Introducing: The Héron Marinor — An Updated Dive Watch From Canada
Admittedly, we don’t hear about Canada much when it comes to watches. That’s a shame and perhaps slightly surprising, as it’s a large country with a variety of landscapes. Plus, there’s coastline and inland water to explore. This makes Montreal-based Héron a bit of an upstart. The brand began delivering watches in 2021, and its sophomore debut was the Marinor. After a brief hiatus, the diver is back with updated specs and colors.
While larger, established watch brands are currently having a tough go, it seems that there’s no stopping the progress at smaller independents. Indeed, every year, watches on the more affordable end of the spectrum offer more value at unbeatable prices. Today’s Héron Marinor is a great example that should interest many of our readers.
The Héron Marinor
In 2023, we saw the initial release of the Héron Marinor on the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The watch was successful and aggressively priced, but clearly, the brand wasn’t satisfied. As a result, the watch was missing in the lineup for the last year. Now, though, it returns with some improvements and two new colors. For starters, the watch is made of stainless steel hardened to 1,200 HV for scratch resistance. The 39mm by 46mm case size is also pleasing, with the latter dimension showing a 1mm reduction. Similarly, the watch now has a 12.2mm overall thickness, marking a 0.7mm decrease.
The Marinor sports a box-type sapphire crystal surrounded by a domed sapphire bezel insert. For the spec-hungry, the bezel is unidirectional and has 120 clicks. A purposeful screw-down crown sits ensconced within bold crown guards, affording a depth rating of 250 meters.
A three-row flat-link bracelet
The Héron Marinor is yet another example of how smaller brands are adorning their watches with great bracelet designs. The watch comes equipped with a stainless steel three-row flat-link bracelet. From an adjustability perspective, the links use screws, and the brand includes a screwdriver for fitting. The push-button clasp conceals an underlying push-and-slide microadjustment extension. Finally, quick-release spring bars make removal a breeze if using a 20mm wide stap is of interest.
Four dial designs, and two are new
When the Marinor launched in 2023, two dial options were available with a gradient pattern. A black-and-gilt design featured gold surrounds for the applied indexes. A dark blue dial, known as the Atlantic, with silver surrounds, was also available. Now, a green model, the Menthol, and a lighter blue, the Caribbean, join the catalog as serial offerings.
Aesthetically, the Marinor channels the style of classic dive watches but adds a twist of its own. Notably, the watch has a distinctive index at 12 o’clock that resembles the North Star. It’s different, and I like the change from a triangle or rectangle. Otherwise, the chamfered hands and indexes are all filled with blue-emitting Super-LumiNova BGW9, except for the Gilt & Black variant, which swaps this for Old Radium.
The Miyota 9039 automatic
The Marinor has a solid stainless steel screw-in case back with a depiction of a mariner. It’s this figure and his Nordic style of dress that provide the watch with its name. Underneath the hatch, Héron has opted for the well-known Miyota 9039 automatic movement. This thin caliber offers 42 hours of power reserve and ticks at 28,800 vibrations per hour.
The Héron Marinor offers serious value
If a dive watch with retro design cues and durable surfaces sounds interesting, the Héron Marinor is likely worth a look. Plus, with a price of just US$640, it’s difficult to debate the amount of value here. Furthermore, with four color options, there’s likely something for everyone. Pre-orders begin today via the brand’s website, with deliveries to follow in June. Let us know your thoughts on this attractive yet affordable diver.
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