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Whenever a new watch brand hits the map here in the ol’ US of A, I take notice.  While many of these turn out to be overly simplistic or a minimal rebrand of another model, the folks at Hexa have built up a rugged diver that has a unique case.

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We were able to spend a nice bit of time with the K500 earlier in the month, and I think it’s an interesting addition to the pantheon of small-make dive watches that are on the market.  While I realize the style isn’t for everyone (in fact, it’s not quite to my own tastes), this is a really nice build, and has a lot to offer.

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Rather than trying to  be clever listing out all the various specs the 7.4oz watch offers, I’m just going to rely on this graphic directly from Hexa:

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The most striking (or perhaps polarizing) part of this watch design is, of course, the case.  The offset crown and integrated crown guard are certainly nothing new, and, for a watch of this size, nicely keeps the crown from digging into your wrist.

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Inset in there, of course, you’ve got a very clean and easy-to-read dial – and that’s day or night.  The lume on this watch is particularly nice – a benefit of having Lum-Tec involved in the process, I imagine (side note:  while a lumed seconds hand is not necessary in any definition, it is a sign of attention to detail that I appreciate).  The timing bezel is also rather easy to read – no excess of hash marks on there.

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That bezel is also easy to turn, due to how grippy the it is with the geometry of the “teeth” – which makes up, in part, for the difficulties that integrated crown guard can cause when you’re going to lock the crown in place.

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Back to the bezel though, having that sort of grip is something I can only imagine would be helpful if you were wearing gloves on a dive – which is what this watch is intended for.  The 500m water resistance rating certainly indicates that, as does the built-in (6-position) ratcheting diver extension on the bracelet.

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With the bracelet, you could swap in fixed ends on the case (we left it with the pivoting ends), or you could go for the vanilla-scented rubber strap (classic trappings there).  All of these come in the case, no upcharge, which is a nicety.

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One last point I want to touch on is the movement. Here, the Seiko 6R15 is taking care of the relevant duties.  As usual, it performed flawlessly in our time with the watch, and I think it offers a good balance of value and performance.

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In the end, it will be up to you if the styling clicks, and you are looking for a watch that’s as home on land or in the waters.  If that’s you, head on over here and get ready to put down at least $699 (other PVD finishes can raise the pricing to $738 or $799), plus shipping.

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For an intial foray, I think this is a solid outing from Hexa, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes from their workshop next.

Categorized in:

New Models, Reviews,

Last Update: February 26, 2013