By Elliott Marsh | June 2026
Two Years of Looking
I have been interested in watches for about four years. Not obsessively – I am not the person who can recite movement specifications from memory or who has opinions about finishing quality on micro-brands you have never heard of – but genuinely interested in the idea of a well-made watch as an object worth owning and wearing. I had been wearing a basic quartz watch for years and had started to feel that I wanted something with more character. Something that felt considered.
The problem was the market. The watch market at every price point is enormous, and the combination of choice paralysis and the fear of spending money on something I would regret had kept me in a holding pattern for two years. I had saved things to wishlists. I had read reviews. I had watched YouTube videos about movements and case finishing and lug width. I had not bought anything.
Then I came across the Howard Hughes Chronograph HH02 and stopped scrolling.
What Stopped Me
The HH02 is made by Riley Watch Co, a British independent that ships from the UK with a 5-year warranty and a 30-day no-questions-asked return policy. Those two facts alone addressed a significant part of my hesitation – the risk of buying a watch from an independent brand I did not know was substantially reduced by a warranty that actually meant something and a return policy that gave me a genuine safety net.
The watch itself is the other part. The Howard Hughes Chronograph HH02 is a 40mm chronograph with a specification that punches well above its price point:
- Seiko VK64 mecha-quartz movement – the tactile click of a mechanical chronograph reset with quartz accuracy and reliability; the best of both approaches rather than a compromise between them
- Sapphire crystal – scratch-proof, which matters for a watch I intended to wear daily
- 40mm case at 11mm thickness – the optimal size for my wrist; present without being aggressive, slim enough to sit under a shirt cuff
- Applied indices and inset subdials – the details that give the dial depth and dimensionality; the difference between a watch that looks flat and one that rewards close attention
- Tachymeter chapter ring – a nod to the air speed racing heritage that inspired the design; functional and visually distinctive
- Genuine leather strap with quick-release spring bars – comfortable from day one, and the quick-release means I can swap straps without tools
- 5 ATM water resistance – enough for rain, splashes, and everyday life without having to think about it
- 24-hour subdial, date display, lume on primary hands – complications that are actually useful rather than decorative
I chose the Classic Retro Cream colourway. The cream dial with the tachymeter ring and the leather strap has a vintage aviation quality that I find genuinely beautiful. I found it in the Latest Products collection at ALTOE and ordered it the same evening I found it, which after two years of not ordering anything felt like a significant moment.
Arrival: The Presentation Matters
It arrived in a bespoke Riley Watch Co presentation box that set the right tone immediately. The watch itself was exactly as it appeared in photographs – which is not always the case with watches, where the gap between marketing images and reality can be significant. The cream dial has a warmth to it that I had hoped for and that was delivered. The applied indices catch the light in a way that makes the dial feel alive. The leather strap was supple from the first wearing.
I put it on and wore it for the rest of the day. I checked the time approximately four times more than I needed to.
Two Months of Daily Wear
I have worn the HH02 every day for two months. It has been to work, to dinners, to a weekend in the countryside, and to a wedding where it was, if anything, slightly understated for the occasion – which is exactly the right kind of understated. The sapphire crystal has not scratched. The leather strap has broken in beautifully and now fits my wrist with the kind of settled comfort that only comes with wear. The mecha-quartz movement keeps perfect time and the chronograph reset has the satisfying mechanical click that I had read about and that is, in person, genuinely pleasing.
I reach for it every morning without thinking about it, which is the sign that a watch has become part of how you present yourself rather than an accessory you are still deciding about. Two years of indecision, resolved by a watch that was exactly what I had been looking for without quite knowing it.
The 5-year warranty and 30-day return policy, for what it is worth, have not been needed. I have not wanted to return it. I have wanted to buy a second colourway, which I am currently resisting with moderate success.
For Anyone in the Same Holding Pattern
If you have been looking at watches for longer than you care to admit and have not pulled the trigger, I understand the paralysis. The market is overwhelming and the fear of the wrong choice is real. The HH02 addresses that fear directly: the specification is genuinely excellent for the price, the warranty is meaningful, and the return policy removes the risk. It is the watch that made me stop scrolling. It might do the same for you.
Shop the Howard Hughes Chronograph HH02
Find the Howard Hughes Chronograph HH02 at ALTOE and browse our related collections:
Elliott Marsh is a commercial solicitor, amateur cyclist, and now a committed watch wearer based in London. He spent two years looking and two months wearing. He considers the ratio acceptable.
0 commenti