Today is an exciting day, because it’s the day that the Hamtun Kraken H3 is being announced to the world. I feel like we’ve been along with Ross Davis right from when he first kicked off his brand, and now we’re pleased to see this third edition hitting the Kickstarter block.
Actually, as it turns out, there are two slightly different watches on offer here with the Hamtun Kraken H3. All feature the same case (see the details down below) made of the oh-so-lovely titanium in a matte finish. In fact, the “standard” edition – which has earlybird pricing starting at $299 should look pretty familiar to the fans of the brand, as it’s an update of their first model. Well, the same could be said for the $411 premium model, which swaps in a Swiss movement for the Chinese built one available in the standard model.
The one that really grabs my eye, of course, is the GMT version of the Hamtun Kraken H3. That version starts at a VERY tasty $536 and will feature a Swiss-made GMT movement (there are several brands making the same movement). Frankly, to get a Swiss-powered GMT watch that’s housed in a titanium case (and is paired to a titanium bracelet) for just over $500? That’s simply unheard of, and shows you a watch that is hitting way above it’s pay grade.
Materials aside, where the Hamtun Kraken H3 sings for me is in the dial design. I’m partial to the blue one (paired with the blue bezel), but the raised indices are present on all of the designs. These should be plenty bright (Superluminova, yo) and are quite generously sized, though keeping in proportion to the handset. Of all the details that really hit me on this design, though, the date wheel is the one that settles it.
Sure, the 4 o’clock position for a date wheel isn’t anything new, but here, on the Hamtun Kraken H3, it just feels right. Particularly with the double-stepped frame around it, it feels like it was actually thought about. Now, sneak in a cyclops there (on the dial, ala Alpina) and you’d really be cooking with gas.
Suffice to say, we here at WWR are big fans of Hamtun, and this new Hamtun Kraken H3 looks to be another hit for the brand. The Kickstarter campaign just kicked off today, and has a LOT more details (including all of the color options) than we were able to include below. The campaign is planned to run for 29 days, and delivery is anticipated for November 2020. So, yes, I would say that very good things come to those who wait. campaign page
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Hamtun Kraken H3
- Price: $299 and up
- Who we think it might be for: You’ve missed out on prior Hamtun launched, and / or were holding out for a GMT from the brand
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I?ve seen? The GMT is very, VERY, tempting
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: Sometimes it’s the small details that sell a design, and here, that’s the date display
Tech Specs from Hamtun
- Case & bracelet
- Titanium; matte finish with scratch-resistant coating
- 41mm (diameter) x 13mm (thickness)
- 48mm lug-to-lug
- 22mm lug width; bracelet tapers to 20mm at clasp
- Crystal: sapphire with internal anti-reflective coating
- Bezel:
- 120-click uni-directional; with either a ceramic or titanium insert
- Ceramic colors: black or blue
- WR: 200m
- Crown: screw-down
- Caseback: screw-down with etched pattern, watch details and serial number
- Lume: Superluminova
- Hands and indices: diamond cut and filled with Superluminova
- Functions: Hours/minutes/seconds, date (at 4 o’clock); GMT hand on the GMT model
- Movement
- PT5000 automatic (based on the ETA 2824); 28,800 BPH and 38-hour power reserve
- Sellita SW200-1 (also based on the ETA 2824); 28,800 BPH and 38-hour power reserve
- Swiss GMT (Swisstech, Soprod, Sellita, or ETA); 28,800 BPH and 42-hour power reserve
