The Jack Mason Hydrotimer is, as you might have guessed, a diver’s watch. It is rated for 300m water resistance, has a screw-down crown and case back, a uniderectional timing bezel, and a clean, easily legible layout festooned with Swiss Super-LumiNova. With that, you might think you already know the watch. You don’t. What makes Jack Mason such an appealing brand is how they can take a traditional formula and then delve deep into the details to create something original and immensely satisfying.
I’ll start with the case. It is the same one used on the brand’s Strat-o-Timer GMT, and for good reason. This barrel-shaped, 40mm wide, 47mm long stainless steel beauty appeared to shrink on my wrist. Its profile offers the right degree of curvature to sit comfortably, while the rounded and polished case sides blur the edges, tricking your eyes into focusing on the narrower area of the cleanly delineated, longitudinally brushed upper surface. It is an excellent platform, and with its 1200Hv scratch coating, it should easily weather the bumps and scrapes of everyday wear.
As you can see, it looks pretty darn good on my 6.75″ wrist.
A double-domed sapphire box crystal rises over the flat bezel, lending the watch some vintage appeal and imparting lovely edge distortion — I am a sucker for both. It raises the overall case height from 11.25mm to a full 13mm, and I don’t mind one bit. I love slim cases, but if you are going to add a few millimeters, I want them to be in the crystal.
Keeping with the mixed-finish theme, the coin-edged bezel is polished, as are the high points on the otherwise matte crown, which, incidentally, deserves a closer inspection. Note the size. This is a tool watch with a fairly substantial, although not oversized, case. Many brands would tack on a beer-can-sized crown because that is what we expect. Big crowns have their place and can be fun if properly integrated into the overall design, but they are not always necessary and can ruin the lines of an otherwise pleasing watch. My preference is a crown that is wide but not terribly tall, thereby offering easy grip and operation without compromising aesthetics. That is precisely what we see on the Hydrotimer. It’s nicely decorated, with the Lone Star of the brand’s Texas home encircled by a rope motif.
Bezel action is spot-on, traveling through its 120 clicks with positive engagement and without a hint of shimmy or backplay. It is also where I will start to talk about the use of color. I’ll note that other versions are available, including white with a white bezel and lume, black and beige with gold, and a stunning blue with white and yellow. They all exhibit the same delightfully sophisticated approach to color, but I think this vintage white and black review sample best illustrates the brand’s approach.
When I first saw this watch on display with the other Hydrotimers, I asked myself why I liked this black and white variant so much, and the answer is that it isn’t just black and white but rather a subtle palette that uses texture to create color variations.
The Hydrotimer’s ceramic bezel insert is black, matte-finished, and, under most lighting conditions, appears closer to charcoal gray. Its markings are two-tone, beige for the primary, and white for the secondary. The beige coordinates with the lume on the hands and markers; the white to the dial’s surface. Now, examine that dial. It’s warmer than a pure white, with a dash of metallic shimmer created by the sandy matte surface.
I’m not done yet. Like me, you probably noticed the spot of red on the second hand’s counterweight. Zoom in closer, and you’ll discover a full red, white, and blue tricolor.
Head to the top of the dial to find an applied and polished Lone Star logo, a circle in a dial chock full of them. The similarly applied, polished, and lumed hour markers are circular save for the inverted triangle at 12 o’clock. While they are all the same size, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock are distinguished by a bar. We even have a circle of the same size integrated into an hour hand reminiscent of Tudor’s pointy “snowflake” shape. Watch nerd confession time: I’ve never loved that Tudor hand. Something feels out of balance for me. I much prefer the Hydrotimer’s. I also like its combination of polished edges and brushed centers at the stalks not already filled with lume. A lollipop second hand offers the final and smallest circle.
Flip off the light switch, and all of that lume comes to life in two-tone glory. No, not in the way you might have thought. The distinction is not between the white and beige markings because the white is not phosphorescent. Apparently, two different beige lume pigments are at play here, and the difference is only apparent in the dark. I’ll confess, that was a surprise.
In contrast to all the clever detailing on the top side, the case back is comparatively simple yet still nicely executed. The brand name is wreathed with the same rope that encircles the crown decoration, all stamped in high relief. Note the “Designed in Texas,” “Assembled in the U.S.A.,” and “Movement Regulated in the U.S.A.” engravings.
Inside is a 28.8k bph Miyota 9039 automatic movement: slim, smooth, and solid. Jack Mason regulates it to within +/-5 seconds per day, and honestly, it is hard to go wrong with any 9000-series.
When you order a Hydrotimer, you get the excellent black Tropic 20mm strap and a second of your choice. They are quick-release and fastened with a signed buckle. Of course, at this point in the review, you probably already guessed that they didn’t just order a stock unit from the factory. The strap is signed with the brand name on the underside and the star-and-rope logo on the tail. But wait, there is one more clever trick. The raised logo fits a hole in the floating keeper, securing the loose end. This is particularly nice for small-wristed folks like me.
For an extra $70, you can choose a three-link or seven-lick bracelet. I tried the seven-link and was impressed with its quality. The bracelet tapers to 16mm at the clasp and incorporates tool-free release and micro-adjustment mechanisms. I love the flow and comfort afforded by small, rounded links like these. The on-the-fly adjustment is a godsend as it affords the flexibility of a telescoping clasp but with a fraction of the bulk, resulting in clean, sleek lines in proper proportion to the watch head.
The Jack Mason Hydrotimer series sells for $729 with two straps or $799 with a strap and a bracelet, and it delivers value for every penny.
One final anecdote. My mother is an artist. One of her favorite games is to point at a cloud and ask someone what color it is. “White” is invariably the first answer. Then she’ll have them take a closer look, and they will identify a bit of gray. Then maybe they’ll notice that the grey isn’t uniform but has some blue or a dash of yellow or pink. Soon, they realize that something as simple as a white cloud in a blue sky has remarkable complexity and depth. This is precisely what I discovered with Hydrotimer. Every aspect is nuanced, creating a distinctive and satisfying spin on the classic diver.
For more information or to place an order, visit jackmasonbrand.com.
