You can’t beat it. The open road, the steady throb of a powerful bike, the sun slowly cooking your arms to a roast chicken brown, the warm wind in your hair…wait, strike the wind in your hair, those days are over. A mere 40 years after it became law in the UK, motorcycle helmets have become law, even in the free as you please Philippines. As of July of last year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) authorised law enforcers to stop moving motorcycles whose drivers and riders are spotted not wearing protective helmets bearing the Philippine Standard (PS) mark or the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) issued by the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS).

The law enforcers have given everyone a 6 month grace period, but at the start of 2013, they’re getting heavy. No helmet and you will be stopped, you will be fined, and you could ultimately lose your licence. This has seen queues outside every motorcycle shop in the country. Motorcycle accessory dealers have never had it so good.

As with everything else in the Philippines, now that you have to have a helmet, and a full face visored helmet to be exact, it has to be a brand name helmet. No one wants anything remotely local. And it’s then that you discover, just like watches, there are hundreds, if not thousands of helmet brands and a mind boggling choice from each and every brand.

Here then are some key names in the world of skid lids and bone domes – and most of the brands have watches to go with them, although being generous, let’s just say there is some considerable way to go before the watches meet the same high-spec, high-tech passion, choice and attention to detail as the helmets. It’s a golden opportunity for some enterprising watchmaker to step in and start marketing to motorcycle helmet manufacturers and to catch the eye of millions of brand aware consumers throughout Asia thirsting for accessories to go with their chosen ‘must have’ motorcycle helmet.  After all, it’s a billion dollar annual market and as more countries introduce helmet safety legislation, it’s only going to get bigger.

Arai

Considering Japan designs and manufactures more motorcycles than any other country in the world, it’s not surprising that they also make some great skid lids. Arai is a Japanese brand, and a leader in motorcycle helmet technology. The brand is a family owned and managed company since 1937. Even today, all the helmets are 100% handmade save for an automatic laser beam which cuts out the visor aperture.  To build one Arai helmet  takes about 18 man-hours. From the bare outer shell to the finished helmet, including the advanced design applications, the hands of skilled craftsmen create everything. There’s plenty of passion and knowhow going into the helmets, sadly the same cannot be said of the Arai wristwatch. It’s a rather dull stainless steel affair running on a Miyota quartz battery. Clearly something of an afterthought, and  something considerably more substantial should be on offer.

Bell Helmets

An all American brand; Bell Motorcycle Helmets are unanimously known for their high quality and good fit; this is because Bell is one of the oldest most recognised names in the world of motorcycling. It all started back in the 1950’s when Bell was new to the market, slowly but surely Bell helmets became known as a ‘the’ helmet, at one point it wasn’t a helmet that you wore, it was a Bell. Bell offer a wide range of apparel and sports bags to go with their helmets, but again, wristwatches are limping behind, as can be witnessed by this rather humble offering available on Ebay. Perhaps a word with Bell & Ross might be in order.

Shoei

Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Shoei was founded by Eitaro Kamata who had an immense spirit and determination to design. Kamata used his first products exclusively for the motorcycle racing market. What is key even by modern day standards is the pace at which Shoei motorcycle helmets became so renowned all over the globe: starting in the late 1960’s, Shoei’s fantastic reputation as a market leading, top quality brand spread first over the United States, then later entered the market throughout motorcycle markets of Europe. As for watches, well, clearly Kamata’s design ethos has not filtered through to wristwatches to complement his fine helmets. I can think of another word that begins with ‘sh’ for this offering. They just haven’t thought it through at all. Our researches reveal this nasty 35mm Japanese quartz watch, just a logo stuck on a cheap watch. Can and must do better.

Spyder

Spyder is the product of years of collaboration and teamwork with athletes with a passion for various sports, competing in extreme conditions and in diverse environments.

Spyder eyewear has conquered the summit of Everest, thrived in the humid jungles of Borneo, seen victory in Australian waters, and survived the scorching heat of the Sahara. Their motorcycle helmets are a much prized in the Philippines as having the necessary cool factor. Spyder have a much more considered lifestyle approach, with a wide range of watches to complement the range of eyewear and helmets. Featured here is the Spyder Cage, a 100m water resistant stainless steel watch.

V-CAN

V-Can, headquarted in Shanghai but marketing their products worldwide, is quickly becoming a major player in the world of motorcycle sports helmets including racing helmets and trial biking helmets. With two factories and state of the art testing facilities, they are currently the number 4 maker of safety helmets worldwide, but the goal is to become no. 1. Some of their helmets also feature BLINC Bluetooth technology to enable communication between rider and passenger. There is currently no watch available under the V-Can Sports brand; although they do offer motorcycle gloves and tee-shirts. A major opportunity for the enterprising watch designer.