Halios Seaforth Review

For micro-brand watch enthusiasts, Halios is one of those brands whose releases cause a particularly high level of excitement. The mix of infrequent new models and scarcity once available with a unique aesthetic and high value level make them almost irresistible, especially for dive watch fans. In many ways, Halios represents the modern incarnation of the boutique dive watch brands that were so popular a few years back. You know the ones with sketchy websites, but really cool overbuilt watches at decent prices? Halios is the refined version of those brands. No homages to be seen, a huge cult following that guarantees sell-through for the brand and good aftermarket sales for buyers (Halios’ watches actually gain in value a bit) and a decent web . . .  well, the website could use some work, but clearly a lot of effort goes into the watches.

We’ve previously reviewed the Delfin, Tropik SS and B, all of which are long sold out and highly revered. Today, we’re taking a look at their newest release, the Seaforth, which is a spiritual successor to the Tropik. It takes the DNA of that watch, but goes a different direction, creating a watch that is more a relative to the Tropik than an evolution. At its heart, the Seaforth is a modern sport watch with vintage dive elements; it’s rugged, but certainly stylized.

For the Seaforth, Halios decided to go customizable, with four dials, three bezels and a non-bezel variety to mix and match. There are some limitations, but you can likely find the combo that suits your tastes. All feature Miyota 90S5 automatic movements, box sapphire crystals and a water resistance of 200 meters. Coming in at a very reasonable $675 for the bezel version and $650 without, the Seaforth stays true to Halios’ high-value ethos.

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Case

The Seaforth departs from the Tropik mostly in the case design, though it stays similarly sized, which is a plus. At 41 x 47 x 12mm with 20mm lugs, the Seaforth is a great size for a bezeled watch. It’s big enough to feel sturdy, small enough for everyday wear and comfort. The design also cleverly downplays the 12mm height–a portion of which comes from the very tall crystal–with good proportions and visual breaks. While the Tropik had a cushion design, the Seaforth has a more classic shape.

Looking at the watch from above, the lugs will immediately strike you. They are chunky, and feature planar facets along their edges where the finishing switches from brushed to polished. I’m a big fan of a polished bevel on a brushed diver, as it adds a nice bit of contrast and can be a very sexy detail. The Seaforth’s polished planes really push this concept, creating some impressive geometry and calling out the quality of the finishing they’ve achieved.

On the right side you’ll find a chunky 6.5 x 4mm screw-down crown sitting between low, wide crown-guards. The guards have polished bevels on their top and bottom edges, which elevate their look just a bit and tie them into the lug design. The crown then has deep grooves for grip and Halios’ three crescent moon logo on its outer surface.

Looking at the Seaforth from the side, the proportions of the various components become clear. The mid-case looks surprisingly thin, but a portion of it chamfers down to the case back, creating a bit of an illusion. There are some cool details on the mid-case as well, particularly at the lugs. Rather than coming back straight the lugs flare out a bit, connecting to the mid-case at an angle, which is emphasized with a hard connecting line. This helps break up the side surface, which is otherwise flat, and horizontally brushed. The lugs also come above the mid-case just a tiny bit, creating an area where the lug overlaps the bezel.

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Still on the side, the next layer is the bezel, which changes in height depending on the style chosen. The steel bezel is about 2.25mm thick at its edge, while the sapphire insert bezel is closer to 3.2mm. The steel bezel angles up towards the crystal, while the sapphire is flat. Because the steel is flatter, the box sapphire is more pronounced on that model. The last model then has a thin fixed steel bezel, which exposes the boxed sapphire the most of the three, really drawing attention to the vintage-style crystal.

Regarding the ratcheting bezels, both feature 120-click uni-directional mechanisms. As with previously reviewed Halios watches, the bezels are perfectly aligned, click into place with a reassuring snap and have no sign of back-play or wiggle. Their deep-toothed sides also make grasping and turning very easy.

Flipping the watch over, you’re presented with a very plain case-back. It’s solid and has a minimal amount of printing. The Tropik had a simple, but enjoyable etching of a Capricorn Goat. A similar detail would have been nice here, though is obviously unneeded.

Looking at the three versions side-by-side, you can see what a difference the bezel style makes. The sapphire insert has a pronounced vintage look to it, simulating plastic inserts and adding some enjoyable depth. The use of lume also makes it feel the most like a dive watch. It’s worth noting that the sapphire bezel is available only with the black and black/gilt dials. The steel bezels then feel more like general sport watches, with the 12-hour version even hinting at some sort of military concept. The fixed bezel model then becomes a sporty-casual concept, shedding some of the more aggressive tones of other styles. This one could verge on dressy depending on the dial combo, though the crown guards and size maintain a general sportiness.

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Dial

The Seaforth’s dial closely resembles the Tropik’s, though various details have been changed. There are four different colors/versions, but their layout is identical. All feature a flat surface with a primary index of applied rectangular blocks with copious C3 lume filling that glows very well. The blocks are all equally sized, though there are two at 12 to add some emphasis. Around the applied markers is then a printed index of lines for the minute/second getting thicker at intervals of five. Lastly, you’ll find “Halios” and “Seaforth” printed just below twelve, and “auto – matic” in small text on either side of the marker at six.

I was glad to see that the hands from the Tropik returned on this model. I can’t say if they are identical in length, but they have the same style and geometry. It’s a particularly nice set of hands that at once seem familiar, speaking to classic designs, and yet are finessed to a point of being unique. The hour and minute are sword shaped with a faceted design, giving them some three-dimensionality and a touch of dressiness. The lume filling is then in a diamond shape, which is an appealing detail. The seconds hand is a thin stick with a lume-filled rectangle toward its tip.

And that’s it for the dial, save the different colors. It’s very simple, clean and effective. It’s so simple that had a proportion or detail been off, it would have been a glaring issue.

One notable omission on the Seaforth is the lack of the date, a point of differentiation from the Tropik. This obviously mean Halios avoided any potential issues that might arise from date windows, though the Tropik pulled it off. That said, in order to go date-free, Halios chose the Miyota 90S5, which is actually a skeletonized version of the 9015 that happens to also lack a date. There’s no phantom crown setting on the Seaforth.

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The Seaforth comes in four dial variations; gloss black with silver accents, gloss black with gilt/gold accents, sunburst blue and pastel blue. The black with silver is the most classic of the colorways with a deep gloss surface and polished surrounds and hands. The black with gilt then gets a bit more exciting, adding gold surrounds and hands into the mix. I’m a sucker for well-used gold accents, so this version really called out to me.

The sunburst blue features a deep teal/blue color with burst texture giving it a metallic sheen, and it has polished silver surrounds and hands. This one took me by surprise as the blue chosen is a captivating tone. By verging on teal, it has green undertones that prevent it from being too blue,  and the sunburst texture, which doesn’t always work for me, comes across very tasteful with the applied markers. On the steel bezel model, this dial really clicked.

The pastel blue is the oddest of the group, but no less attractive. The surface is matte powder blue. It’s a soft, sky-on-a-sunny-day type blue that is not something you typically find on a watch, particularly a men’s watch. Yet, it works. To temper the blue, Halios went with black surrounds and hands, injecting some masculinity back into the design. In the end, it’s a nice alternative to a white or silver dial as a light dial option, and it rounds out the grouping well. I could definitely see this as a great way to get some mild color into a collection, particularly for the tool-watch crowd.

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Straps and Wearability

The Seaforths come with two 20mm vintage-styled leather straps. Though I’m uncertain of what two straps comes with each of the models, I had four to play with and all were exceptionally nice. They feature 2mm tapers, hand-tied knots, beveled and painted edges, black lining and discreetly signed buckles. The four colors we had were black, blue/gray, tan brown and a more yellowy mid-brown. All were very nice looking and felt high quality.

The Seaforth’s best feature is simply how well it wears. This watch fits so well, it’s like it was made for my 7-inch wrist. At 41 x 47mm it has a bold, modern presence, but never feels too big. In fact, in seems to be in a sweet spot for a modern diver, for me at least. The thick, faceted lugs and squat crown guards give it a rugged posture that make it feel very tough, which plays well off of the more refined elements, like the polished bevels and applied markers. The 12mm is also very tolerable as the watch reads thinner due to the crystal and mid-case shape.

Aesthetically, the Seaforth is solid, with each of the bezel and dial options giving it a slightly different feeling. Initially, I was most drawn to the sapphire bezel/black gilt variety. Somehow, despite the abundance of vintage-styled divers, it felt unique. It has a “coolness” to it that is hard to pin down. But, I was slowly tempted by the blue sunburst with the steel 12-hour bezel. The subtle teal/blue really appealed to me, giving the watch a distinct personality, while the steel 12-hour bezel downplayed the dive theme. In fact, it didn’t really feel like wearing a dive watch at all. Instead, it felt more like I was wearing an all-purpose sports watch. The 12-hour bezel, which can be quickly turned to add a second time-zone to the watch, then implies traveling. The utility of that speaks more to my lifestyle.

The fixed bezel version was the hardest to pin down. It’s almost a different watch entirely as so much of the purpose and style of the other watches comes from the bezel. Without it, it’s a simpler watch, though with 200 meters of water resistance it is still very much a sports watch more in the vein of a Sinn 556i and Tudor’s fixed-bezel Black Bays. Part of me wishes that there was something a little more different about it. While the bezel is significant, it could have pushed further into other terrain, perhaps by ditching the crown guards and scaling down the crown. This could have played up the formal elements a bit more, making it more of a hybrid business/casual-meets-discreet-sport-watch concept. Or it could have been a couple of millimeters smaller, though that would have required new everything. Regardless, it’s still very attractive. The pastel blue is interesting, though ultimately not to my personal taste. The version with the black/gilt dial–now that one would be very interesting.

Conclusion

It’s easy to see that Halios has another hit on their hands with the Seaforth. They are attractive, beautifully made and extremely well-priced. The choice of bezels and dials allows you to find the version that best suits you, whether you want a crisp vintage-diver, a rugged outdoors watch or a versatile everyday sport/casual watch. There’s really not that much else to say. At $650 – $675 you can’t argue with the price (well, you can, but you’d be wrong) as Halios manages to achieve a quality and aesthetic that far surpasses the price tag. I guess the only question is which version do you want and will you be able to get it before these too inevitably sell out?

For more info and to pre-order: HaliosWatches.com

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