MMI, purveyors of affordable quality tool watches, are back with the Nor-Light, a model that takes the brand in a dressier direction than their previous offerings. Inspired by the Northern Lights, and featuring dial finishing options ranging from paper dials from Japan’s Awagami Factory, to transparent sapphire, to lumed landscapes patterned after the model’s namesake, the Nor-Light is an intriguing next step from a brand heretofore known for robust tool watches. MMI generously sent over two versions of the Nor-Light, a blue no-date option with a Washi paper dial, and an orange sapphire dial with their signature roulette-wheel date function.
It is hard to discuss MMI’s watches without mentioning the date function that has become a design signature for the brand. In its prior appearances on MMI’s Turret and Sky-Hunter models, the date function used a positive indication, wherein a colorful marking would appear within the cutout window corresponding to the date being indicated. For the Nor-Light, the idea remains similar, where the date indication is a permanently visible 31-position ring, but the indication of the date appears negative. That is to say, the wheel beneath the transparent dial obscures 30 of the 31 positions, leaving an opening for the date indicated by the movement. That opening is not actually an empty space but is actually a lumed position, which means the indicated date is backlit by lume. This is a clever trick, and manages good legibility while maintaining the continuous surface of the transparent dial plate.
The dynamism of the Nor-Light’s dials extends beyond the quirky date function of the orange model I had in for review. I counted a total of 11 different dial options available through the Nor-Light’s Kickstarter campaign, at the time of writing. Three of those are paper dials in white, blue, and orange, in which several layers of exceptionally fine-grained paper are placed below the clear sapphire dial plate, upon which the minute track and hour markers are affixed. There are five color variants of the date version, including the orange one I had, plus black, blue, brown, and purple, the latter two of which are attained stretch goal colors. Lastly, there are three no-date versions in white, black, and blue, that each possess a layer below the sapphire dial plate that has lume painted in a landscape scene of the Northern Lights. I didn’t have any of these dial versions on hand, but you can see photos of the lume scene on the Nor-Light’s campaign page.
Each dial variant bears the same arrangement of hour markers and the same minute track. The latter is a simple arrangement of hashes printed in black upon the sapphire dial plate and enables a more precise reading of the time without visually distracting from the dial texture or color. The hour markers are a mix of triangles at the odd positions and Arabic numerals at the even. These indices are a combination of white lume with a printed black outline for both the geometric shapes and numerals, with a slight amount of depth above the sapphire dial. The thin printing provides space for the hands to clear the sapphire dial plate and the underlayer, while maintaining the 12mm thickness of the watch. That same printing, though, reduces the overall strength of the lume, but only to a degree that is fitting a sports watch with dressier aspirations.
The font used for the Arabic numerals is a pleasing vintage style, but the size of those numerals is a tad too small to my eye. Victor, MMI’s Founder, has noted his preference to let the dial materials, particularly the underlayers of paper and lume, to be the stars of the show, and while I may prefer otherwise, I appreciate his reasoning. The obelisk hour and minute hands, and the arrow seconds hand, are similar to the numeral font in their vintage inspiration, and together make for harmonious dial furniture. On the paper-dial variants, there is symmetry in this antiquity, while the numerals and hands provide an interesting anachronistic air to the other two, more modern dial executions.
A final note on the dials, particularly with reference to the two models I had in for review. The orange sapphire dial, as the photos throughout this review illustrate, skews much more towards a pleasant and saturated shade of red. The blue Washi paper dial pops in direct light, but the texture of the paper can be harder to notice in more muted lighting conditions. If you are interested in a Washi paper version of the Nor-Light, and are keen to be able to see the depth of the paper’s texture with ease, you might want to consider one of the brighter colors, on which the texture should be more forward. These notes considered, I still found both of these dials quite attractive, and I doubt owners of either variant will be disappointed with their watches.
The Nor-Light’s case is more straightforward in design than its dial options, but it is still nicely done. The top surface of the lugs is brushed, and transitions to the polished flanks of the case with a thin, soft-edged chamfer that tapers to a point before terminating at the lug tips. The lugs have a gentle downturn from the case, and combined with a moderate lug to lug distance of 46.5mm, will allow for the 39.5mm wide case to wear comfortably on a wide range of wrists. The case is topped off with a two-step bezel, both surfaces of which are polished. The case does have one deceitful measurement – the watch is only 12mm in height, which surprised me given how tall it can look in profile. This is directly a result of the case sides being both completely vertical, and polished. You won’t have to worry about annoying smudges on all that polished surfacing, though, as one of the attained stretch goals of the Nor-Light’s Kickstarter campaign will add an anti-fingerprint coating to the case. 
Despite the visual heft of the polished case sides, the Nor-Light wears comfortably, particularly when paired with the 5-link bracelet that comes standard with the purchase of the watch. I appreciate that MMI has pursued something different than the more common, ever-popular jubilee style 5-link construction, opting instead for 5 equally-sized pieces per link. The outer two pieces of each link are finished with the same light brushing as the top of the lugs, while the inner three pieces of each link are polished, as are the sides of each link. The finishing on the bracelet echoes the varied surfaces of the case, and adds some additional flare to the Nor-Light, without being excessively flashy. The bracelet is 20mm from the lugs to the clasp, which will be updated to a tool-less microadjust clasp for production.
As MMI continues to mature as a brand, I would love to see them explore case designs that offer the type of unique expression of their dials. More facets, or curves, as well as a greater mixture of surface finishing, would help to separate their watches even further from the pack. From how Victor interacts with feedback, I am confident they are capable of such evolution. Take, for example, the crown on the prototypes I received. On both models, the crowns were too small, and not merely as a matter of preference – I actually found it a bit difficult to wind and set the watch. When trying to set the date, the crown kept slipping back to the fully depressed position. Someone else must have made a similar comment to Victor, who has already developed a new larger crown design, up from 5.5mm on the prototypes to 7mm on production models. This will certainly improve functionality, and will also make the crown more proportionately appropriate for the height of the watch. Small, but meaningful, adjustments like this illustrate Victor’s receptiveness to feedback, as well as his (and MMI’s) ability to evolve their designs for the better.
MMI has made something different here than their previous fare: more dress-sports watch than an outright tool watch. To do so, they haven’t merely cloned the approach of that category’s modern stalwarts, like the Rolex Explorer, Oyster Perpetual, or Omega Aqua Terra. The case may be more standard fare, but the bracelet keeps the metal elements from being anodyne, and the various dial executions do a lot to take the Nor-Light out of the realm of also-rans, and into a more interesting space of proprietary design. Clearly, they are onto a winning formula, as the Nor-Light’s campaign was fully funded in under 30 minutes. The brand’s designs have always intrigued me, and I’m excited by the potential the Nor-Light shows for their future.
If you’re interested in nabbing a Nor-Light at the pre-order prices – starting at $312 – run over to the Kickstarter campaign, which ends at 1159am EST on November 30th.
