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If you were to ask any of my coworkers or friends about my style when it comes to watches, the words “tactical,” “diver,” and “tool” would likely come to mind. It’s no secret that I have an affinity for watches with more utility than just telling time, and a good clicky bezel might be my favorite fidget toy of all time. As someone who has had a preference for black and olive drab colors for years, when I dove into watches, it seemed like black and sometimes blue were the only colors available, especially at the price range I considered spending on a watch. That said, as I’ve learned more about watches and discovered some interesting microbrands making bold and adventurous divers, I also realized that if I wanted something more colorful, I’d have a lot of options if I expanded my reach to non-diver sports watches.
With the growing number of stealthy items in my collection, I’ve wanted to add something to my collection that you might describe as “flashy” to balance things out a bit. Working to break this mold that I’ve created for myself, I wound up coming across the Mandala Mk3 by Second Hour Watches, and thought that it might make an interesting addition to my collection of tactical and tool focused pieces. In fact, when I wore this watch home from the office for the first time, my girlfriend immediately remarked, “That isn’t a watch I’d expect you to wear, but I like it,” and that’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
Before I dive into the watch and my experience with it, you might be wondering just who Second Hour Watches is? Well Second Hour is the creation of a husband and wife duo (Peter and Akira) based in Melbourne, Australia, who founded the company in 2019. Second Hour has developed a curated collection of watches, each with its own unique personality and design cues, drawn from both Peter and Akira’s life experiences. If you’ve made it this far and think you might have heard of Second Hour before, you might remember them from our “Under The Radar Watches” podcast episode.
With the Mandala, especially the salmon colorway that I own, the dial is clearly the star of the show. Second Hour describes the dial itself as hypnotic and I have to agree. As I’m sitting here, writing this review, I find myself constantly looking at the guilloche treatment, absolutely enamored with how bright the salmon tone of the dial is, and the way it shimmers when light hits it. There’s something about the way the guilloche pattern has been crafted that seems to pick up the smallest amount of light that I can’t explain, but it makes this dial almost glow at times, while also still being legible in bright light.
On the wrist, the Mandala feels fantastic and is enjoyable to wear for hours on end. Despite having a display caseback, which does add a bit of thickness, it feels like the case hugs my wrist perfectly. Since the Mandala case is 40mm in diameter, 10.5 mm thick (including the crystal), and has a lug to lug of 47mm, it wears very similarly to my Omega Speedmaster, if not slightly smaller. Between the micro-adjust clasp and screw-pin links, I was able to quickly size the bracelet, and I’m even able to fine-tune it throughout the day if my wrist swells or shrinks.
Despite this being an owner’s review, what kind of enthusiast would I be if I didn’t dive into the technical specs of the watch? Starting from the outside, the stainless steel case and 7-link bracelet have been hardened to 1200 Vickers, a huge improvement over the base hardness of stainless steel, which averages 150-200 Vickers. Second Hour has tucked that beautiful guilloche dial behind a flat sapphire crystal, which has multiple layers of internal anti-reflective coating. These two things in tandem work to keep the Miyota 9015 inside safe and running for years to come. If you’re like me and enjoy being able to see inside your watch, you’ll be happy to know there’s a sapphire display caseback that allows you to see both the movement and the engraved rotor inside. It’s also worth noting that the Mandala Mk3 features 100 meters of water resistance, so you won’t have to worry about that unplanned dip in the pool while wearing it.
Having spent a good deal of time with it now, the Mandala is exactly what I wanted it to be: something boldly different from the pieces in my current collection. With very exceptions, most of my watches feature either a black dial, a Black DLC case, or a combination of both. Looking at every visible characteristic, the mandala breaks the mold I’ve created for myself: it has a very bold dial, lots of polished surfaces, and it’s not something I’d ever consider wearing on a nylon strap, although a sailcloth pairing could be quite nice if done correctly.
As watch enthusiasts, we often talk about having watches for special occasions or using a watch to mark a life event, but I previously felt that I could reach into my watch box, choose a watch at random, and it wouldn’t stand out for daily wear. Whether I was heading into the office, going on date night, or heading to a press event, the only thing that changed (in regards to my watches) was the kind of strap I’d wear them on (for those wondering, nylon/ sailcloth for the office, leather for date night, and bracelets for formal events). However, with the Mandala, I have a watch that could be worn every day, but is also a great choice for those moments when I want my watch to stand out.
At the end of the day, the Mandala line of watches offers an interesting proposition through its wide selection of dial colors. I’d go so far as to say that the Salmon colorway offers the most amount of “flash” for those looking for something on the fancy side, while a more subdued option, like the midnight black, could be a great candidate for daily wear. Of course, at the end of the day, it’s really all personal preference. With a retail price of around $600 at the time of writing this article (after currency conversion), the Mandala combines both common microbrand features and specs with some more uncommon ones to create a very competitive sub $1,000 microbrand offering. Second Hour
