Hemel Airfoil - Full Lume Ivory Panda

We also sell other Hemel Airfoils: a full lume that glows blue, and an all black model.

Why We Love This Watch

There are many reasons to love the 42mm Hemel Airfoil Full Lume Ivory panda-dial chrono, but these four in particular made this a simply must-have for our inventory:

A gorgeous exhibition case back, showcasing a decorated hand-wound movement, with blued screws. With no rotor in the way to block the view, this can make observing the chronograph in action quite a treat. The movement itself has some interesting history as it is directly descended from the Venus 175, a famous Swiss column-wheel chronograph used in Swiss watches such as the Breitling Chronomat. Seagull acquired the plans and the original Venus equipment to manufacture the Venus 175, and went on to produce the improved version you see here.

A fantastic full reverse lume. When you walk indoors after being outside in sunlight, this Hemel Airfoil can often be seen glowing like a torch, making it quite a conversation piece. The lume image shown here is not a computer-generated render but a photograph we took in-house and resized for the web. Naturally we're talking Swiss Super-LumiNova lume in a C3 color, (the brightest option.)

A swan neck regulator, for those who fancy the idea of more easily regulating a watch themselves for even greater accuracy. We'll share more information on this for the curious in our video review.

Vintage military styling done right. The dial design is based on 1970s British military pilot watches. Hemel themselves have other military tie-ins, including a partnership with the US Air Force, and their focus on military watches really seems to be paying off with great attention to detail. The magnifying curvature on the edge of the dial glass is reminiscent of a vintage hesalite dial, but the dial is a modern scratch resistant double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, which goes nicely with the scratch resistant gloss ceramic bezel and 100 meters water resistance. 

This attention to detail extends to the choice of 12 hour lumed markers on the 120 click bezel,  which enables the bezel to be used to extend the chronograph timing function by simply setting the bezel pip to the hour hand location right after starting the chronograph timer. Of course it also doubles as a second time zone, and can be used as a traditional dive watch timer as well.

Video Reviews

Beyond the Dial has a great article on the Hemel Airfoil in their independent review. We particularly love the unbiased ethics of this publication.

Watch Specifications

• Type: Microbrand watch.
• Reference: Hemel Airfoil Full Lume Ivory — Hemel HF15IV.
• Complications: Mechanical column wheel chronograph with swan neck regulator.
  
• Color Scheme: Ivory/cream/peach/light tan dial, black bezel & black sub-dials. We note that the dial can tend towards a cream color outdoors in bright daylight and more of a peach tan color with indoor lighting. The ivory dial color is fully lumed.
• Water Resistance: 10 ATM / 100 meters / 330 feet.
• Diameter: 42mm, excluding crown.
• Lug Width: 22mm.
• Lug to Lug Length: 49mm.
• Height: 13.4mm.
  
• Case: Marine grade 316L stainless steel with signed crown.
• Case Back: Screw-down exhibition case back in 316L stainless steel.
• Dial Type: Full reverse lume dial, with styling based on 1970s British military pilot watches. The left sub-dial shows current seconds, and the right sub-dial shows the minute timer for the chronograph function.
• Dial Glass: Double domed scratch resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, featuring a contoured magnifying edge reminiscent of vintage hesalite crystal appropriate for the vintage styling of this timepiece.
• Bezel: 120 click unidirectional scratch resistant gloss ceramic bezel with lumed 12 hour indices. The pip on the bezel can be set to the hour hand when using the chronograph to extend the chronograph timing function for 12 or more hours. The bezel can also be used for a second time zone, or for traditional dive watch timing by setting the pip to the minute hand.
• Lume: Swiss Super-Luminova C3 lume. This is the brightest lume color, which glows a strong green in the dark when charged.
• Straps Included: A pair of light tan brown 22mm genuine leather straps with white stitching and double-signed steel buckle.
• Movement: 19 jewel Seagull ST1901 hand-wound decorated movement with blued screws, featuring a swan neck regulator for easier and more accurate regulation adjustments to improve the accuracy of the timepiece. The ST19 started out as a famous Swiss movement, the Venus 175, which was used in Swiss watches such as the Breitling Chronomat. Seagull acquired the design and original manufacturing machinery from Venus and developed the improved ST19 series from this design.
• Oscillation: 21,600 BPH, (6 ticks per second.)
• Hacks: No.
• Hand Winds: Yes.
• Automatic Winding: No.
• Power Reserve: 38 hours.
• Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 years.