Hess Uhren Luzern is a more recent Swiss watch model hailing out of the historic metropolis of Lucerne, having been based by a husband and spouse group. Judith and watchmaker husband Walter Hess are aiming for a timeless, conservative watch fashion that has a little bit little bit of pizazz for the wearer. Within the case of this Hess TWO.2 Diamond Mud watch, we see a dress-style mechanical watch with a black dial produced utilizing diamond mud. As a long-time fan of diamond dust-dialed watches (they’re fairly uncommon, particularly for males), I used to be curious to see what Hess Luzern was providing as a part of the model’s debut timepiece assortment.
A barely extra high-end model of the Hess TWO.2 Diamond Mud watch exists with small diamonds on the dial used because the hour markers. This “TWO.2 Diamond Mud Black Rhodium” mannequin has a extra easy set of small utilized steel hour and minute markers accomplished in a traditional fashion with polished leaf-style palms. A lovely and welcome element on the TWO.2 is the date disc, which makes use of raised, silvered numerals towards a black disc. The permits for the watch to have a date complication, however one which nonetheless matches the design of the dial and doesn’t inelegantly pull consideration away from an in any other case cohesive black and silver look of the dial.
At 39.4mm-wide, Hess makes it clear they need the TWO.2 Diamond Mud assortment to be thought of “unisex” with applicability to male or feminine wearers. Males usually don’t like the concept of buying (or sporting, for that matter) girls’s watches however girls are likely to not have any challenge donning “males’s watches.” I’d advocate that Hess not explicitly state on its web site that the watch is the “preferrred measurement for women and men.” That is likely to be true, however from a advertising perspective it may be offputting to us delicate males. Waterproof to 50 meters, the TWO.2 case is 11.4mm-thick, which, for my part, is about 1-2mm thicker than the watch actually must be. Over the dial is a barely domed and AR-coated sapphire crystal. Regardless of claiming to have AR coating on either side of the crystal, the TWO.2 has a bit extra glare than I’d desire.
When reviewing high-end costume watches (which the Hess Luzern TWO.2 Diamond Mud is, when value is taken into account), I prefer to be significantly centered on the wrist presence and case ending. Good costume watches are alleged to evoke magnificence and typically slim proportions are a part of that. The TWO.2 watch comes with a cultured metal case by default, however the model signifies that, upon particular order, it may provide treasured steel case choices as effectively. The case design total (apart from being a bit too thick) is good, however I query the selection of sprucing. The whole case is polished, which truly will increase its visible mass. By having a brushed strap or some change within the ending, designers might help visually scale back the dimensions of a case or enclosure. The comparatively easy development of the TWO.2 case, together with its largely uniform ending, doesn’t lend itself in addition to it might to the high-end feeling Hess is aiming for. A unique kind of case ending might actually change that.
Types of ending make an enormous distinction, and never all polishes are created equal. One of many issues that the TWO.2 case seems to make use of is hand-polishing for the case. I’m not solely positive if that is so, however the “milky sprucing” (as I name it) on the case is what you are likely to see from hand- versus machine-polishing. Hand-polishing sounds fancier (and it actually will be), however in apply it may end up in a chromed look, versus a mirror-polish look. Chroming just isn’t a sprucing course of however quite a coating course of designed to remove the fee and complexity of precise sprucing. Chroming is much less uniform and extra generalized, with micro-bumps and different floor deviations, visually making a much less high-end look. I might spend much more time discussing the professionals and cons of varied floor finishes on the planet of timepieces, however suffice it to say that Hess has a great intention with the polish of the TWO.2 case, however I feel that extra refinement on this space can result in a way more high-end feel and look that such a stunning total design deserves.
Talking of polishes and issues of how surfaces play with the sunshine, let’s speak about my favourite a part of the TWO.2 Diamond Mud watch, which is the dial itself. Diamond mud dials are produced utilizing a particular course of wherein precise small diamond particles are hooked up to the dial utilizing some bonding course of. The dial then has a shiny texture to it, which is certainly not overpowering however quite acts a refined background sheen. Diamond-dust dials are a masculine solution to have a playful, albeit formal, timepiece aesthetic in your wrist. There’s a distinct celebratory component to diamond-dust dials that’s much less in-your-face than strictly having diamonds on a watch and vastly extra pleasant or attention-grabbing than simply a normal black dial. Hess locations its emblem on the dial, which satirically is kind of difficult to see towards the diamond- mud face, however maybe that’s all a part of the watch’s “Swiss discreet” character.
Contained in the TWO.2 watch is a Swiss ETA 2824-2 computerized motion. Hess Luzern claims to make use of top-grade actions (in addition to one that’s rose-gold plated for shade) that are properly adorned however, sadly, the watches should not have a show caseback for the consumer to admire the motion. Hess states that they use a two-piece case that doesn’t have a detachable caseback (simply the bezel and the primary case) so as to assist promote water-resistance, and so on. That’s nice and all, however this can be a 50-meter water-resistant-rated product and never a dive watch, so I’m unsure if the emphasis on case sturdiness makes as a lot sense for a product like this. I truly suppose that having an open caseback would have been a constructive design function — particularly as a result of the prevailing caseback design on the TWO.2 Diamond Mud watch is a bit boring. A extremely cool concept is likely to be to have an computerized rotor with diamond mud on it, viewable because it spins round within the case. Right here we see an attention-grabbing battle between the wants of design and magnificence, and the issues of a watchmaker on having effectivity, longevity, and practicality in a timepiece product.
One other attention-grabbing function within the watch that’s invisible is the truth that Hess removes the oxygen within the case after the motion has been cased, and replaces it with argon gasoline. Some specialised Sinn watches do the identical factor and there are numerous advantages to eradicating air from within a watch. Along with serving to to scale back put on over time (notable in terms of motion lubricant lifespan), having the air faraway from the case prevents the dial from ever fogging up throughout excessive modifications in temperature. I think that this added step to making sure long-term sturdiness and environmental resistance within the TWO.2 watch is instantly associated to one of many founders being a watchmaker.
To finish the costume watch theme, hooked up to the TWO.2 Diamond Mud is a pretty and smooth alligator strap. This can be a Swiss model run by not less than one critical watchmaker, and I admire the combination of conservative design components and a deal with some unusual component equivalent to an argon-filled case, in addition to the usage of the diamond-dust dial. Hess probably makes use of as many Swiss suppliers as doable, which extra probably than not resulted within the maybe higher-than-expected retail value of this watch. Hess isn’t aiming, per se, at simply watch collectors, but in addition the many individuals who proceed to flock to Lucerne (the place different watch teams equivalent to Bucherer are situated) to buy Swiss timepieces. As a costume look ahead to males, the TWO.2 Diamond Mud isn’t low-cost, nevertheless it does have a novel combination of refined design components and a little bit of celebratory shine. For individuals who need an actual Swiss costume watch however not one supplied by one of many common model suspects, then take a look at Hess Uhren Luzern. Value for the Hess TWO.2 Diamond Mud Black Rhodium is 10,300 Swiss Francs.Be taught extra at hessuhren.ch.
Crucial Knowledge
>Model: Hess Uhren Luzern
>Mannequin: TWO.2 Diamond Mud Black Rhodium
>Value: 10,300 Swiss Francs
>Measurement: 39.4mm-wide, 11.4mm-thick, and approx. 47mm lug-to-lug distance.
>When reviewer would personally put on it: As formal costume watch to be worn on celebratory events.
>Buddy we’d advocate it to first: Design and luxurious lovers much less thinking about identify manufacturers and extra thinking about hip, unusual merchandise that permit them to really feel as if they’ve found one thing others haven’t.
>Finest attribute of watch: Diamond-dust dial is good to have a look at and different dial components are additionally effectively accomplished. Distinctive occasion of getting a bit extra effort into the horological components equivalent to gas-filled case.
>Worst attribute of watch: A bit an excessive amount of glare on the crystal removes magnificence and legibility of dial. Case sprucing ought to look much less chromed and the case is a bit on the thick facet. Would profit from an exhibition caseaback. Comparatively talking, value will seem excessive when matched with a whole lot of the prevailing competitors.
