Side by side

CIGA Design TIME CIPHERvsHELM Vanuatu

The numbers, the dial colors, the calibers — laid out so you can stop flipping between tabs.

TIME CIPHER
CIGA DesignTIME CIPHER
MSRP $899
Vanuatu
HELMVanuatu
MSRP $285

At a glance

12 of 29 specs differ
Diameter
TIME CIPHER45mm
Vanuatu42mm
Power Reserve
TIME CIPHER42h
Vanuatu40h
Water Resistance
TIME CIPHER50m
Vanuatu300m
MSRP
TIME CIPHER$899
Vanuatu$285

Full specifications

Case

5 specs
Category
Skeleton
Diver
Diameter
45mm
42mm
Thickness
11.8mm
14mm
Lug-to-Lug
50mm
Water Resistance
50m
300m

Crystal & Dial

3 specs
AR Coating
Inner
Yes
Dial Color
Carbon
Black
Lume
Swiss Super-LumiNova
Super-LumiNova

Movement

3 specs
Caliber
CD-08
Seiko Instruments NH35
Power Reserve
42h
40h
Complications
None
Date

Pricing

1 specs
MSRP
$899
$285

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What people say

Owners + reviewers, side by side

Synthesized for each watch independently from owner discussions, enthusiast forums, written reviews, and video reviewers.

CIGA Design TIME CIPHER

The CIGA Design TIME CIPHER is praised for its fun and conceptual execution of a wandering hours display, offering a unique spectacle in a slim and wearable 45mm case. Reviewers highlight its intuitive complication, comfortable strap, and the striking "Super Black" dial designed to make the moving elements appear to float. The CD-08 automatic movement, based on the Miyota 9015, provides a 42-hour power reserve, with stated accuracy of -10 to +20 seconds per day. Some legibility challenges are noted due to the stencil-style numerals between 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. Overall, reviewers consider the CIGA Design TIME CIPHER a compelling and well-executed conceptual watch offering a good balance of spectacle and wearability at its $899 price point.

HELM Vanuatu

Owners widely praise the HELM Vanuatu for its exceptional comfort, with the titanium bracelet frequently cited as "uber-comfortable" and the watch itself being less overbearing on the wrist than comparable dive watches. Reviewers note its great bezel action and overall quality, with one owner finding the purchase satisfactory despite a nearly two-year wait. On balance, owners rate the HELM Vanuatu highly for its wearability and solid build at the price.

From video reviewers

The case finishing is consistently praised. The bracelet is noted as having significant rattle.

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