Heitis is founded by D.J Heder. According to Heitis has set out to make affordable quality timepieces that people would be proud to wear. You can learn more about Heitis here at Heitiswatch.com, Today I'm going to dive deeper into their Okeanos Explorer in the Blue Ombre colorway.
Specifications
Case Diameter: 42MM Compressor Case
Case Material: CUSN8 Bronze
Case Thickness: 13.3MM
Crown: Reeses Cup 6MM Screw Down With Deep Press Logo at 4 o'clock and 6mm non screw down Reese Cup Crown at 2 o'clock to turn internal Bezel
Lug Width: 22MM
Lug-to-Lug: 48.5MM
Crystal: Sapphire, Dome with Anti Reflective Coating on the underside of the Crystal
Caseback: Screw Down Stainless Steel 316L with Deep Press Okeanos Explorer Logo
Strap: 22mm Handmade Vintage Italian Leather with Rose Gold SS Buckle
Water Resistance: 5 ATM (due to the 2 o'clock crown not being a screw down crown to rotate the inner bezel).
Mechanical Movement: Automatic, Seiko NH35
The watch has a really good layout with its domed sapphire crystal as it enhances the dial in a such a great way. The watch has average specs for the $499 MSRP but it is Bronze if that's what you're into. Although for me I'm not a huge fan of Bronze personally I did like this dial, dimensions and overall appealing look.
Dibing closer to the dial the print on the dial is done reasonably well with it being crisp and precise. Really nicely done for a watch in this price range.
The markers cut into the dial are done very well. The lume is solid and applied evenly.
The hands aren't too bad for a watch in this price range. The lume is evenly applied and while its a little rough around the outer edges its clean and has little debris on the hands which is always nice to see.
Moving to the Inner bezel and the minute track there were some QC issues as seen below. While its not fully noticeable to naked eye there can be some room for improvement with greater attention to detail.
The outside of the case is done very well, a thicker vertical brushing on the sides of the case with drilled lugs. The crowns are done nicely but the crown for the inner rotating bezel was a bit clunky to me when turning and not the smoothest to rotate.
The case back logo isn't too bad, a little rough but again decent for the price. The engravings around the outside aren't the smoothest or clean in its cuts, but it works.
After the issue with the inner bezel being a little rough I wanted to open the back and check on the gearing and found quite a bit of concern with how the inside of the watch was. The gear that helps rotate the inner bezel was a bit lose and rough, but just needed a little grease to make the action a bit more smooth.
The main thing I noticed right away was the numerous amounts of shavings in the case from the bronze when unscrewing the case back. Prior to even finding this I did see some shavings on the crystal which led to me wanting to remove them. I have seen this happen before when repairing watches even the smallest hair let alone a piece of bronze shaving making its way into the movement can cause havoc.
I find the Heitis Okeanos Bronze to be a nice looking watch the dial design, hands, inner bezel and overall layout is extremely well. The one thing I really thought was disappointing was those shavings on the the dial and around the case. Something like this should never have gone out to customer in my opinion. I'm sure Heitis would have taken it back under warranty as this is a pretty big issue, but since I can do the work myself I didn't mind. The watch is fixed and now in great condition with some time and work.
Now this could just be one that has snuck by the QC process and you shouldn't be discouraged from wanting to purchase this piece but it is something to keep an eye on if you do pick one up.
For $500 you can't expect perfection and there will always be some minor defects that get by the QC process for a piece in this price range. Heitis does make some fabulous looking pieces and at a decent price range. I do look forward in seeing what else they put out this year.
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