The Hexmariner 39 is a dive watch from the exciting Malaysian-based microbrand Revelot (Reveh-LOT? Reveh-LOW? The Rezillos?). The 39, of course, being a reference to the case size which is a welcome reduction from last year’s Hexmariner 42. Those of us with skinny wrists are going to be very happy with that change.
We’ve already had a few Revelots here at Watch Country HQ. Our first microbrand was their Mecadromo, a classy quartz chronograph offering with racing styling, but like an apparent majority of watch enthusiasts, we love dive watches and the Hexmariners are just as classy and visually exciting as Revelot’s earlier models.
The Hexmariner 39 range comes in thirteen colour variants, many of which are currently sold out. Keep a close eye on the site though (and their newsletter) as we were able to get our hands on the yellow version when it suddenly came back in stock. And we picked up the mother of pearl blue version on the grey market (or eBay if you’re being less pretentious).
Both models are functionally the same though, so let’s get into it. The basic dimensions are the 39mm diameter, a tidy lug to lug of 44mm, a thickness of 13mm, 20mm strap width and a weight (with the bracelet) of 150g. This is a chunky but well-sized little watch that sits perfectly on small or large wrists.
The ‘hex’ in Hexmariner refers to the case shape which is, loosely-speaking, six sided albeit not very symmetrical thanks to the large-ish crown guard and, despite a very modest price, the watch comes in stainless steel with sapphire glass which is anti-reflective (to a degree, certainly avoiding light reflection in these photos was tricky but that’s always the case).
The absolute star of the show with this range is in the dials. The blue mother-of-pearl mosaic is, of course, gorgeous. There’s a purple version too which looks amazing, albeit a little bit fancy for us. The yellow version has a triangular pattern which gives a lovely texture. Pretty much anything in the range looks amazing. In a different life our ten watch box could have just been ten of these things.
You also get chamfered sword hands and the indices are hex-shaped with no numbers. It’s such a classy, angular look that you can’t help but like it. The dial carries some writing but the font is small enough to not overwhelm the overall look.You get Revelot’s name and circular logo (essentially a watch crown shape) as well as the ‘Hexmariner’ name, the water resistance (660ft/200m) and the word ‘Automatic’ which, of course, refers to the calibre, the ever-popular Seiko NH35 which is hacking (the second hand stops when setting the time) and has a date complication. The 21600 beats per hour sweep is smooth enough to let you know it’s not a quartz and you get a power reserve of 41 hours which should be enough if you take off of your wrist for a couple of days (but not so good if you’re rotating ten watches but what can you do?).
Eleven watches in this range, including our two, have numbered 10-50 bezel markings with a diamond shaped marker in the zero position. The two limited edition ‘Mahjong‘ variants have Chinese characters on them. They’re all ceramic and have a nicely-clicky 120 position uni-directional rotation too which is nicely satisfying and should help you to not run out of air if you’re silly enough to find yourself diving. Of course, the 200m water resistance isn’t quite up to the preferred diving spec of 300m though, so you might want to leave your Hexmariner in the locker room the next time you go to talk to the marlins or whatever.
While our blue Hexmariner is the one with the most eye-catching looks, thanks to that lovely mother of pearl dial, the yellow version has a fully-lumed dial. The whole range uses BGW9 Swiss Super-LumiNova® Lume but, oddly, we preferred the blue model here. With lumed indices, hands, bezel markers and even the crown, it glows very nicely at night. It’s not quite up there with our Phoibos Wave Master‘s lume but it still performs impressively. The yellow variant uses the same compounds but having the full lume on the dial sort of takes away from the lume on the hands and the indices. It’s okay but it gives the impression of a dull glow rather than anything particularly sharp, it’s an issue of contrast. It’s still pretty good though but not quite up the with the full lume on the white Terra Fortune, also from Revelot.
The only issue we’ve got with these watches though is the bracelet. Revelot actually offer three options – a strap, a five hole clasp or a glide clasp – and we went for the latter option, which is the most expensive. This has some on-the-fly micro-adjustment but we found this to be a little unreliable (it can slip) and the links on are held together with pin and collar links which never seemed to go back perfectly. Indeed, we sometimes have to hammer them back in place as they can slip by a millimetre or two over time. They’re also not the most comfortable bracelets and are prone to a bit of pinching. They actually feel better over time but if you’re rotating a collection, they remind you that they take a bit of getting used to each time. That said, they look nice enough with the brushed polish and signed clasp catching the light in a nice, subdued way.
Oh, and while we’re having a niggle about things that don’t matter, we do like the casebacks but they do that weird thing of being partially open, but not open enough to see anything. You can just about make out the rotor. We know the NH35 isn’t the most glamourous of movements but either show it or don’t. Still, it’s a pretty unique look anyway.
As with our Phoibos, these both took a little bit of time to click with us but they both have. The size is perfect, the looks are striking and there are lovely little details that reveal themselves over time like the writing on the inner bezel. We lean towards the blue more often than the yellow but the last time we put the yellow on, it stayed there for days. Both are smart looking pieces that seem more tasteful because of their modest size.
At £298 (for the more expensive bracelet option), this represents a lot of value for money. That said, a lot of the colour variants are currently out of the stock (the microbrand curse!) but Revelot do occasionally bring things back so keep your eyes open. A unique looking automatic for this sort of money is definitely a deal we can get behind. But Revelot are always bringing out new models and there’s always a 10% offer if you sign up for their newsletter, as well as Black Friday deals and early-bird pricing on new models. So, if you’ve got the microbrand itch, bookmark their site and start stalking them.
The ‘Ten Watch Box’ Verdict: So, will it hold down a place in our ten watch display case? Two watches from the same range might be a little keen, don’t you think? And we’ve just taken delivery of another blue mother of pearl watch, this time from Henry Archer (keep an eye out for a review soon). So, despite maybe liking the blue version more, the rich yellow version is probably the keeper for us here. Of all of our Revelots (currently: four), that’s the one that’s holding down its spot.
JUST THE FACTS
Availability/Options: With Revelot being a microbrand, this one comes in and out of stock as and when they can make them but you’re more likely to get a result from eBay. There are still some variants available and, honestly, they’re all going to be strong, capable watches. But the more unique finishes are going to be harder to find. Be warned, two watches we’ve ordered from Revelot were hit by import taxes (and currency conversion fees). So be prepared to pay over the odds.
Brand: Revelot
Model: Hexmariner 39
Reference: R12-16P1B1B2
Style: Diver
Case Size: 39mm
Movement: Seiko NH35 (Automatic)
Material: Stainless Steel
Band Width: 20mm
Band Type: Glide glasp bracelet
Price Paid: £185 (Blue version, eBay), £289.72 (Yellow version, direct from Revelot)
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