FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW WILL TARIFFS AFFECT CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE THE USA?
The recent tariffs imposed by the USA on other countries will have no effect on product prices or shipping charges for customers OUTSIDE of the USA. Any reciprocal tariffs other countries have imposed on products from the USA will have no effect either, since our products are shipped directly from China and Hong Kong.

HOW WILL TARIFFS AFFECT CUSTOMERS INSIDE THE USA?
Since the de minimis exemption was eliminated on May 2, 2025, small parcels from China valued under US$800.00 are currently subject to a duty rate of 30%. This means watch orders for customers in the USA now include a shipping charge of US$50.00, which covers both the shipping cost and the tariff/duty charges. Accessory orders include a shipping charge of US$7.00, which also covers shipping and duty.
If tariff rates change, we'll make adjustments to our shipping charges accordingly. Our hope is that agreements on lower tariff rates will eventually be reached, allowing us to reduce the shipping charges and continue to offer quality watches at an exceptional value to our customers in the USA.

WHY DO I HAVE TO JOIN A WAITING LIST TO BUY A WATCH?
Initially, the waiting lists were created as an alternative to the chaotic first-come-first-serve sales that were over in minutes and left lots of customers frustrated. Since then, as our watch assortment and customer demand have grown, we've faced two main challenges: predicting sales volume and managing inventory. With production lead times of 5 to 6 months, we can't respond instantaneously to sudden changes in demand, and as a small business, we also can't keep limitless quantities of watches in stock. The waiting lists enable us to manage sales volume, which provides the stability and predictability necessary to plan production and efficiently manage our inventory (which in turn prevents long "out of stock" situations).


WHY DON'T YOU SPEED UP PRODUCTION OR MAKE MORE WATCHES?
The current demand for Seiko and Miyota movements means the production lead time for these critical components is long, and there isn't much we can do to speed it up. What we have done is gradually scale up our production volume to work through the waiting lists more quickly. Even so, every watch
still has to be inspected, pressure tested, packed and shipped by us, one watch at a time. In order to process orders efficiently, while still devoting the necessary time and care to testing and customer service, we have to manage the volume of watches we sell. This is not a marketing ploy or an attempt
to artificially restrict supply to stimulate demand. Producing and selling watches in smaller quantities simply allows us to maintain the level of quality and service that have made HELM watches one of the best watch values on the market today.

SO HOW DO I GET ONE?
Join the waiting list for the watch you're interested in (the signup form is at the bottom of each watch specification page) and then just wait to hear from us. If you know you'll want more than one model or more than one variation, you can join multiple lists at the same time or join one particular list multiple times. When we reach your number on the list, we'll contact you by email and you'll have 48 hours to make your purchase (or ask us to hold your position on the list if you're not quite ready to buy). If there are more than 1,000 customers waiting on a particular list, we also conduct "lottery" sales in conjunction with the regular sales, during which we select names at random from the entire waiting list. So, even if you're at the bottom of the list, you may have a chance to purchase a watch sooner than expected.

WHAT'S MY POSITION ON THE WAITING LIST?
You can check your position on the waiting list using the lookup tool at the bottom of each watch page. Just enter the email address you used to join the waiting list and click 'GO'.

I'M ON THE WAITING LIST. WHEN WILL I BE CONTACTED TO BUY A WATCH?
For each watch model, we're currently contacting an average of 2,000 to 4,000 customers each year, spread over 4 or 5 sales during the year. You can roughly estimate your waiting time (in months) by checking your position on the waiting list (see above) and dividing that number by 350. Of course this is only an estimate, and the further above 1,000 you are on the list, the less accurate this estimate will be. The wait time may change if the number of customers we're able to contact increases or decreases, or if we encounter any production delays with a particular production batch.

WHY DOES MY POSITION ON THE WAITING LIST NEVER SEEM TO CHANGE?
As we contact customers during each sale, we remove them from the top of the waiting list and everyone else moves up (which means we're always working from #1 on the list). Over the course of the year, your position on the waiting will gradually decrease. However, the decreases won't occur every day or every week. You'll only observe a decrease after we conclude a sale for each particular watch, and those sales generally occur every 8 to 10 weeks, depending on the sale cadence (and holidays).

ARE HELM WATCHES AVAILABLE IN RETAIL STORES?
For now, new HELM watches are available exclusively on this website.
Occasionally, some "like-new" watches will be available from Precision Service in Asheville, North Carolina. These watches were purchased new from our website and returned within the 5-day examination period. They've been inspected, repaired if necessary, pressure tested and repackaged in like-new condition. If HELM watches or accessories ever become available from additional authorized retailers, a list of those retailers will be made available on this website.

DOES MY WATCH INCLUDE A WARRANTY? IS IT TRANSFERABLE?
Yes, every HELM watch is covered by an international transferable warranty that is effective for one year from the date of purchase (which is indicated on the warranty card included with the original sale of the watch).

WHAT KIND OF ACCURACY CAN I EXPECT FROM MY WATCH?
Mechanical movements (including automatics) are generally accurate to within 1 minute per day, though they may often gain or lose only a few seconds each day. This daily gain or loss can vary depending on how long they're worn each day and how they're stored when not being worn (face up, face down, crown up, crown down, etc.).

AREN'T QUARTZ WATCHES MORE ACCURATE THAN AUTOMATICS?
Well, yes. Quartz movements are more accurate than any mechanical movement, so if convenience and accuracy are your top priorities, quartz watches are an excellent choice for grab-and-go timepieces. Many owners appreciate the accuracy, reliability and low-maintenance that quartz movements offer. Aside from the occasional battery change and seal replacement (to maintain water resistance), quartz watches can go a very, very long time with little or no servicing.

IF QUARTZ IS MORE ACCURATE, WHY CHOOSE MECHANICAL?
There are many possible answers to this question, but no single argument that would necessarily sway a buyer considering their first mechanical watch. If the thought of an intricate, miniaturized, self-powered mechanism ticking away on your wrist holds stronger appeal than absolute accuracy, and you don't mind (or perhaps even enjoy) adjusting the time and date more frequently, an automatic movement might be right for you.
Many automatic watch owners appreciate the fact that their watch is purely mechanical and requires no battery at all. They take pleasure in the constant motion of the second hand sweeping smoothly around the dial and the feel of the rotor oscillating inside the case.
As Wesley Fenlon has written, some people admire the "beauty and artistry in imperfection" that mechanical watches embody. Others appreciate the "tradition in the history of mechanical watchmaking," while others are attracted to the "fascinating engineering at work in every mechanical watch."
Author William Gibson has described mechanical watches as "brilliantly unnecessary." Any quartz watch can keep better time, he observes, "but mechanical watches partake of...the Tamagotchi gesture. They're pointless in a peculiarly needful way; they're comforting precisely because they require tending. Each one is a miniature world unto itself, a tiny functioning mechanism, a congeries of minute and mysterious moving parts...and consequently these watches are, in a sense, alive. They have heartbeats."
If that strikes a chord with you, you'll likely appreciate a mechanical watch. If it sounds like romantic nonsense, then quartz is probably the way to go. If you find yourself on the fence, waffling between the two, you'll probably join the ranks of many watch enthusiasts who end up owning and enjoying both.