Introducing the Hamtun Neon Automatic

Hamtun first made its way onto the scene in late 2016 with a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund their first watch, the Hamtun H1. The titanium cased, automatic diver’s watch secured funding within 20 minutes of launch, and the watch is now completely sold out. Building on the success and momentum of the H1, Hamtun has returned to Kickstarter with their sophomore effort—introducing the Hamtun Neon Automatic.The case of the Neon Automatic measures 42mm in diameter, 12.75mm thick, and it features a lug-to-lug that is 51.5mm. The lugs curve down towards the wrist, which should provide a comfortable, secure fit for most wearers. The crown at three screws down and is flanked by a set of prominent crown guards. The case is rated to 100 meters.

The 316L stainless steel case is available in two primary configurations: brushed steel or with a coating of black PVD. The bezel is fixed to the mid-case via six screws. the bezel is not coated steel, but rather black ceramic, which will hold up well against scratches and other abrasions that often find their way to the bezel. The matte black finish is appealing, and it serves as a nice point of contrast when paired with a lighter mid-case.As the name suggests, the Neon Automatic does not shy away from some pretty intense colors. While this is most evident on the dial (more on that a little later), you can also find a small splash of color on the case via an anodized aluminum ring pressed between the mid-case and the bezel. This pop of color matches the coloration of the chosen dial.

There are six different dial options, each with their own name: Starlight, Night, Sky, Sun, Sunset, and Meadow. When paired with the stainless steel case, it takes on the “Neon” moniker (e.g. Neon Starlight), and when paired with the black PVD case it takes on the “Dark” moniker (e.g. Dark Starlight). In total, there are 12 distinct combinations. Starlight and Night are the two most tempered dials, the former featuring a black base with white markings and the latter a white base (fully lumed) with black markings. The rest all feature a black base with neon highlights—Sky is blue, Sun is yellow, Sunset is orange, and Meadow is green.

Overall the dial is relatively simple, opting for numerals at three, six and nine with the Hamtun logo at 12. The hours track is printed with a healthy dose of Super-LumiNova for nighttime clarity. The hands are rounded sticks framed in black and feature the same lume color as their accompanying dial.The beating heart of the Neon Automatic is the Swiss-made STP 1-11 automatic movement produced by Fossil Group’s movement manufacture in Switzerland. The STP 1-11 is essentially an ETA 2824 clone meant to compete with the ubiquitous workhorse, and it provides comparable performance. The 1-11 is a 26-jewel movement beating at 28,800 bph with an approximate 44-hour power reserve. It comes adjusted to within -0/+15 seconds a day. The movement and its custom decorated rotor are visible through a sapphire display case back.The watch comes mounted to a matching bracelet with screw pins and solid end links. The clasp is beefy and has ratcheting adjustment positions.

The Hamtun Neon Automatic launched on Kickstarter January 30^th 2018, and it has nearly reached its intended goal. Early Bird spots are still available at approximately $374, and that’s a solid price for the overall package. The expected delivery date is August, 2018. You can check out the Kickstarter campaign here.