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Disclaimer: This watch was sent to me to review, and I do not need to return it after my review is complete. This watch was given to me without restriction and is not contingent upon a particular outcome for my review. All opinions here are my own, and 1776 Atelier, Hour Precision had no influence over the opinions stated here.

1776 Atelier Mount Vernon: https://1776atelier.com/watches/mount-vernon-aventurine

Hour Precision: https://hourprecision.com

Klok Work: https://www.instagram.com/klokworkllc

Video

Review

1776 Atelier is one of the more compelling young American independents to emerge in the past couple of years because they’ve built their brand around the harder, less glamorous work of actually advancing the state of American watchmaking. The name is doing some of that signaling up front. “1776” is an overt nod to the country’s origin story, but it’s also a mission statement: build capability here, expand what can be made here, and do it in a way that collectors can realistically participate in.

The brand was founded by Jason Lu, a self-taught watchmaker who has spent years learning by proximity, absorbing ideas from accomplished watchmakers and engineers across the U.S. and Germany, including time spent around the DK Precision Mechanics ecosystem. I’ve also met Jason in person, and what stood out immediately was how humble he is. He’s extremely passionate about watches, but is especially motivated to build great watches while creating as much value in America as possible. And that humility isn’t performative: after about twenty minutes of pestering him, I realized he’s doing far more than the public-facing role. He handles most of the hand finishing, something that isn’t emphasized on the brand’s website, but feels very much worth mentioning in this category of watchmaking.

The other half of the story is Zach Smith. I’ve been following Zach on Instagram for years, and he’s earned a deep level of respect from me because his approach to “making stuff in America” is refreshingly practical too. He’s an engineer, a Certified WOSTEP watchmaker, and a manufacturer. Zach runs Hour Precision, but he’s also a formal partner to Jason within 1776 Atelier, and his work has helped bring all of the brand’s watches to life, including their excellent new release, the Montpelier.

If you ask me, there’s a real difference between building an “artisanal” watch in America for $70,000-$100,000 and building a sustainable watch brand that meaningfully elevates the state of watchmaking here: for both the people making these components and the people buying the watches. I think creators like Jason Lu, Zach Smith, Roland Murphy at RGM, and brands like SeL may ultimately do more to reshape American watchmaking than a boutique maker catering to the 1% of the 1%…but hey, that’s just my opinion.

Within the current lineup, the Mount Vernon is the brand’s most successful product, and it feels a bit like an appetizer for what’s coming. It’s where you can start to see how real value is created when components are manufactured domestically; and then finished correctly, beautifully, and at a price that doesn’t automatically exclude most serious enthusiasts.

The watch on hand here is the Mount Vernon Aventurine, fitted with upgrades including American Gun Scroll Engraving (+$1600) on the movement (done by Klok Work, also in the United States) and Triple Snailing (+$375) on the crown and ratchet wheels, bringing the total price of this configuration to $6,075. The standard Mount Vernon, with more traditional finishing and no engraving, starts at $3,900, and even in that form, the movement still carries a meaningful amount of hand work, and looks genuinely impressive for the category.

Let’s check it out!

Movement

I typically discuss the movement towards the end of my reviews, but with this piece, the movement is the reason you buy this watch, the movement shows off what the brand does best, and the movement gives you a true taste of what the brand can do. Powering the watch is the hand-wound Caliber 621.1788, built on the familiar Unitas/ETA 6498 architecture: a big, simple, traditional layout that is still the foundation of some of the most impressive indie watches on the market today. It runs at 3Hz with a 48-hour power reserve, and keeps the classic small seconds at 6 o’clock.

The main-plate and bridges are manufactured in Ohio by Zach, with Hour Precision functioning as the brand’s in-house movement manufacturing capability, while the majority of the hand finishing is executed by Jason in Texas (with some overlap in duties, since Zach is also a watchmaker).

Visually, the movement leans hard into contrast: with a black rhodium main-plate, paired with rose gold-finished elements including the balance bridge, nameplate, and parts of the gear train. All the screws are black polished, and even though the dial is made of Aventurine, the movement delivers a more dynamic visual experience. There is also hand-executed anglage on all exposed edges, graining on the gear train and a matte finished movement base.

Here, the most notable aesthetic upgrade is the American Gun Scroll engraving option. The team described that pattern as taking roughly two to two and a half full days of engraving work, carved scroll-by-scroll so each example ends up slightly unique.

Beyond the engraving itself, the finishing details are where the movement starts to feel more serious than its price might suggest: there are three interior angles that are executed entirely by hand using traditional methods.

The separation between finishes is also deliberately emphasized, including a contrast between mirror-polished bevels and adjacent surfaces that are kept satin or frosted and sharply defined. And that creates an incredible sense of depth and detail, particularly when looking at it up close. Finally, this piece features snailing on the winding wheels, with polished teeth – triple snailing to the ratchet wheel and the crown wheel remains double-snailed due to its size. In terms of timekeeping, this movement was running at a very healthy and accurate +3 spd.

And importantly, this isn’t where the story ends. 1776 has already shown what it can do when it steps beyond the familiar 6498 template with the Montpelier, which brings a more intricate, proprietary architecture to the table, a skeletonized three-quarter bridge and balance bridge, and a finishing spec that reads like a clear step up from the Mount Vernon while still leaning on the same core strengths: Hour Precision’s manufacturing capability and Jason’s bench work. But this time also enlisting DK Precision Mechanics. Even more ambitious is what they’re developing in parallel: the brand has been openly working toward its own free-sprung balance, and has gone a step further by experimenting with a star-shaped balance design, which is a remarkably bold endeavor for a team this small.

Since there won’t be any lume comparisons here, I thought it would be interesting to put this movement beside some other beautiful movements, such as the Patek Philippe Cal. 240, Habring A11GSP and Christopher Ward CW003. The Mount Vernon certainly makes a compelling case with just how attractive it looks, and even makes the Habring look a bit dull in comparison, even though I absolutely adore that movement.

Case

I measured the case to be 40.25mm in diameter, 48.5mm lug-to-lug, and 11.3mm thick, with a 20mm lug width, dimensions that make it a bit large for the genre it is in, but yet comfortable and surprisingly well balanced. This Swiss Made case is made entirely of stainless steel and feels solid and well-constructed. Where some brands use the case as a signature design element, 1776 Atelier plays it safe here. The silhouette is traditional and, in profile and proportion, reminiscent of watches like Laine’s V38, down to the fully polished, classically styled execution.

It’s a clean, dressy package: no sculpted mid-case, no contrasting brushing, and little in the way of distinctive geometry. The build quality and finishing is well done, but it feels more selected than designed. The 6.5mm push-pull crown at 3 o’clock is sized appropriately and signed. And while the design may not break new ground, it is handled competently. A domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating keeps the dial clear, and the screw-in exhibition case-back shows off a movement that usefully fills the case footprint perfectly. Water resistance is 30 meters: unremarkable, but typical for this style of watch.

If you want the case to feel more personal, they offer hand case engraving as an up-charge, turning the otherwise conservative exterior into something genuinely one-off; but I believe the skill, effort and costs associated with hand engraving a case deserves a customer who will truly appreciate it.

Dial

The dial design follows the well-trodden formula of independent watchmaking: a guilloché inner dial, small seconds at six o’clock, Breguet numerals, and an applied nameplate beneath twelve. That said, it is a very attractive layout, and perhaps why it has become somewhat of a classic template for watchmakers. This particular piece features their Aventurine and guilloché dial combo.

Both the dial and hands are sourced from Germany, though I can easily imagine these components being produced locally as the brand matures and develops more domestic capability – we’ve already seen Zach Smith and Hour Precision deliver a beautiful hand set for Cornell Watch Company. The dial itself is very well executed, with a pleasing contrast between the cosmic Aventurine outer ring and the inner white guilloché, which, while stamped rather than hand-turned, looks crisp and consistent.

The two sections are divided by a brushed and raised metal ring, adding dimensionality alongside the bold applied Breguet numerals, which are vertically brushed and sharply cut. The small seconds subdial at six o’clock features its own distinct stamped guilloché pattern, framed by another brushed ring for visual continuity, while a raised, brushed minute track wraps up the composition with legible markings for minutes and five minute increments. Together, the layered textures, finishes, and elevations create depth and character, making the dial far more engaging than its conventional design might suggest.

The handset is nicely finished with distinct facets that help with legibility, though I do wish the hour and minute hands extended a touch further; with the hour hand closer to the edge of the guilloché center and the minute hand out to the minute track for sharper legibility. Still, they don’t feel undersized in practice and remain easy to read. The brand’s logo is pad-printed on an applied nameplate under twelve, a familiar but well-executed finishing touch. Overall, the attention to detail and quality control on the dial is very good, and I like that the brand has quite a few options to choose from, with various combinations of materials, textures, and styles.

On The Wrist

On my 6.75-inch wrist, the watch’s 40.25mm diameter and 48.5mm lug-to-lug dimensions work reasonably well, sitting flat and balanced without feeling oversized. That said, given the dressy and traditional nature of the watch, I think trimming 1 to 1.5mm off the diameter and 2 to 3mm off the lug span would have made it noticeably more versatile and wearable for a wider range of wrist sizes. But since this watch is based on the 6498 architecture, there’s only so much smaller they can go without having to completely redesign the movement or choose a much smaller base like the ETA 7001, which would likely introduce a lot of empty space.

In its current form, I would hesitate to recommend it for wrists smaller than 6.25 inches, as the lugs might start to overhang. The 11.3mm overall thickness feels well-proportioned, though shaving off around 1mm could be nice, especially since it’s a manual-wind watch without any extraordinary water resistance.

1776 Atelier offers a variety of American-made straps, and the one supplied with this watch is very nice, paired with a signed deployant clasp. The deployant is of a familiar Omega-style design, feels robust and secure, and the overall presence and comfort on the wrist is excellent.

Wrapping Up

The Mount Vernon isn’t trying to reinvent the dress watch – the case and dial are handsome and well executed, but the design language is fairly conventional, and it won’t satisfy someone chasing novelty in form or layout. Where this watch earns its keep is the movement. The finishing quality, the thought put into the components, and the overall visual coherence on the back are legitimately impressive for the category, and it’s the part of the watch that most clearly communicates what 1776 Atelier is about. Just as importantly, it feels like a preview: the Mount Vernon reads as a stepping stone, and the Montpelier already suggests what this team can do when given a bit more room to create.

And that’s why 1776 remains one to watch (pun intended). Building a sustainable, scalable, practical watch brand in America is a very different challenge than making aggressively artisanal pieces for a tiny sliver of collectors, and 1776 Atelier appears to be aiming for the former without losing the craft. If they stay disciplined and keep executing at this level, they have all the ingredients and the talent to become a meaningful part of modern American watchmaking.

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Disclaimer: this video/review was not sponsored by Habring, Infinity Watches CZ or any other entity.

Erwin Tuxedo at Infinity Watches CZ: https://infinitywatches.cz/produkt/habring%c2%b2-erwin-tuxedo/

Video

Part 2: A Brand For Owners

In Part 1, I used the Josef as a kind of “mission statement” watch… an anniversary piece that distills what Habring² is about without feeling like a commemorative novelty. For Part 2, I want to zoom out further and talk about the thing that, more than any single model, has become the Habring fingerprint: the jumping seconds. And I want to do that through the Erwin Tuxedo, because if the Josef shows Habring²’s willingness to be quietly unconventional, the Erwin shows how they can take that same philosophy and express it in something that’s almost deceptively classic.

Before we even get into the Erwin, it’s worth restating something that frames everything Habring² does: they make under 300 watches per year. In a world where brands love to cosplay “small” while producing in the thousands, that scale matters. It means every decision: design, movement architecture, sourcing, service strategy, has to be rational and sustainable. Habring² isn’t building watches to feed hype cycles; they’re building a business that can keep making and servicing watches for decades.

What’s in a name? Habring² isn’t a solo story.

It’s also important that the brand isn’t “Richard Habring, and others in the background”. Maria Habring is fundamental to why Habring² exists as a functioning, durable independent. The “squared” in Habring² isn’t a gimmick, and it was meant to reflect that this is a two-person venture in the truest sense – Richard as the engineer/watchmaker, and Maria as the force behind the operations, customer relationships, and the kind of long-term trust that seal an independents’ fate. This is part of why Habring² has always felt so owner-focused to me. It exists as a small atelier where someone actually has to answer emails, deal with servicing, and stand behind the decisions made at the bench.

The Jumping Seconds: making something niche, reliable, and accessible

A deadbeat (jumping seconds) complication is one of those ideas that sounds almost trivial until you understand what it takes to do it well. Visually it’s straightforward: the seconds hand ticks once per second instead of sweeping. Mechanically, it’s not straightforward at all if you want it to be precise, efficient, and accessible.

Habring² made it into a repeatable, durable, workshop-friendly complication… something you can actually own without feeling like you’re babysitting it. And that seems like a very Richard Habring thing to do: take something historically niche, engineer it in a pragmatic way, and make it attainable for collectors to use, rather than treating it like museum theater.

This is where the brand’s broader context matters. Habring²’s independence has always been pragmatic, but it became even more intentional when the industry shifted. At a certain point, the Swatch Group’s refusal to continue supplying parts forced many small brands to either pivot, shrink, or get creative. Habring² responded by doing what a true engineer would do: they reworked the Valjoux 7750 into a strong in-house base caliber, and built an entire supply chain around it, sourcing components from parts manufacturers in their vicinity and creating a network they could actually rely on. This wasn’t done for marketing purity; it was done so the brand could survive and evolve on its own terms. And Habring² has worked with many notable parts manufacturers over the years, such as DK Precision Mechanics, Fricker, Cador, Estima, Carl Haas, KIF, etc.

Patents & Experiments

It’s also worth remembering that Richard Habring’s portfolio isn’t limited to chronographs or jumping seconds. People might freeze him in the IWC Doppelchronograph era, but his technical curiosity has been wider than that. At IWC, he is credited with involvement in a patent for a mechanical pressure transducer system: essentially a mechanical way to translate pressure into a display mechanism, which sits right in that sweet spot of “this is insanely nerdy and also very real engineering”. This led to the GST Deep One, which was the first ever dive watch to feature a depth gauge.

Then you have Habring²’s own inventions like the Crown Operation System (COS), where a chronograph is actuated through crown interaction rather than traditional pushers. A feature that nobody asked for, but one that makes a compelling case for doing away with unnecessary buttons and more points of exposure to the elements.

And beyond that, Richard has experimented with higher-end horology territory too: tourbillons and repeaters. including their five-minute repeater, which was praised at the time for being more wearable and pragmatic than the typical minute repeater fantasy. This echoes the Habring theme again: even when they enter traditional “haute horology” categories, they do it with a practical mindset rather than a ceremonial one.

Collaborations

On the movement side, they engineering movements for AHCI watchmaker Stefan Kudoke. That’s not a small endorsement. Kudoke has his own strong identity as a finisher and artist, and the fact that Habring² is part of the technical backbone there tells you how much trust exists between independents. Their special edition KudOkTourbi (Kudoke Octopus Tourbillon) was a pretty amazing piece too. On the collaboration-release side, Habring² has quietly built a list that reads like a “collector credibility” index. They’ve done projects with Massena, SJX, Monochrome, and TimeZone, and special editions tied to retailers like Shellman, among others. These aren’t random logo swaps. They tend to happen because Habring² is unusually flexible at low volumes and unusually serious about execution.

And then there’s the collaboration with Jochen Benzinger. Benzinger is one of those artisans whose name immediately signals “real handwork” to anyone deep into independents. The Habring² collaboration with Benzinger is about merging mechanical clarity with artisanal dial and finishing artistry.

Even if you don’t care about awards, they matter as a kind of external signal… especially for a brand that doesn’t shout. Habring² has earned recognition through the GPHG, including major highlights like winning for the Doppel 2.0 (Sports Watch) and later the Felix in the Petite Aiguille category, along with other nominations over the years.

Erwin Tuxedo

All of that brings me to the Erwin Tuxedo, which I think is one of the best “you get it or you don’t” watches in the Habring² lineup. The Erwin platform is where the jumping seconds identity becomes something you can wear every day, and the Tuxedo variant leans into a dressier, high-contrast elegance. On paper, it’s beautifully restrained but in reality, it’s exactly the kind of “simple-looking” watch that you’d expect from Habring².

The case is compact and modern in a way that feels aligned with current tastes. It comes in at 38mm in diameter, with a 45.80mm lug-to-lug that keeps balanced on the wrist. Thickness is a very wearable 10.25mm, paired with a 5.4mm crown and a versatile 20mm lug width, and the head weight comes in at 61 grams, giving it a bit more presence than the Josef without feeling heavy.

But the real personality is in the dial execution. The Tuxedo’s Breguet-style numerals are gorgeous, and what makes it even more interesting is that the typeface was designed once again by Lee Yuen-Rapati. And if you ask me, that continuity matters. It’s not just “we hired a designer.” It’s Habring² building a coherent visual language across their modern releases: typography as identity, not decoration.

Mechanically, the A11 powered Erwin Tuxedo is also where the jumping seconds makes the most sense as an everyday signature. A deadbeat seconds complication is inherently a little odd, and yet when you live with it, it becomes one of those details that makes the watch feel alive in a very different way compared to a quartz watch.

Wrapping Up

Thank you for bearing with me as I try out this new format of review; one that is less of a review and more of an introduction to a brand that I believe to be worth knowing. To me, they represent a version of independent watchmaking that doesn’t get celebrated enough: the version that’s built on engineering competence, serviceability, and long-term credibility, not theatrics and embellishments. The version where the brand’s scale, under 300 watches a year, isn’t a scarcity flex, but simply the natural output of two people making watches on their own terms. The version where collaboration isn’t a marketing stunt, but proof of trust. And the version where complications like jumping seconds, tourbillons, repeaters, or something as weird as COS are approached like engineering problems worth solving.

Hopefully, the Josef told you who Richard Habring is: a watchmaker-engineer whose legacy lives in practical complication design and owner-first thinking. The Erwin Tuxedo shows what Habring² has become: a mature independent brand with intent behind creating a coherent design language, a real mechanical identity, and a philosophy of engineering-forward practicality that feels increasingly rare in modern watchmaking.

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Disclaimer: This watch prototype was sent to me to review. This is not a sponsored post, but the brand will send me a Decompression 02 production unit in the future. All opinions here are my own, and Bühlmann, Watch Angels had no influence over the opinions stated here.

Bühlmann Decompression 02: https://www.watchangels.ch/en/watches/buhlmann-decompression-02/

Video

Bühlmann & The Decompression 02

There’s a certain sub-genre of tool watches that I can only describe as “extreme watches”; the kind that feels engineered with a blatant disregard for subtlety, formalities, or the opinions of normal people. Think of the Omega Ploprof, the Rolex Deepsea Challenge, IWC’s Deep One (IW3527), Blancpain’s X Fathoms, etc. They don’t just suggest that they’re serious through a marketing campaign, but practically shout it through a megaphone (while wearing a wet-suit).

And honestly? I believe these are some of the coolest watches in the entire watch universe, because they’re not trying to be a tasteful accessory: they’re trying to be a solution to a very specific problem, even if that solution comes wrapped in a watch that looks like it could double as diving equipment. Even if that problem isn’t one you face at all… because, well, most of us don’t need these features in ordinary life; there’s real joy in owning and experiencing these extraordinary watches.

After spending only a few minutes with the Bühlmann Decompression 02, I realized it most definitely belongs in that category. And it’s doing something even more niche: it’s attempting to translate decompression theory into a purely mechanical, wrist-worn interface. And here’s the thing: I’m not a diver. Like… not “casual diver”, not “once tried it on vacation”, just no diver at all. But I still love the dive watch genre and find watches like this fascinating, because the appeal isn’t limited to whether you personally need it. The appeal is that it represents a very specific kind of watchmaking energy: over-engineered, hyper-focused, borderline unreasonable… and therefore irresistible.

Before getting into how the watch works, we should to talk about the name on the dial: Dr. Albert A. Bühlmann. He was a Swiss physician and researcher who worked on decompression theory at the Laboratory of Hyperbaric Physiology at the University Hospital in Zürich, and over decades developed the decompression models known as the ZH-L family. His work matters because versions of these models became foundational for how divers plan and execute decompression, and they’ve been used as a basis for decompression tables and incorporated into many modern dive computers.

This is the second watch from the Bühlmann brand, which has been brought to life by Thomas Bühlmann and Watch Angels. For those of you who don’t know, Watch Angels is a hybrid crowd funding style platform, except that each brand or designer works directly with Watch Angels’ Swiss R&D lab and leverages their manufacturing expertise to bring these watches to production. They have released some excellent pieces over the years, and worked with brilliant designers and brands, such as Thomas Funder, Cedric Bellon, Waltham, and even Frederique Constant. At the time of writing, the 575 piece limited edition Decompression 02 was available for CHF 3790 with deliveries in August 2026.

How does it work?

A traditional dive table is basically a pre-computed cheat sheet for physiology: for a given depth and bottom time, it tells you what kind of ascent is considered acceptable: including whether you need decompression stops, and how long those stops should be. It’s the old-school planning backbone that existed long before computers, and even now the logic behind tables still underpins a lot of modern decompression modeling. The 02 takes that idea and makes it wrist-operable: it integrates a ZH-L16B Bühlmann decompression calculator on a rotating bottom aperture, with 17 recreational dive profiles that you select and then read through the opening at six o’clock.

What makes the integration here feel more than just a gimmick is that it’s designed as a practical workflow: before the dive, you’d use the bronze-capped 8mm screw-down crown at 1 o’clock to rotate the decompression dial beneath the center dial to the specific depth/bottom-time combination you plan to do, and lock it in for the dive: the watch is very explicit that it’s about planning and then executing the plan, not dynamically adapting to your conditions. Hodinkee’s write-up states this well: it’s educational and preparatory, and it doesn’t adapt like a dive computer would – it’s a mechanical interface for a chosen profile, not an intelligent machine. So understand it carefully, if you plan to use it.

Then you get to a real party trick: the two bezels, which is where you get a taste of the excellent (over-) engineering. It uses a Twin Safety Bezel® system to split two jobs that a normal dive watch lumps together: the inner steel bezel is for Total Dive Time (TDT), and the outer black ceramic bezel is for timing Decompression Stops (DS); Watch Angels states this as a safety feature, and it is, because each bezel has its own “fail-safe” blocking direction. In practice, you align the TDT scale at the start to track elapsed time, then when it’s time to ascend you’re using the outer DS bezel to time your stops. The inner bezel is locked by default, and can be adjusted by operating the 8mm screw-down crown at the 11 o’clock position.

Altitude is another detail that’s easy to overlook if you’ve never had to think about it, but it’s a real-world complication: the surface pressure is lower above sea level, and decompression planning cares about pressure differences, not just “meters on a dial”. That’s why the 02 explicitly references 0-700m ASL (above sea level) dive tables as the basis for the profiles printed into the watch, and that you need the right table logic for the environment you’re in. And once you’re back on land, the watch also builds in a safety reminder feature: you can switch the dial to fly-no-fly and set an indicator to “no-fly” after a dive, only returning to “safe” once it progresses into the green zone after 24 hours. This is built into the date wheel mechanism of the underlying Sellita SW300 movement that powers this watch, that is operated by using the signed 7.6mm screw-down crown located at the 12 o’clock position.

How is this different from a regular dive watch, like a Submariner, for example? A Sub is a brilliantly executed elapsed-time tool: set bezel, track minutes, don’t drown, and you’re done. The 02 is trying to be a mechanical planning-and-management instrument that’s specifically oriented around decompression workflow, with a built-in set of profiles, a dedicated decompression timing bezel, and even a post-dive flying reminder. It’s less “how long have I been down there?” and more “how do I manage the structure of getting back up safely, according to a chosen plan?”. Entirely unnecessary to most of us desk divers? Absolutely. Does that make me want one any less? Nope.

What is it like, as a watch?

On paper, the 02 sounds like a full-on wrist destruction device. The case is 46.25mm in diameter, but it’s closer to 48.5mm across the bezel extremities, since the bezel sits wider than the case. Thickness is a hefty 16.30mm, and yes… that reads completely insane on specs alone. But in the metal, it’s surprisingly ergonomic, largely thanks to the asymmetric bullhead-style case that sits higher at 12 o’clock and lower at 6 o’clock, creating a subtle 5-degree incline that makes it easier to operate all three crowns even while it’s on the wrist. That bullhead design also uses a hinged case at 12 o’clock, which helps it wear far more compactly than you’d expect from a watch with roughly a 55mm span, and the whole package feels well proportioned and balanced on its integrated rubber strap that tapers from 26mm at the case to about 22mm at the buckle. Add the fact that it’s rated to 575m of water resistance, and it’s pretty clear this isn’t a watch built for subtlety.

I’m sure nobody is going to believe me when I say that this watch wears well, but I have to say it anyway because it does. It’s certainly a large watch, but it isn’t unwearable, and I could wear it on my 6.75” wrist without looking completely insane. That said, you’d have to enjoy a similar aesthetic to wearing a Ploprof, Marinemaster 600, or Deep Sea: this is still an “extreme watch”, and it looks like one, but the way it sits on the wrist is much more friendly than the dimensions suggest.

The build quality of the case is excellent. The action on both bezels is terrific with no back-play, and operating all three crowns is very smooth: the crown tubes feel properly machined for clean, consistent operation. The Sellita SW300 is an excellent movement and one of my favorite off-the-shelf movements under $10k, and this prototype was keeping great time at around +5 seconds per day, even at the end of what appears to be a long and tiring press tour, at least based on the condition of this example.

Lume use is generous, and I love the lume design on the bezel: the watch is very legible at night with all the right elements illuminated. The brightness isn’t the absolute greatest in the market, but it’s more than satisfactory even for a lume nerd like me, and longevity is excellent.

And overall, I particularly love the case design and how well it manages its size and 205g weight. It’s hard to handle this watch and not be impressed. This is not your average dive watch, and while the price is on the higher side for a “micro-brand”, I think it’s very well positioned, especially considering how much more wearable it is in person than it appears on paper.

Who is it for?

This watch was designed for a purpose, a very singular purpose, and it was created without much regard for anything else. It was created this way because it had to be created this way. The 02 doesn’t feel like a dive watch that accidentally picked up a couple of “tool” features along the way; it feels like a tool first, and then a watch wrapped around it. It’s big because it needs to be big. It’s complex because that’s the whole point. It’s interactive because it’s meant to be interacted with. And whether you use any of that in the water or not, you can feel that singular intent in the way the entire thing is laid out.

Does that mean only a serious diver should buy one? I don’t think so. Most serious divers will rely on a more advanced dive computer anyway, so the kind of serious diver who would use something like this isn’t just a diver, they’re also an enthusiast of old-school diving tools, and by extension, an enthusiast of dive watches. The way I see it, this is a serious watch with impressive engineering chops, designed to be a somewhat interactive planning tool for divers who are also into watches… the sort of person who enjoys the ritual of planning, the physicality of the interface, and the idea that the watch is doing something more involved than simply timing minutes.

And just like dive watches are one of the most popular genres among people who don’t dive at all, I think the Decompression 02 is sure to find its way into collections of folks like myself – people who have never dived even once (accidentally), but love the idea of a romantic, over-engineered hyper watch designed to solve a problem that is likely to never be a problem, but contains a solution nonetheless. That paradoxical nature runs wild in this industry, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So if you can appreciate the audacity of this watch: its design, engineering, and brutish looks, this is the watch for you even if you’ll never dive a day in your life; and if you do, you’ll have a great excuse to fiddle with your watch before and after you do.

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