I am one of those guys that wears a watch all the time. Well, almost all the time, when I am involved in one of my potentially dangerous activities, I don’t wear a watch. For me, this is road biking, mountain biking and rock climbing. It isn’t that I don’t want to know the time, it is that if I take a fall (and I have been known to crash my mountain bike a fair bit), I don’t want to damage my watch. But now, the Haigh & Hastings M2 Diver out of Australia can ease that worry, pairing a nice looking, sensible diver with a 5-year damage repair guarantee.
If you read my article on dive watches, you should be able to discern how I feel about some of the more esoteric features on higher end watches, namely extreme depth ratings and helium release valves. well, the Haigh & Hastings M2 Diver skips that with the sensible diver requirements, 300 meters of water resistance (OK, this is overkill, but not too egregious), good lume, a sapphire crystal, and a hacking, hand and self winding movement (Seiko MH35A). The minute hand adds a bit of color to the face, and the mixed style of the hands adds a little visual interest, but the strap is where the “go loud” description really fits.
There are two rubber strap options, a conventional buckle and a “security” clasp. The conventional buckle has a choice of seven colors, including black, red, purple and pink, and the “security clasp has a separate six color choices, including yellow, orange and two different greens. The watches are $522 AU for the black, $536 for the colored straps with the conventional buckles, and $544 for the watches with the security clasp (Haigh & Hastings recommends you have these trimmed professionally).
Prices in US dollars are about 10% less with the exchange rate, and there is free worldwide shipping. The standard M2 is available now through the web site, but on September 29, four new models will be available, the Redhead Blue Ring, Green Brian and Green and Gold Australis. The Redhead is shown in a teaser image, and I like the red bezel ring a lot. haighandhastings.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Haigh & Hastings M2 Diver
- Price: $536 – $544 AU (~$500 US)
- Who we think it might be for: Any fan of the diver style watch.
- Would I buy or recommend it just on the photos?: Definitely.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Quick change pins on the straps.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The 5 year Smash guarantee.
