As a watch reviewer and industry journalist for many years now, it’s become customary for me to be curious but at times apprehensive about reviewing a new watch from a relatively unknown startup brand. While some watch publication outlets are currently reviewing their 300th Speedmaster, today on the WRB we’re going hands on with the Marine M001-07 from Nove watches.
We do receive many requests for review from small brands trying to get their brand into the watch enthusiast mix, and so we must choose carefully who we feel is authentic in their approach. Gladly, after unboxing the Marine, I feel we made the right decision. The variant we have here today is the one with the black dial, and upon initial inspection and skimming over the specs, there’s some really neat and unique design features for us to delve into.
Hands-On First Look
As watch enthusiasts, we all know that the initial holding of a watch tells us a lot, without even really getting a prolonged look at the dial and the watches details. The feel of the edges, the weight, the texture of the bezel are just a small portion of instant signals of the quality of the watch. The Marine M001-07 really surprised me with its case polishing and what could be described as laser cut angles around the case and lugs. The weight, while not excessive, was pretty much on par with what you’d expect from a dive watch of this size. Perhaps it came off as a touch lighter than usual for a diver, but after further inspection of the cases thickness and overall compactness of the watch it made sense.
Design and Functions
Nove has come out of the gates with a rather innovative design. Where the new release Oris Aquis Date comes off as reserved and ordinary, Nove is taking the opposite approach, which is especially apparent in the use of an Octagonal compressor style case. A few other stand out design features are the sharply angled, and thick lugs that point downwards in a 90 degree fashion. To add to the unique design, Nove has implemented dual crowns that on first look give the appearance of a compressor dive watch. I did find out there is no actual compressor function, rather the dual crowns are used to set the time and to rotate the inner bezel.
The bezel did at first come off as ceramic in appearance, I think due to the true black inky look, but it’s actually 316L steel as is the rest of the watch. While ceramic maybe would have provided a slightly lighter overall weight, I feel like it’s an overused material currently, and I absolutely welcome the use of steel here. The outer bezel also has some really neat markings, again veering away from emulating other brands that use an external countdown scale, the Marine is sporting larger easy to read markers.
The color combinations on the variant we have here are easy on the eyes, with the red lollypop (rectangular) style seconds hand matching with the “Automatic” text at 6’oclock. As I sit here looking at the watch, the Super-LumiNova C3 lume is shockingly bright, and it appears to be applied very generously on the inner and outer bezel, as well as on all three hands. While we’re on the subject of the hands, the minute and hour hands are absolutely massive – in a good way. Both are equally wide, and are in a classic sword shape. They’re providing excellent readability, and they give off a sporty appearance, as they should for a dive watch.
Sellita Movement
The movement in the Marine is the tried and true Sellita caliber SW200. The Nove website states it as having a 41 hour power reserve, but I’m assuming they’ve rounded up as the official reserve of this movement is actually 38 hours – and I have not tested it myself.
This is actually a fairly handsome looking movement, and despite the Marine’s dive watch design Nove decided to implement a caseback display. It’s a fun touch but it leaves me wondering if it compromises the actual water pressure capabilities over long term use. Another fun fact about the SW200 is its very slim thickness at 4.6mm, which Nove has clearly taken advantage of considering how slender they’ve been able to make the Marine at 13.05mm thick.
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