A little over a year ago, Montreal microbrand Héron Watch Co. released the Gladiateur, which I had the good fortune to review. It was an affordable, stylish, dress watch in dive watch guise, and it had a lot of character. Their latest, the upcoming Marinor, is a definitive tool watch with a maximalist approach.
I’m really enjoying the new trend of downsized dive watches. Watches that just a few years ago would have been released in 42mm or even larger are now being released in sub-40mm sizes inspired by vintage dimensions. More importantly, they open up the popular dive watch world to a wider array of wrist sizes. That said, a watch is going to have to have a lot more going for it to stand out in the most saturated part of the market.
The Marinor’s 39mm case is quite tidy, with small but attractive crown guards and nicely downturned lugs. The 316L stainless steel case features brushing across every surface as well as a subtle chamfer along the outer edge of the lugs, giving it a lively texture in the light. The version I reviewed also featured a gold-tone crown capped with a ship’s wheel. It’s a nicely detailed relief, but more importantly, the crown is easy to grip and operate, and it screws down to help the Marinor offer 300 meters of water resistance.
A major part of Héron’s sales proposition for the watch is the hardened coating on the stainless steel of both case and bracelet, imparting a hardness rating of 1200 hv. While I did not subject the watch to any stress testing on this front, it did stand up to daily wear and tear exceptionally well, especially the clasp and parts of the bracelet that are prone to rubbing on surfaces or the side of the case that might smack into the occasional doorjamb.
Beneath the embossed caseback, which features a swarthy sea captain smoking a corncob pipe (the Marinor’s namesake), the watch is driven by a Miyota 9039 automatic movement. It’s a microbrand mainstay with 24 jewels, 42-hour power reserve, and hacking and hand-winding capabilities.
This is a decidedly compact watch: between the 39mm diameter and the downturned lugs, it’s a great fit for my 6.5” wrist. At no point, however, does it sacrifice presence. This is a watch you’re going to notice.
One of the first things that jumped out at me was the domed sapphire bezel in forest green, inspired by some of the most iconic dive watches of the ‘50s and ‘60s. It’s gorgeous and moves with a smooth 120 clicks (unidirectionally, of course). I’ve long been a fan of this style of bezel, and I wish more watch designers looked back to it for inspiration. Then again, it’s more expensive to manufacture than some of the alternatives, but I think the end result is worth it.
The crystal is also sapphire and rises to a dome that gives the watch a 13mm height. That height made me worry the watch would appear top-heavy or ungainly, given its smaller diameter, especially when paired with the bezel whose coin edge overhangs the case. In practice, it feels considerably slimmer and not at all bulky.
The Héron Marinor features a unique bracelet that clearly recieved a lot of thought and effort. It’s eye-catching and comfortable, featuring female end links that once again help reinforce the watch’s compact design. The signed, push-button clasp feels very secure even without a flip lock, and the whole affair is nicely finished and brushed.
We have officially entered the era of the on-the-fly extension link. What was once the domain of luxury watches like Rolex can now be found on microbrand watches from around the world. It’s still relatively uncommon, but the Marinor is one of the latest to feature it. I, for one, am a huge fan. It allows for adjustments of up to several millimeters, perfect for warm days or active lifestyles where your wrist may expand or contract at different times of the day. Once you’ve grown accustomed to it, It’s a convenience factor that becomes more noticeable and unforgivable on the watches that don’t feature it. Equally convenient and appreciated are the screwed links, making it much easier to add or remove them without fiddling with a pin and collar system.
Despite all of that praise, the bracelet isn’t perfect. Or rather, it might not be perfect for the Marinor. With the supple curves of the watch’s bezel and the gentle chamfers, the hard lines of the bracelet seem to clash. As I said, it’s well-designed in its own right, comfortable, and articulated. I just can’t help feeling that it might be a better fit for another watch — and let’s face it, a vintage-inspired watch like this one is just crying out for a classic beads of rice. I hope Héron continues to offer this bracelet on future releases either way. If you’re looking to swap in a different bracelet or strap, the Marinor’s 20mm lug width and quick-release springbars will make it pretty simple to find an option that suits you.
The dial is a gorgeous gray fumé with a subtle grain that fades to black at the outer edges, making the gilt hour markers stand out even more. The dots and bars look like those of any old Tudor Black Bay clone but for the most distinctive hour marker at 12 o’clock, inspired by the North Star that guided seafarers of the past. It’s bold, unique, and a little romantic, though to my eye, it stood out as a hair oversized for the dial. It does feature a nice bit of symmetry, however, as its bottommost point reaches out to nearly kiss the beak of the brand’s eponymous logo. Beneath that logo is the brand name, and at the bottom of the dial is printed “Marinor 300m” in small but legible text
The handset is classic diver: a broad arrow for the hours, a sword for the minutes, and a lollipop for the seconds. All gilt and all highly legible in light and dark conditions, thanks to the Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9. The lume is very crisp on the hands and hour markers, and it’s quite impressive on the bezel numerals and markers, as well.
Before I wrap this review up, I feel compelled to touch on the staggering number of available options when factoring in Kickstarter exclusives. Héron will offer three models as part of their standard lineup – in black, dark blue, and a more tropical Caribbean blue. However, Kickstarter backers can also choose from the limited Anchor, Gilt, Old Radium, and Carbon collections. There are too many options to list individually here, but they come in a variety of bezel and dial colors and even a black DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) Carbon case and bracelet option. Héron drew deep from the well of nautical inspiration to name all of these watches: the Pequod, the Nautilus, and the Drakkar are but a few. The Captain Flint (of Treasure Island infamy), which I received for this review, comes from the Gilt Collection and is identifiable by the gold-tone hands, hour markers, and crown. With so many possibilities, it is hard to pick a favorite, but I find myself drawn to the electric blue of the Caribbean and Bahamas editions.
The Héron Marinor launches on Kickstarter on October 24th, so sign up to be notified if you are interested. The watch will retail for $620 USD, but Kickstarter backers can get it for as little as $435, which is a great value for such a fun and durable watch. Visit https://www.heronwatches.com/ to explore their other watches or sign up for the Kickstarter campaign.
