H2O Kalmar 2, Have it Your Way

I see a lot of crowd funded projects, and many of them state that the creator couldn’t find the watch they wanted, so they went off and designed one.  Sometimes the watch is fairly unique in an aspect or two, but other times I could easily find similar watches with minimal searching.  But still, there is a desire to design something and make it your own.  Which is what is intriguing about the H2O Watch business model, and, specifically, the H2O Kalmar 2 which is available for pre-order.  There is a full menu of options for the watch that lets you customize it the way you want, and still get a high performing dive watch.

When you buy a watch from the brand (they have other styles, but I like this one), you start with a base price and set of specifications.  In the case of the H2O Kalmar 2, it is a 42.5mm dive watch with an ETA 2824-2 automatic movement and a depth rating of 3,000 meters, all packed into a case that sits 13.4mm high, plus another 2mm for the domed sapphire crystal.   The base price?  It comes in at $825.50 (plus tax).  With a pre-order, you are also getting a handmade Maddog strap in black, polished stingray leather ($300 retail).  I can’t guarantee it is worth $300, but it will make a unique mate for the watch and definitely change up the look.

From this starting point, you then get into the menu of options for the watch.  There is a choice between 3 bezels, 4 bezel inlays, 17 dials, and 11 handsets (the stainless strap shown in these images is also extra).  The orange dial watch at the top of the page would be ordered with the ribbed bezel and 60 minute ceramic insert, lumed orange dial, the gloss black handset, and the stainless bracelet for a total of $965.20 (plus tax).  The same set up with the V-Form bezel would save about $50, because there is not insert for the bezel.  With any watch selection, you also get to pick a serial number from the ones available.  h2o-watch.com

 Watch Overview