It’s been almost exactly five years since a member of the Croatian watch forum, of which I’m also a member, shared a link to an article. The article announced a new microbrand called Marnaut, which has Croatian origins. Even though I’m not from Croatia, I was intrigued by this — as were, of course, many of my forum friends who are from Croatia. I even checked out the Kickstarter project. I liked the design, but the watch — called the Dark Surge — was relatively expensive for a Miyota 9015-powered piece, which kept me from pulling the trigger. Back in 2018, the Kickstarter price was €450, with a high probability of additional taxes and shipping costs from Hong Kong (as we assumed), which meant the total cost would be close to €600. And so, I eventually forgot about it.
Then, last month, another forum member shared a link again — this time showing that Marnaut had obviously succeeded, and that they now had their own webpage which also includes a webshop.
I checked the site immediately and saw that, in addition to the original Dark Surge dive watch, the brand had expanded their collection with a compressor-style model called the Seascape. Both models come in three variations, so essentially six different watches.
Just a quick note — at the time of writing (a little under two months later), the brand has also introduced a third model: a classic dress watch called Safe Harbour, once again offered in three versions.
The biggest surprise was that all the watches are now powered by the Sellita SW200-1b movement. And that’s not all. These watches have nothing to do with China — they are assembled in Germany. The brand even has a showroom on the Croatian island of Brač, located on the Adriatic coast. However, it wasn’t immediately clear where the watches are shipped from if you place an order via email. So, just to be sure, I asked. Within 10 minutes, the brand’s owner, Mr. Mario Jutronic, replied and confirmed that the watches are shipped from Split (Croatia) using DHL Express.
I usually leave pricing for the end, but this time I’ll start with it — because the prices are more than competitive! All Dark Surge models are priced at €749, the Seascape at €699, and the newest Safe Harbour at just €549. And since Croatia is part of the EU, these are final prices for EU customers — no hidden VAT or import costs. For watches powered by a Sellita movement, that’s extremely competitive. So the question wasn’t whether to get one, but which one to get!
All three models share the same dial design. As mentioned before, the main differences are in the case construction:
-
Dark Surge is a 41mm classic diver with 300m water resistance and an external bezel with 120 clicks.
-
Seascape is a 40mm compressor-style diver with 200m water resistance, an internal bezel, and twin crowns.
-
Safe Harbour is a 39mm dress watch without a bezel.
Since I tend to prefer larger watches, my first instinct was to go for one of the Dark Surge models. I was even worried that 41mm might be too small for my taste... Next, I had to choose which of the three variants to pick. Just as a reminder — one comes with a steel case and black bezel, another with a steel case and grey bezel, and the third is fully black (DLC case).
It’s uncommon for all versions — including a DLC one — to be priced the same, as most brands usually charge a premium for DLC coatings. So in this case, price wasn’t a factor in my decision. Even though the all-black version is, in my opinion, the best-looking one, as you’ll see, I ultimately chose the steel case with black bezel. Practicality won the battle.
The order process went smoothly, and just two days later, I received the following:
The first impression was great — the watch looked beautiful. I wound it up, set the time immediately, and put it on my wrist. But my enthusiasm came to a sudden stop just a few minutes later. The watch wasn’t working properly. The second hand kept stopping at the tenth second with every rotation. Something was clearly blocking it at that position.
I contacted Mr. Jutronic right away and sent him a short video showing how the watch was behaving — or rather, not behaving. Once again, he replied immediately and arranged to send me a replacement watch the very next day. Without waiting for the faulty one to be returned first!
No arguments, no discussion about the malfunction, no talk of repairing the existing piece — just a direct and straightforward solution. I did, of course, return the defective watch, but the new one actually arrived on the same day I sent the broken one back.
I received the new watch just in time to take it with me on my main summer holiday, which I spent on the Adriatic coast — in Croatia. So the watch was tested and worn in its natural habitat. :)
The most recognizable detail of all Marnaut watches is the dial. It mimics the shell of a sea urchin — and does so quite successfully. So all those dots on the dial are not just there for fun.
Although the watch is powered by the Sellita SW200 movement — which includes a date complication — Marnaut watches do not feature a date window. My guess is that the main reason is the potential disruption of dial symmetry. The dotted dial also poses a challenge in terms of layout. There isn’t much room for text. The most obvious result of this lack of space is seen at 6 o’clock, where the word “automatic” is printed over two lines — very unusual, to put it politely. More space is available at the top, and it's used to fit the brand name, the model name, and even the water resistance rating.
A particularly interesting detail is the set of geographical coordinates printed at the very bottom of the dial. Each model has a different set, representing the location where the concept for that model was born. All coordinates are from the area around the island of Brač, including the nearby coastal city of Split.
Speaking of dots — I was initially concerned that they might affect legibility, potentially acting as “false hands.” Fortunately, that’s not the case. The hour and minute hands are thick, long, and highly distinctive, so reading the time is never an issue. I’m not so sure, however, about how this works on the Safe Harbour dress model, which has very thin hands.
The seconds hand also features a dot, which travels along the outermost circle of dots. It’s a nice visual detail.
I already mentioned the unidirectional, 120-click ceramic bezel. I do have a small complaint about it. There’s a bit of “play” in its setting — it allows for nearly half a minute of counter-rotation. You could almost get the impression that it’s bidirectional. I’m fairly sure this wasn’t the case on the first day. It’s possible that the bezel has lost some of its stiffness after constant exposure to seawater, showers, and so on. If that’s true, it’s not exactly a good sign.
Yes, I wore this watch almost nonstop for an entire month — nearly 24 hours a day. The only time it got a break was during my cycling sessions (I wear a sports watch when cycling). It proved to be a very reliable companion. Throughout that period, I never had to wind it manually, and I never had to reset the time. Over the course of one month, the watch lost less than a minute.
Time is easy to read even underwater and at night, thanks to very good Super-LumiNova. Not all of the dots are lumed, which shows the designers were aware of the potential issue of “false hands” had they decided to lume everything. The bezel is also lumed.
Even though the watch is “only” 41mm in diameter with a 46mm lug-to-lug, it wears larger on the wrist — which I like. I believe the main reason is the dial itself, which is nearly 35mm wide. That gives the watch a bigger optical presence.
The rubber strap isn’t the best-looking I’ve ever seen (in fact, this particular style — with lots of holes — tends to be one of my least favorites), but it’s very comfortable, soft, and pleasant to wear. On my wrist, it fits naturally and securely. No complaints here at all.
I haven’t had the chance — or the desire — to swap it for a leather strap, so I can’t offer any impressions about how the leather strap feels on the wrist. It seems soft and thin, but that’s just based on handling it. The lugs are 20mm wide, though they are not quick-release.
The crystal is, of course, sapphire. The caseback, however, is not. It’s a standard solid caseback used to display various pieces of information. For my friends from Croatia, the most important inscription is definitely “Designed in Croatia.”
The crown is, as expected, screw-down and is signed with the letter “M.”
An interesting detail is the certificate of authenticity, which comes in the form of a card with a QR code. To verify it, you need to install the CertiEye app on your phone. Once scanned, the app confirms that the watch with the stated serial number is authentic and shows when it was purchased.
And now, the final verdict. The watch proved to be a very practical and well-made summer companion, offering a great price-to-quality ratio. Unexpectedly, I also had the opportunity to test the brand’s after-sales support — which turned out to be excellent.
All in all, Marnaut is a microbrand my Croatian watch enthusiast friends can definitely be proud of. And for those outside Croatia, it’s certainly a microbrand that deserves your attention.
Add comment
Comments