully brushed with screw links – so the bracelet is easy to adjust, but make sure you tighten them regularly to stop them gradually coming undone.

The buckle is just as chunky – it’s single locking with the top flap, which has the Helm logo engraved on. It also houses 6 micro adjustment points so you’re definitely going to be able to get a perfect fit.

All Khuraburi’s come with a free NATO strap, which is a nice touch. It’s pretty standard quality so nothing exciting to mention. I also received one of the optional blue canvas straps, which is lovely and thick (albeit a tad stiff to begin with). Watch the video review to take a look at them.

The movement

The movement powering the Helm Khuraburi is the Seiko NH38. It’s the brother of the more popular NH35 – having pretty much exactly the same specs, apart from the omission of a day / date complication.

Specs include hacking and manual wind, 21.6k bph, 24 jewels, and ~40 hours power reserve. This movement is very well-regulated too, coming in at an amazing +4.2 sec/day – well within COSC specs.

Final comments

I thought the Vanuatu was a great watch. The Khuraburi, however, is so much better at a mere $25 more. I feel the design is a little friendlier; it’s sure to appeal to more people – but entire watch as a whole feels like an incredibly substantial timepiece for $300. The bracelet is delightful, the case is a nice shape and well finished (albeit a tad tall), it has great lume, and the sapphire bezel insert catches the eye.

The only negative is the way the logo appears to the eye, but you could class that as personal preference. I really can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t buy one of these – it’s that impressive.

The post Helm Khuraburi Watch Review (02AL3) appeared first on 12&60.

Moving forward over a year, Helm have now released their second generation Vanuatu. Not only does it have a number of improvements, it also boasts a more impressive $275 / ~£225 price tag.

This won’t be a full in-depth review, but rather a look at these refinements to see if the watch really has been improved.

A reminder of the specs:

• Dimensions: 43mm diameter x 14mm height x 50mm lug to lug
• Weight: 225g with bracelet / 120g with NATO strap
• Movement: Seiko NH35
• Water resistance: 300m / 30ATM
• Lug width: 22mm
• Price: $275 / ~£225

The improvements

Firstly, there’s a new bezel mechanism with firmer ratcheting. This means much less wiggle and backwards play. It’s a lovely smooth action, which is secure and sticks to each of its points with no problem at all. The bezel teething itself has also been reworked and the insert is a lot more refined.

Helm has switched to Super-LumiNova for the lume on the Vanuatu. And it shows – it’s bright, charges quickly and last a while. They have also opted for filled rather than solid hands, which holds the lume better. The visual difference is that the hands now have a black border around them.

The second generation Vanuatu has a reworked caseback – the Helm logo is deep stamped in the centre, and is surrounded by various specifics deeply engraved. A distinct upgrade from the first version.

The crown is also reworked, with raised grip teeth which is very well machined indeed. If you compare it to the first gen, you can tell it has a lot more definition.

The final tweaks are associated with the straps. Firstly on the bracelet, the pins have been changed to screw type. A much better experience to be had when adjusting it. Thicker spring bars have also been used, but I personally think that’s a bit of a stretch in saying it’s an “improvement”. The bracelet links are better machined.

Final comments

I can whole-heartedly confirm that this is a step up from the first version of the Helm Vanuatu. The fact that it’s even cheaper too makes it all the most impressive.

A chunky, well-made and highly finished tool watch for $275 is a great price in my book. The impressive specs are all still there from the original: Seiko NH35 movement, 300m water resistance, clear sapphire crystal with good AR coating, and now top notch machining and finishing to make it admirable. Really, there’s nothing that can be said against it.

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With an RRP of $350 / £235, the Helm Vanuatu isn’t that expensive at all – especially being that it is an ISO rated diver, has a decent Seiko mechanical movement, 300m water resistance rating, and a quality looking heavy-duty build.

Helm is a brand based in North Carolina in the States, and the Vanuatu is named after the South Pacific island located to the east of Australia famous for its coral reefs and a WWII shipwreck.

Let’s see if the Helm Vanuatu is a new watch worth getting excited about.

Specs:

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter, 50mm lug to lug length, 14mm height
• Case: 316L stainless steel, screw-in crown and caseback
• Movement: Seiko NH35
• Weight: 225g with full length bracelet; 120g with nylon strap
• Crystal: flat sapphire with internal anti-reflective coating
• Rating: 300m ISO 6525 compliant diver

The case

The case is definitely a heavy duty affair, with its aggressive lines and heavily toothed bezel and crown. The size is actually quite reasonable; at 42mm in diameter and 14mm tall it fits well and matches the norm for a dive watch nowadays. It’s got plenty of wrist presence too, with a jet black dial and bezel which offsets the pale fully brushed stainless steel case and bracelet well. It also feels decent quality on the wrist, weighing in at over 200g. With a water resistance rating of 300m and ISO 6525 compliance, you know that it’s going to be well put together.

The only negative about the case is that it could have been more refined in terms of machining. The brushed finishing is fine, but the edges are all quite sharp to the touch.

The screw-in crown is stocky, with the Helm “H” logo excellently engraved in the end. The grip is great too, and I haven’t had any problems with the thread whilst screwing / unscrewing it.

The screw-in caseback also features the “H” logo, surrounded by various watch specifics. Like the crown, all the engraving is lovely and deep – the sign of effort being put into the finish.

The bezel has a heavy toothed grip edge to match the crown, which provides superb purchase when rotating it. The action is quite smooth, although it has a tiny bit of wiggle at each point. The bezel insert has the markings engraved out of it and filled with lume, which I personally prefer to a plain printed insert as it’s a little more effort and looks more impressive.

Another good feature is the drilled through lugs, which allows strap changing quick and easy (watch my video review above – I change the strap 3 times within a minute or so).

The dial

The details of the dial are subtle, almost phantom. This is a good thing, as it’s all dedicated to one thing – allowing the hands and hour markers to be as visible as possible, resulting in maximum legibility.

The logo in the top half and details in the bottom half are a dark gray colour, which don’t draw too much attention. The printing is all pretty precise and accurate.

The main minute and hour hands are pretty simple; they’re basically thick, lumed batons. The minute hand has a nice little touch of a tiny protrusion on the end. They have black bases, which match the dial – so hey almost look like they’re floating. The seconds hand has a crisp orange base with a lumed disc about two thirds of the way up. The hands are all pretty simple in design, and have one goal: to offer great legibility. They’re pretty well made too.

The full lume hour markers are simple, and do their job well – they’re large and bulky, and are light against the dark dial, maximising visibility.  The shapes vary, from squares to rectangles, with 12 featuring a point at the bottom.

Helm don’t specify what type of lume is used on the Vanuatu, but it’s actually surprisingly good. I was expecting it to be disappointing, but it’s quick to charge and long lasting.

The date window is located at 6, which I always like as it keeps the dial symmetrical and is a little different to the usual position at 3. The window is cut straight out of the dial, with a very clean cut – not a messy edge at all. The date wheel colour is a perfect match to the dial so it sits in place very well without causing any distraction.

The straps / bracelet

With a pretty standard lug width of 22mm, there is certainly plenty to choose from when dressing the Helm Vanuatu. It’s just as well that they give you the option of 3 types of strap: the bracelet, leather strap and NATO strap.

The bracelet is much like the case; fully brushed, angular, over-engineered styling… and also has the same fault in not quite being refined enough. I find the edges are a little sharp and could have been rounded off a tad. The brushed finishing is good though, matching the case perfectly.

I always like a decent 5 part link due to the amount of pieces and accuracy required to make up the bracelet, so the Helm Vanuatu’s bracelet is very impressive in the wrist. It’s heavy, aggressive looking and has a variety of pitches thanks to the light reflecting off the many angles differently.

The buckle matches this styling, simple, bold, with the added touch of “Helm” deeply engraved on the locking bar.

The leather strap is also really impressive, with Helm going for the chunky, hand-crafted look that matches the aura of the Vanuatu well. It’s clearly decent quality leather, and is comfortable on the wrist. The buckle is brushed to match the case, with Helm deeply engraved on the underside of the bar (not sure why it’s not on the usual top).

The NATO strap isn’t anything particularly exciting, it’s pretty much just your normal quality. The buckle has “Helm” very lightly laser etched in the bar, not the same quality of engraving across the rest of the watch.

The movement

The Seiko NH35 has been used a fair amount in affordable / boutique brands, such as the Melbourne Watch Co Parkville, Lew & Huey Orthos, G. Gerlach Orzel and the Invicta Pro Diver 9094. As such, it’s a solid, dependable movement which is generally pretty accurate straight from the factory. It’s an automatic mechanical movement, and has a hacking seconds hand and manual winding capability, runs at 21.6k bph (6 ticks per second), 24 jewels, and a date function.

The competition

To me, I think the best two alternatives out there are the Steinhart Ocean 1 and the Obris Morgan Explorer.

The Steinhart Ocean 1 (read my review here) is still outstanding value for money. It’ll cost you less than £100 more (currently priced at €380 / £300), but you’re getting a top-notch Swiss Made timepiece. The only question is if you’re happy with it being a homage to possibly the most iconic diver out there – the Rolex Submariner.

Next, the Obris Morgan Explorer. Costing $280 / £190, it’s a cheaper option, but still has great specs and a similar look and feel to the Helm Vanuatu. Read my review of it here. The only problem is the limited availability.

Final comments

I really like the Helm Vanuatu. I think it fills a gap left by the brilliant Obris Morgan Branco, in offering a diver watch that’s heavily inspired by tool styling with a chunky / aggressive edge to it. There’s definitely some smoothing out to be done, namely with the bracelet and the bezel, but apart from that, it’s quite an impressive timepiece for the money. To be considered alongside the legendary Seiko divers out there would be an honour for the Vanuatu – and I think it has the potential to be a great alternative to the likes of the SKX007 and Monster, as long as the finishing is slightly tidied up.

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