I first saw the Halios Fairwind on Instagram. While Jason Lim at Halios doesn’t post very often, somehow the IG algorithm read my mind and dangled this shiny object before my eyes. Halios watches tend to re-sell at a premium, but what really drew me to the Fairwind is the bracelet with on-the-fly adjustability. EVERY bracelet should have that. The beautiful shade of blue didn’t hurt either.

Jason is a quality assurance fanatic which is rarely true of microbrand owners. He also in my opinion underprices his watches – by a lot. You can tell he’s in it for the love of watches. So, when Jason found issues with the lumed blue bezels and delays with the bracelet, he gave us options. I chose to get the watch on a great strap last October, then send it back for a new bezel and bracelet in January.

I’m super happy with my choice as this watch looks & feels AMAZING on the bracelet. I took out 5 of the 6 screw-removable links to size for my 6.75″ wrist. The external push-button clasp provides 6mm of adjustment in 5 steps; I’m usually 1 step out from tightest so I’ll have plenty of room once Summer arrives.

This watch is a good complement to my black Tudor BB58 for less than ¼ the price. I love the bidirectional 60-click bezel: not as fine as the Black Bay but it’s very quick and handy for actually timing things. You can also choose a 12-hour bezel in sapphire or a steel diver bezel. Fit & finish are INSANE for the price: perfectly brushed flat surfaces and hand-polished bevels all over the place. For $775, you’re getting quality far above a $1100 Seiko and comparable to an Oris.

The SW200 no-date movement has lost 1 second TOTAL over the last 5 days. Downsides? I wish the handset was bolder. The case measures 37.5mm under the bezel and is borderline too small. Flip side of that is a perfect 12.5mm thickness and 123-gram weight. It’s an all-steel watch that floats on your wrist like it’s made of ceramic. Overall, the watch is a solid Win.