For those of you who know me, my go-to selection for dive watches has always been fairly chunky. The Seiko and Citizens of the world are where my comfort zone lies when choosing something to take diving with me. That’s why, when I got to review Horizon’s Nemo, I jumped.
Out with the mineral crystal, aluminum bezel, and slab sides and in with a refinement and styling that I haven’t come across at watches of this price point before. Obviously, in being offered a choice of a colorway for review, I picked the aptly named Clown, a bright orange and grey addition to an otherwise reasonably sober roster of colors. Then again, orange and dive watches go hand in hand, so how could I have picked any other option…?
Starting with the case, the Nemo presents you with an elegantly sculpted and curved profile inspired by the writings of Jules Verne- after all, the name is an homage to the Legendary captain in his book “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea”. With a design reminiscent of something out of the steampunk genre, the Nemo stands out among its peers. The lugs curve gracefully down towards the edges of the wrist, providing a very comfortable wearing experience. From above, they also taper in towards the bracelet to give an integrated feel to the design, adding to the whole package’s retro feel. The case also curves out smoothly to provide the crown with elegant guards, meaning it is difficult to knock the crown accidentally. The crown itself is one of the nicest I have come across on that subject. It is both big and grippy and does not match the rest of the design. Both winding and setting the watch are very easy and tactile. The case back is a beautifully engraved slab of steel, setting the Nemo up with 200m of water resistance, plenty to add credibility to it as a serious dive watch.
While I am assuming the pattern is meant to evoke waves or the movement of water, it does, in my case, remind me of the texture of smoked salmon. An interesting design choice, but it doesn’t detract from the look of the watch overall. Moving on to the watch’s business end, the Nemo Clown’s dial is a beautifully texture orange. There are almost tones of pink in certain lights, which is a nice change from the nuclear orange of most dive watches. It is just another detail that helps the Nemo stand out. In keeping with the color of the dial, the texture is a very subtle orange peel-like affair with a subtle roughness contrasting nicely with the smoothness of the rest of the design.
Over the dial, a top hat crystal sits proud of the rest of the case and bezel. From the front, the dial is easily legible, and from the sides, the crystal adds a lovely distortion reminiscent of the portholes in a ship. Around the dial are applied lume-filled markers that make legibility superb. At the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions are numerals in a proprietary font in keeping with the steampunk origins of the watch, while the other indices are chunky circles. All are filled with BGW9 Superluminova on the Nemo, although some colorways come with Old Radium instead. One detail that I find brilliant is the date display. A candy cane-like date wheel is hidden away in the index at the 4 o’clock position, alternating between orange numerals for the even days and black for the odd. Even better, though, the date wheel is lumed and functions as another marker after quite an ingenious design.
Horizon Nemo Specs | |
Case Width 40mm | Lug-to-Lug 47mm |
Case Thickness 11.85mm | Lug Width 20mm |
Water Resistance 200m | Strap Bracelet |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova BGW9 |
Movement Sellita SW-200 | Price $1,100 |
While the case and dial of the watch are stunning, there is one serious drawback: the bracelet. While the Nemo is offered on a color-matched rubber strap or a steel bracelet, only the rubber option is comfortable. The example I received for review came with both, and the bracelet looks fantastic, but it is very uncomfortable to wear. The main problem stems from the quick-release pins that jut out from the back of the bracelet where it meets the lugs. While most quick-release systems are relatively unnoticeable, the pins on the Nemo stick straight into the back of my wrist. This is a real shame as the design of the bracelet itself is beautiful. The ends form a semi-integrated design, while the links form an overlapping scale-like pattern. The clasp has a butterfly design, which I am not a fan of for dive watches, but it includes an adjustment system on both sides of the clasp, which is much appreciated for wearing over wetsuits. The rubber strap is nicely detailed, fitting perfectly with the design of the rest of the watch.
Having now spent several months with the Nemo and taken it on several dives, as well as daily wear on the boat and at the pub (a crucial test ground for any watch), I can comfortably say that it stands up well to the rigors of daily wear. Not only has it been a delight to wear, but it has also garnered many compliments from colleagues and passengers regarding its looks. Legibility is fantastic, even below 60 feet, although the orange eventually fades. Everything is coated in a thick application of lume, which has also been a great companion on our various night dives. Even when it has spent time sitting in a drawer, it has been easy to get back up and running thanks to the oversized crown and easy-to-read dial. I believe this model is a prototype, so if Horizon can just work out the issues with the quick-release system on the bracelet, I think they have an absolute hit on their hands, especially for summer at the bottom of the world.
Check out more of Will’s reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Horizon website here
Bringing light to an aspect of horology that is often overlooked
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