A watch with a WOW effect. American brand Hemel

Hemel

Friends, hello everyone. You are on a channel about Feeltime watches. Stanislav is with you as always, and today we again have a new, American microbrand Hemel.  

I was actually really looking forward to this watch. And the wait was absolutely not in vain. The first impression of the model was as pleasant as possible.  

Of course, first of all I would like to tell you a little about the brand itself.

So, as I said, the Hemel brand was founded in America in 2016 at the dawn of the popularization of microbrands in general. Hamel's founder is Marvin Menke.  

The history of the watch is quite simple, but interesting. Owning a consulting company, upon completion of a major transaction, Marvin made custom watches for new partners. As a result, Marvin’s inner circle began to give feedback that the watch was cool, why not bring it to the market.

And given Marvin's love of watches, the idea seemed like a hint from the Universe.  

This is how Hemel was born.

And let me tell you, I really like Marvin's approach. He says it's easy to love watches like Rolex and Patek Philippe, which have a long history and are sought-after watches.  

It’s difficult to create something new that you end up loving and that people will love.  

I like the way Marvin talks about technology and smartwatches, emphasizing that it's a never-ending pursuit. You bought a smart watch, after a year it is already outdated.  

Not so with wristwatches. They can last a lifetime and always remain relevant.  

And I’ll tell you that the watch that came to me was made with love. It's visible, it's felt.  

The main stylistic direction was chosen: pilot and military watches. Of course, with notes of vintage from the last century. Americans love this. And this is frankly close to me.  

Therefore, on this note, I propose to move on to the model itself, since I am already impatient.  

The watch is delivered in this “portable package”.

This is literally the simplest box possible, and even on the inside it says, “Please throw it away.” Frankly speaking, I don't like pretentious boxes. Yes, it looks cool from the start, but don’t forget that this is partly dust that the manufacturer throws into your eyes.  

Often the box can be cool, but since the manufacturer must adhere to some kind of pricing policy, he will save on the watch itself. Here we invested in hours, and there was an absolute saving on the box. It is perfectly.

As you may have guessed, there is not a lot of documentation here either.  

A simple card thanking you for being part of the Hemel family and a real signature from Marvin, a warranty card and a product line booklet.  

Again. Nothing extra.  

Well, I'll tell you what. The watch looks gorgeous. Without undue modesty.  

This is the case when I pick up the watch and think: “Wow. Cool. This is really nice."  

Firstly, they have their own, distinct style. I definitely won’t confuse them with anything. Secondly, you can immediately feel the cool quality. And when I examined them in detail, I was simply convinced of this.  

I think that style needs no introduction. Purely a pilot's watch.  

Moreover, what I like is that the size is very neat. This model has 42 mm, but the brand has similar versions with a diameter of 40 mm. For a pilot's watch, this is simply chic!

I once loved large models, but over time I came to the conclusion that 40 mm was my ideal size.  

Since we're talking about sizes, let's take them off right away.

Diameter - 42 mm, from lug to lug - 49 mm, thickness - 13.9 mm, weight - 98 grams.

The body is made of 316l stainless steel. Fully satin finish. Moreover, even during transitions of the side and top surfaces, where mirror polishing is usually done.

Hemel went a slightly different route. The quality of the finish is excellent! As is the geometry of the body. If you examine the ears, you can see that even in inconspicuous places the geometry is complex and done really well.

The back cover is without any frills. Shallow engraving of the HF series, and some characteristics are written out.

It has Sapphire crystal, Japanese Meka Quartz Seiko VK64, which I will say a few words about later, and 100 meters of water resistance, which is great for a watch of this style.  

The bezel is completely made of stainless steel. The markings elegantly emphasize the style of the watch.  

There are versions with a ceramic bezel, but I prefer this option. To be honest, ceramics are already a little boring.  

The bezel grip is very comfortable. The ride is confident and the clicks are expensive, but there is a slight play if you rock it with force. But it doesn’t bother me at all.  

The buttons are large and convenient. The pushers start with a clear and understandable click, as expected.  

The strap is a special thrill. Genuine Leather. It is thick, the color is just bomb. As is the quality. 2 rivets on each side, perfect thread stitching.  

Damn, even the smell is pleasant. I often evaluate the quality of leather by its smell. Worthy leather usually has an unpleasant odor, but here you can feel it both visually, tactilely, and smell. The strap is on point.  

Well, let's of course move on to the dial.  

If we're talking about a Panda dial, then I'm already under the spell. I love this style.  

We have a beautiful contrast of black, the main color and white chronograph windows with white markings.  

There is nothing superfluous here. Readability is excellent. Swiss Super Luminova is applied to the hands and hour markers, and the chronograph seconds hand is highlighted in orange.  

Well, here I want to note that inside there is a so-called Meka Quartz, in which the movement of the chronograph second hand imitates mechanics. Thus, the watch does not need to be wound, but visually such a deceptive effect of mechanics is created.  

And of course, let's look at my hand. The watch fits perfectly. My wrist size is 18 cm in girth.  

Well, let's go with the results.  

The price of this watch is $500.  

What did I see? I saw a watch made painstakingly and with love. You can feel it, it’s nice to realize.  

This is a watch with its own face. I saw them once and I won’t confuse them with anything else. For a microbrand, this is very cool!  

The quality of materials is excellent. The geometry of the case is wonderful, the finish is luxurious for its price. The strap is very cool made.  

Someone may say that Japanese quartz is a little expensive for $500, but I will tell you that you simply did not hold this watch in your hands if such a thought arises. You are not paying for the mechanism here.  

By the way, the Hemel brand has similar versions with Seagull mechanics. And they won't sell for much more. Very interesting mechanisms. Over time, we will get to these hours.  

Well, just for comparison, I would like to say that the stars aligned so that yesterday I shot a review of Tag Heuer for $2000, in which Swiss quartz is cheaper than the mechanism in this watch.

Marvin says that he creates watches without unnecessary dust in the eyes and pathos. I see that this is true. Americans generally present their goods in such a way. Look at the photo, nothing special. But in reality it turned out to be just a head-scratcher. And this is much better than when they sell you a beautifully packaged product, but in fact there is nothing special there.  

This watch is special. And I'm glad to meet the brand for the first time.  

You can buy the model in my Feeltime online store with an official 2-year warranty.  

Don't forget to express your impressions. It's always interesting to discuss new things together. And that’s all for me, Stanislav was with you as always. Until next time. Bye!