TESTCENTRE
Honouring Belfast heritage
Maraí 401 Deep Ocean Blue Dive Watch
COMPANY : NOMADIC WATCHES PRICE : £ 1,050 TEL : 0289 6918 002 WEB : NOMADICWATCHES . COM
Founded in 2021 , Nomadic is a Belfastbased watch manufacturer , drawing its inspiration from the city ’ s rich shipbuilding history . It takes its name from the world ’ s final remaining White Star Line ship .
Hand-built in the city itself , the company ’ s standard-bearing dive watch is the Maraí 401 . Meaning ‘ sea farer ’ in Irish , the trio of digits also represents the production number of the White Star ’ s most famous vessel , RMS Titanic .
Available in a selection of different coloured editions , the Maraí has been subtly improved with its 2024 edition . The 316L stainless steel case size has been reduced to 48mm to make it a more suitable fit across a variety of wrist sizes .
Depth-rated to 200 metres , the watch can be purchased with or without a date window at the three o ’ clock position , and is supplied with a matching stainless steel bracelet . While ideal for everyday surface use , the bracelet can easily be swopped out via the quick-release spring bars for one of Nomadic ’ s rubber or NATO-style straps for drysuit diving .
The domed , sapphire , anti-reflective glass is scratch-resistant – the Deep Ocean Blue edition features a ceramic blue uni-directional bezel to compliment the attractive dark blue face of the watch .
Its uncluttered design is aesthetically pleasing , its hands and indices coated with
SuperLumiNova to store , then generate light energy in a phosphorescent blue colour .
There are several nods to the Belfast shipyard of Harland and Wolff , builders of both Titanic and its first-class tender , Nomadic . The sweeping yellow second hand is a tribute to the iconic Samson and Goliath cranes that dominate the city ’ s skyline . The sapphire case back , containing a Swiss-made , Sellita SW200-01 automatic , self-winding mechanism , also reveals a striking and distinctive rotor ; a homage to the propellors of the two vessels .
When you ’ re used to wearing an advanced dive computer / watch almost 24 hours a day , it ’ s a real pleasure to go old-school and enjoy the analogue experience . The Marai ’ s classic looks and even that beautiful clicking sound as you rotate the bezel are something you just can ’ t replicate with the 21st century digital equivalent .
If you do have to remove this striking timepiece from your wrist for any length of time , then its winding mechanism will happily keep on going for around 40 hours without attention . Neil Hope
SCUBA SAYS
Incorporating Belfast ’ s rich history of shipbuilding into their brand , Nomadic has created a modern classic with the Maraí 401 diving watch . From the brushed and polished stainless steel case to the prop-style rotor at its rear as a subtle nod to the Titanic , this watch is a winner from the fledgling manufacturer .
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