Recently I spoke to a gentleman called François Nunez who was formerly the Creative Director of HYT Watches. The company was established in 2012 and became synonymous with their innovative hydro fluid timepieces. Over the years they won many awards including a prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève award (Best Innovative Watch 2012). Sadly François informed me the brand had recently filed for bankruptcy. This follows the demise of RJ Romain Jerome and rumours that another exclusive brand (unsubstantiated by the owner) has gone into liquidation. This really illustrates the challenges luxury brands encounter. However, at the entry-level, the market seems to be very buoyant. Certainly, this is the experience of Duzu Watches owner Wayne McCay. Impressively he’s just launched a second Kickstarter campaign unveiling his exciting new DW-D2 Dive Watch.
I first became aware of Wayne McCay and Duzu Watches approximately 18-months ago. At this stage, they had released a very stylish model called the Ningaloo Reef. Recently I spoke to Wayne and he informed me of their latest Kickstarter campaign promoting the DW-D2 Dive Watch. In the brands own words “this watch is a tribute to Coral Bay and in particular the Manta Rays which inhabit the warm azure waters of the world’s largest fringing reef”.
One of the main advantages of backing this Kickstarter campaign is you can purchase a brilliant watch at an early bird price of $449AU (approximately $331). Act now and you can save $261AU on the suggested $710AU retail price. That’s a great deal for a watch of this calibre. At this price, you are getting a rugged 316 42mm stainless steel diver watch powered by a Japanese automatic Miyota 9015 movement. If you are fanatical about Swiss movements there is also the option to pay $910AU (approximately $679) for an ETA 2824-2 version. Both mechanisms are visibly showcased via a small porthole style sapphire window on the engraved case back.
Aesthetically, all models in the range are very appealing and I am sure buyers won’t be disappointed with the end result. Highlights include a matt black dial, luminous numerals/indexes/hands (various colours) and a durable Uni-directional bezel. Other refined details include a screw-down crown (with accentuated crown guard), domed sapphire crystal and high quality sandblasted stainless steel bracelet. Functionally the DW-D2 Dive Watch features hours, minutes, seconds and a date indication (located at 4.30). The timepiece also has a power reserve of 38 (Swiss) 42 (Japanese) and is water-resistant to a depth of 300 metres.
To purchase the DW-D2 Dive Watch on Kickstarter follow this link
