As almost every weekend, I received a newsletter from OrologioChePassione last weekend as well. Normally, I just skim through it, but this time, the Hoffman Diver 40 watch caught my attention. I was already familiar with the Hoffman brand thanks to the mentioned store, as they’ve been selling Hoffman watches for quite some time. However, I hadn't found anything particularly appealing from Hoffman until now. Their flagship collection is undoubtedly the Racing 40 line, which consists of chronograph watches powered by the Seiko VK64 mechaquartz movement. I believe they currently have 16 different models in this collection, and I recently read that, for the first time in a long while, all versions are in stock.
Although the mechaquartz concept is intriguing, offering a quartz watch with a mechanical chronograph module, I rarely opt for quartz watches in general, and the Hoffman Racing 40 was no exception.
In addition to the Racing 40 collection, Hoffman also launched a few years ago their first attempt of a diver’s watch with an automatic movement – named Diver 40. While the stated Diver 40 had an appealing look with a nice sandwich dial, it was still quite "green" in other respects. With only 100m of water resistance, which is pretty low for a diver, and powered by the basic Miyota 82xx automatic movement (an older version without hacking functionality), it didn’t quite stand out. I mention this watch only because it shares the same name as the one we're looking at today, the Diver 40, but the watch in front of us is an entirely different story.
The first thing that grabbed my attention about the new Diver 40 watch was the blue dial (the black one didn’t really appeal to me). What caught my eye the most was the sunburst effect and the transition of colors from light blue to dark blue, as shown in the rendered images.
This was enough to lead me to the Hoffman website to check out more details about the watch. To be honest, the first thing I did was read the “About Us” section to learn more about the brand itself. I was surprised to discover that the company is actually based in and operates out of the USA.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the watch’s description. Sapphire crystal with AR coating in a stainless steel case, SuperLuminova, an integrated FKM rubber strap, Seiko NH35 movement, and 200m water resistance. I was slightly less enthusiastic about the $399 USD price tag, which includes shipping and import duties for the EU. The price at OrologioChePassione is €350 (+ shipping), so the prices are almost the same. But there’s good news – if you register on the Hoffman website, you get a 15% discount on your first purchase, and they also offer 15% off your next purchase if you leave a review on their website. With a stated discount, the watch ends up being much cheaper on the official site than at OrologioChePassione, and the discount makes the price more reasonable. Everything I saw and read convinced me to purchase the watch. However, before buying, I sent an email to check if they actually ship the watch from the USA to the EU or if they have an EU-based warehouse. Although Hoffman charges all import duties upfront, customs clearance is still required if the watch is shipped from the USA. If it’s shipped within the EU, this process would be avoided. So I asked this question simply to be prepared with all the necessary documentation for the import, if needed.
Even though I sent the question on a Sunday, I received a response that same day – they ship from the USA worldwide. I made the payment on Monday, and by Wednesday, the watch was on my wrist, despite the customs procedures (and without any additional costs for me, of course). Their helpfulness and responsiveness are something you don’t experience often even with the most renowned retailers!
Let’s now focus on the watch itself. The packaging is quite simple, but by no means bad. Inside the cardboard box is a leather travel case, and inside it is the watch.
Then I took a closer look at what attracted me the most – the color of the dial. I have to admit, I like it even more in person. The colors transition beautifully from almost gray to dark blue. The AR coating enhances the intensity of the dark blue shade.
I'm slightly less impressed with the design of the dial. The applied hour markers consist of dots, lines, and a triangle at 12 o'clock. Sound familiar? Seen it before? Yes, of course. Many top diver watches have the exact same design, with the most iconic example such as Rolex (Sea-Dweller, or Submariner)
The second hand with a dot and the minute hand are also quite similar to the Sea-Dweller's. Fortunately, the hour hand is straight and not the "Mercedes" style. Yet, the conclusion is that Hoffman is clearly relying on a proven concepts. Interestingly, despite the fact that movement offers a date complication, Hoffman chose not to include one, so the watch has no date (Submariner no-date ;) ). Personally, I like this decision, as it makes the dial much cleaner and more readable. Though I admit, I'm somewhat biased when it comes to date complication, as I've reached the age where I can't read the date without glasses, so I prefer not having one.
The unidirectional steel bezel is also free of any extravagance—simple and effective, with 120 clicks. The grip is very good, A small empty space can be noticed between the clicks.
As you can see, the sapphire glas protrudes slightly above the bezel, which I personally don't like. I prefer watches where the glass is perfectly aligned with the bezel.
The stainless steel case is slightly brushed, done well, no issues here. Everything looks very good. The case back is simple, somewhat boring. It provides some basic information, with the most important being the serial number. This reveals that the watch is a limited edition of 200 pieces. It's not entirely clear if 200 is the total number of all Diver 40 watches, or just each model. As I mentioned earlier, there are currently two models available (blue and black), and it’s been announced that there will be five in total.
The crown is screwed in and signed with the H logo. Since the movement supports a date complication, the watch has an empty first position, which can be a bit confusing for users unfamiliar with the functions of this type of movement when setting the time.
I really like the integrated rubber strap. It’s very well and precisely integrated with the case, and there’s enough space on the back of the lugs for easy access, which makes it much simpler to swap straps if needed. The strap is signed on the pin buckle, on the inside of the strap, and even on the strap holder, which is quite unusual but a nice touch. The only thing that slightly bothers me is the dimension of the strap as the width, quickly tapers from 20mm at the lugs to just 16mm at the buckle. For my slightly larger wrist, it took me some time to get used to such a narrow strap at the buckle.
That said, the strap is extremely comfortable. Despite being quite thick, it’s soft. The thickness also adds credibility, as it securely holds the watch on the wrist.
The Luminova is absolutely impressive! It lasts a very long time, glows brightly, and is distributed across the watch in such a way that it remains perfectly readable even in the middle of the night - even for slightly older eyes. Truly, all praise is deserved.
And there’s something else worth mentioning. Incredible but true – the watch is quite accurate. For a Seiko NH3x movement, it's exceptionally precise. While the positional error is noticeable, which is normal for this type of movement, the regulation of the movement is excellent. After three days of continuous wear, the watch gained only +3 seconds, averaging +1 second per day. To be fair, on the first day it was slightly behind, then by the second day, it was +5, and after three days it settled at +3. Once again, for this type of movement – impressive!
Of course, I owe you a few wrist shots. The watch measures 40mm in diameter, with a lug-to-lug of 48mm and a height of just under 14mm. These dimensions are a sweet spot for most users, though personally, I find it a bit small for my wrist. An extra millimeter or two wouldn’t hurt, especially considering that the strap tapers very quickly to just 16mm (I would prefer 20/18 instead 20/16). But to be honest, the size only bothered me on the very first day, especially since I had been wearing the Sinn U212 with its impressive 47mm diameter for a few days just before Hoffman. After that, I quickly got used to the size, and it no longer bothered me.
Final verdict: Hoffman has created quite appealing watch that falls into the grab-and-go category. It's an easy going, versatile, everyday watch. With the discounts offered, it's positioned in a reasonable price range. If you're looking for a similar type of watch, you definitely won't go wrong with the Hoffman Diver 40. The quick response to all my questions and fast shipping give the impression that they clearly have a very good customer service, which I assume also translates into excellent after-sales service. Overall, a thumbs up.
P.S.: Since I was already making a purchase, I took the opportunity to also get a Racing 40 with a blue panda dial. Only later did I find out that this is actually a model being discontinued. I don’t plan to expand this review to cover the Racing 40 as well, but just for your better feeling of what Hoffman offers, I’ve added a few pictures. And by the way, Hoffman also released several models of a fully mechanical chronograph Racing 40 this year, apparently equipped with the Seagull ST19 chronograph (a copy of the Russian 3013 or Venus 150 movement). However, the price for those models doesn’t excite me, starting at $700, which seems quite high for a watch with this type of movement. Well, I must be wrong, as apparently all the watches are already sold out.
Add comment
Comments