Haigh & Hastings M2 Diver First Impression Video With Review

The M2 diver arrived to me in a rough suede pouch with the watch attached to a two-piece rubber strap. Also sent to me was a variety of some of the 12 colored straps they offer. The pouch is branded and very simple, but is something you can keep the watch in, or repurpose for sunglasses, or other items you might want to take with you.

The 44mm case is all brushed stainless steel and the crown is bead blasted. The crown is not engraved or signed, so I believe this was their way of making the crown stand out a bit. I did find it odd at first, as there is not another part of the watch that is bead blasted, but the more I wore it and looked at it, the more I found it different and started to like it. Crown action on my example is a little wobbly, but I set the time and date about 4 different times in the past few weeks and did not have any issues.  The bezel is easy to grip, and ratchets well, though it does have a slight amount of play. The bezel insert is aluminum and has a slight gloss to it. I have no issues with aluminum bezels, but have become very spoiled by the use of ceramic. True to being a dive watch, the bezel is uni-directional (counter clockwise) only and does have a lumed pip at the 12 or 60 position.

The case doesn’t remind me exactly of one particular dive watch, but rather a combination of a few. It has simple lines and curves, almost organic in design, and while not flashy, just seems to work. Its simplicity is its attractiveness in the case.  I especially like the lug cutout, which will allow for a thicker isofrane or leather strap to fit and fill up the slight gap between the case and pins.

The black dial is done in a semi gloss finish, or at least that is how it appears to my eyes.  It does not seem to have that matte black dial, like many dive watches do.  The dial markers themselves should be familiar to many, as they are the same style that has been used on the Rolex Submariner model and many other dive watches that followed after the Rolex. Nothing wrong with using something tried and true, and again, on this watch and case it does seem to work. The hands are another item that is somewhat borrowing from different watches. Block style hour, which you might have seen on certain German dive watches, and the very popular broadsword style hand, which is outlined in orange, is used for the minute hand.  The hands and markers have generous amounts of superluminova applied to them as well.

The case back… I do have to say is one area I was slightly disappointed with. It is very plain, and just a brushed screw down case back, engraved with the brand name and other info. Many of the micro brand dive watches these days have some elaborate machined and engraved case backs, so this one left me initially lacking.