MICRO MONDAYS: Horon Watches makes a splash with the Ocean Hunter, a collection of 300m divers at an affordable price

Ricardo Sime

There is a reason why many microbrands choose a diver as their first offering. It’s a category of watches that is not only robust but offers the brand a platform to say a lot through its design. From the bezel to the case, nothing is off limits when it comes to creating a diver. Thus, I’m always intrigued when a new microbrand hits the scene with a design that captures my attention. Such is the case with Horon Watches and their first collection called the Ocean Hunter; a quartet of ocean-ready 300m divers.

Horon is a microbrand based out of Singapore, founded by two watch collectors, Percy and Kenrick. Their goal? “Providing people with unique, quality design watches with elegant style”.

Let’s see if they’ve accomplished that with this first collection.

The Ocean Hunter consist of four watches. They are the Kraken, Leviathan, Hydra and Naga. All four have different aesthetics but are foundationally built on the same case. Made of 316L stainless steel, it’s  42mm with a 49mm lug-to-lug and a thickness of 14.5mm. Surfaces are mostly brushed however there are also polished chamfers on the left and right side of the case, both on the front and back. The crown, which is screw-down and straight knurled, features the brand’s debossed logo. Finally, we have a ceramic bezel that is scalloped like the one seen on the Omega Seamaster. All together, these design elements translate to a very robust diver with a commanding presence on the wrist.

Moving in from the case, we reach the dial. It’s displayed behind an AR underside-coated, double-domed sapphire crystal. It’s here that we start to see how the four models of the Ocean Hunter collection differentiate themselves from one another. The bezels are bi-coloured like you would see on a GMT watch, with the colours inverting when you get to the minute track on the dial. We see those same colours again used as the circular track for the hour indices and the centre of the dial, both of which feature a guilloche-printed pattern. To complete this design, we have a framed date window at six featuring lumed numerals.

Now, this dial design scheme can be seen on three of the four watches in the collection: the Leviathan, the Hydra and the Naga. However for the fourth watch – the Kraken – the dial is replaced by meterorite. The uniqueness of the pattern in this material ensures that no two Krakens will look the same.

Powering these unique offering is an SW200-1 Automatic movement, which has become the Swiss workhorse of the microbrand world. It beats at a standard 28,800 bph while also providing 38 hours of power reserve. Horon puts the movement on display with a see-through caseback, providing a perfect view of the custom rotor you will find in each watch of the collection.

Completing the overall package and keeping these watches on your wrist is the Ocean Hunter bracelet. It’s oyster styled and continues the same brushed finishing seen on the case. Solid male end links are used, which also feature a quick-release mechanism. Finally, the clasp has a quick adjust extension: good for both diving and hot summer days.

Overall, the Ocean Hunter collection puts forward a very capable diver whose design elements and colours differentiate it from other microbrand divers. Its specifications meanwhile place the watch firmly on the higher end of the functionality spectrum. Anyone who falls in love with the Ocean Hunter’s aesthetic will be getting one heck of a watch at a very reasonable price.

Horon Watches Ocean Hunter collection pricing and availability:

All four version of the Ocean Hunter will launch on Kickstarter in the second quarter of 2022. Pricing will start at $499 USD. Subscribe for updates by visiting the Horon Watches website

Made in partnership with Horon Watches. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.