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Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN
Nordic Marine is a new brand to me, but this isn’t their first watch. The Demark-based brand released a dive model last year through Kickstarter. While I didn’t get to check that one out in person, it looked fantastic, especially with its very colorful and textured dials. This time they are going for more of an everyday field-style watch with the Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN. This new model, which uses the same style case and bracelet only now sized at 39mm, comes in 6 different color options, and the one I have for review is the FULDMÅNE, which translates to full moon. All are sandwich dials, have sapphire crystals, a Miyota 9015 automatic movement, and a solid link bracelet with on the fly adjustable clasp. They are currently up for prodder at the price of $549.
Specifications
- 39mm Stainless Steel Case
- 10.5mm Case Thickness47.60 mm case length / lug-to-lug
- 20mm lug width tapers to 16mm at clasp
- Bracelet fits up to 8.5-inch wrists
- 160 Grams in Weight
- Sapphire Crystal
- Full lume Sandwich Dial
- 100m Water Resistant
- Stainless Bracelet with on the fly micro adjust clasp
- Miyota 9015 Automatic Movement
Current Preorder Price $549 (As of July 11, 2024)
https://nordicmarineinstruments.com/collections/sovaern
The dial color of this one I think is best described as sand or a muted tan color, and like most watch dials, it can look a little different depending on the lighting, and this is the only version of the Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN that is full lume. All the dials have a slight texture to them, though it looks a little more pronounced on the other dial colors, probably because of the lume paint applied to the dial. This is a real multi-piece dial as well, as while it is a sandwich dial, with a bottom layer and the indices cut out, the chapter ring is also a separate piece as you can see a cut line around the main part of the dial. This gives this flat dial a little extra depth or dimension. The hands are all black, including the second hand. (with orange tip), and the second hand is the only hand to have lume applied.
All the dials have color-matched date wheels, an anchor counterbalance for the second hand, and a raised Nordic anchor logo, that catches the light nicely and is highly detailed, especially considering how small it is. All in all, this is a very clean, easy-to-read dial, with a lot of attention to detail, especially for a watch at this price point. If this color is not for you, make sure to check out the Nordic website as there is a light blue dial, black, silver, a gorgeous moss green, and an all-black with an old radium lume color, in a DLC case. (That one is a limited edition with a price of $599.
The Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN has a pretty svelte case at 39mm, and only 10.5mm in thickness. And unlike a lot of field-style watches, this one has a unique case shape along with some beautiful finishing. The mid-case is ever so slightly curved, but also has a somewhat straight profile to it, similar to some Seiko models, while the middle is brushed, sandwiched by polished chamfers top and bottom.
This gives the case a lot of dimension and that finishing is continued not the bezel area, the inner parts of the lugs, and the bracelet clasp. I also love how the crown guards are shaped, as they look to be machined out of the same solid block of steel, and they do a great job of protecting the signed screw-down crown. You can tell that this case was originally a dive watch case, but it works well in a field watch design as well.
One area that I have a bit of criticism on is the end link/lug end. The lugs come to a pretty abrupt end, and the end links of the Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN sit inside the lugs, so they are not exactly flush. Now this is not uncommon, many end links and lug ends do not line up perfectly and I think to my eye, it is just more noticeable because of the sharp cut to the end of the lugs. It is something purely subjective and of course does not affect functionality as the end links sit perfectly inside the case without any gaps and are very secure, it is just something that stuck out to me a little as I continued to look at the watch over as I wore it.
Under the case back of the Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN is the slim Miyota 9015 workhorse Japanse movement. This movement is known to have a pretty audible rotor noise, and this one is no different, but I have always kind of liked that quirk to this movement. What does stand out a little to me is how plain the case back is, with the polished outer area and empty brushed circle in the middle. Again, something purely subjective but I think this would have been a great place for a nice Anchor etching.
The bracelet tapers from 20mm down to 16mm at the clasp and is a beautiful oyster-style link bracelet, very solid in feeling, and because of the female end links, they allow the bracelet to drop right down on the wrist, instead of jetting outwards. The links use screw pins and are very easy to size, and of course, if you need to get an even better fit after removing a few links, you can do so with the push button on the fly tool-less adjustment clasp. This is very similar to many other microbrands, and the link can slide in and out, probably about a half links worth, to help obtain that perfect fit on the wrists whenever you need it.
And speaking of the wrist, the Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN is only 39mm, and that initially did give me some pause. I am fully aware that watch sizes have been dropping over the past 5 years, and while 15-20 years ago it was all about 45mm and up watches, these days it is a lot of 40mm and under, and I have quite a few watches in for review that are much smaller than this.
With that all said, this one truly surprised me, as some watches do, to look completely fantastic on my 7 1/2 inch (19.0cm) wrist. It doesn’t look or feel small at all, possibly due to the large dial opening and no dive bezel, and with how thin this watch is, it has been a joy to wear. I do prefer to wear it on the bracelet, but Nordic does sell some tropic straps in case you want to switch it out. I do admit it does look good on a black tropic rubber, but the bracelet is where it is at for me.
We can’t forget about the lume though! The Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN is a full lume dial, and in the dark, this is somewhat of a pale/green-yellow color. I will admit, I think I prefer more of a BGW9 blue when it comes to fully lumed dials but one thing is for sure, you will not have a problem telling time in the dark with this navy field watch.
The Nordic Marine Instruments SØVÆRN has truly impressed me. For a watch that is under $600, it sometimes just amazes me how good watches at this price have become. This is a very attractive-looking watch, especially with the sandwich dial and overall layout, and the entire watch is just very well made and finished, so much more so than say a Seiko in the same price range. Now I do love me some Seiko, so that is not a slight, but I doubt you would be able to find one this well put together and with all of these details for $550. Of course, this is all subjective, and with that said, this sand color dial is not my first choice at all. I am much more fond of the silver or moss green dials, as I think both of them are just striking. If you like full lume dials, this is the only way to get it in the collection, but with 6 different options, there is something there for everyone, if you dig this design.
Many brands do not achieve a watch that looks and feels this good with just their second offering, but the man behind Nordic Marine Instruments is Mick Jørgensen, who runs the Instagram channel Wristporn and more importantly owns Watch Bandit, a very popular microbrand and strap retailer. It is because of Watch Bandit and selling so many microbrand watches over the years that he wanted to start his own, and it looks to me like the brand is off to a great start.
Nordic Marine Instruments
