It’s one thing to try out a concept watch during watch shows like SIHH and Baselworld, it’s another to keep one for close to month and make it a daily wearer. In this second part of my HYT H2 Titanium and White Gold Blue, I’m focusing on the wearability of the hydro-mechanical marvel.
As a 27-year-old horophile with an average collection of watches, owning something as opulent and unorthodox as the HYT H2 is something I can only dream of. Yet the folks at HYT were happy to offer me the next best thing, and that’s lending me a working prototype of the H2 during my month-long trip back home to sizzling-hot Saudi Arabia.
So, after the initial excitement of getting to keep such a stellar piece for so long, how did I really feel about it?
The case is absolutely massive. Measuring 48.8mm wide and a whopping 17.9mm in height, it’s about as big as I’m willing to go. But at the same time it’s a fairly traditional case in the sense that it’s round and not sci-fi inspired like many other watches in the same category. To my surprise, it was much more comfortable than a lot of 44mm watches I’ve tried and own. Even on my dainty wrist, I didn’t have the problem of the watch case wobbling up and down, which could be a result of the integrated alligator strap and/or the fact that the lugs sit pretty high. Also, because the case is made of titanium and white gold, I felt the weight was evenly distributed and not top-heavy in the least.
But honestly, with a movement as architectural and enticing as this, I never found myself looking at the case for long. There are more skeleton and dial-less watches out there than I can count; yet somehow the H2 trumps them all. At every level there’s something to catch your eyes, from the floating minute track and capillary fluid to the arched balance wheel bridge and slanted bellows. The H2 is easily one of the most voluminous watches I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing; the kind that makes you forget that you’re actually wearing a watch and not a piece of kinetic art.
The glass capillary sits above the rest of the watch, visible even from the sides through the watch’s raised and slightly domed crystal. I don’t know whether it’s the blue fluid or the combination with a white flange ring, but I found this particular version of the H2 very legible, even under weaker incandescent lighting; as long as it’s not pitch-black.
Also improving legibility compared to the original H1 is the large central minute hand, which I found much easier to read at a glance than the off-set small minute hand of the H1.
Mind you, as the minute hand makes a jump between 5 and 7 o’clock positions of a traditional watch, the 60 minutes are not on a 360-degree circle, meaning for example if the minute hand was pointing directly at 3 o’clock it wouldn’t be X:15, but actually X:17. This means you can’t accurately read the minutes without referring to the transparent glass minutes track. It’s not a total hindrance, just takes some getting used to.
The only real problem with legibility I found was the lack of luminescent material on the hour track. It makes me wonder why they bothered including it in the minutes hand. At least on most of the H1 models, there are luminescent markers under the capillary fluid, so in the dark you can read the hour by distinguishing the darker luminescent marks shaded by the colored fluid. It’s not easy, but it works.
So, what’s my biggest gripe with the H2? Well, it makes HYT’s bread and butter model the H1 look far too tame in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, I still think the H1 is an awesome watch, and perhaps slightly more wearable and discreet than its big brother. But the fact is, if I was in a position where I could spend $60k (approximate price of the HYT H1 models) on a watch, I could probably stretch that budget to acquire the more impressive H2. Mind you, it does cost more than twice as much, with this version retailing at around $160’000 USD so that would be quite a stretch.
I guess the most important question to ask after holding on to it for so long is this: did the magic wear off?
The answer is absolutely not. Much to my surprise, the novelty factor didn’t evaporate as it does with many of the watches I’ve worn and owned in the past. Besides being so different from anything else out there, it’s the execution that makes the difference. I still don’t know how I’m going to have the strength to hand it back in a few days.
I’d like to thank the team at HYT for making this post possible and for offering me the experience of owning such a spectacular watch; even if only for a little while. Now, time to buy a lottery ticket or two…
More information on www.hytwatches.com
1 comment
Jlee5050 says:
Aug 10, 2014
Amazing piece. I’m curious to the durability, I guess with the capillary tubes and all. I’m aware any mechanical piece is delicate to some point, but a watch with miniature pumps and a glass tube with liquid does make me a bit nervous for everyday wear.