Hands-OnPaulin Dives Into Tool Watch Design With The Mara

Mara, Scottish Gaelic for 'of the sea,' is an incredibly fitting name for this new design-led diver, available with either a black or blue dial and priced at $1,650. The silhouette should seem familiar to those closely following Paulin's evolution as a brand — it takes the cushion-style case from the Modul line, and injects it with a slightly rounder, chunkier feel. It's the brand's largest case, at 39.7mm in diameter, with a thickness of 13.5mm (including the very domed sapphire crystal) and a lug-to-lug of 48mm.

Gone are the ultra-sharp edges and the industrial screws on the side of the case, and this time, slightly softer beveling takes its place, and the steel case is streamlined to ensure the 300 meters of water resistance appropriate for a dive watch. Also adding to the softer silhouette is the 120-click unidirectional dive bezel, fitted with a curved sapphire ring with Super-LumiNova printed on its underside. The bezel action is quite nice for the price point, with a very crisp click action and very little back-and-forth play. It slightly overhangs the case, which, when paired with the indentations on the bezel, helps improve grip when it comes to gloves or wet, slippery hands. For a brand that's never designed any watch with a bezel before, I was honestly impressed.

The dial is really where Paulin leans into its graphical roots, with the brass dial getting a matte treatment in black or dark blue and plenty of little designer details. The dial and bezel insert feature the brand's own 'Wim' typeface, designed by Paulin and AnOrdain's in-house typographer Imogen Ayres (who also happens to be Paulin's Creative Director). This complements the boldly geometric hour markers, in shapes of triangles, squares, and circles, which offer a bit of ironic imperfection through hand-applied Super-LumiNova relief printing for underwater illumination. 

Paulin's logo and "Glasgow" are nicely integrated into the printed minutes track, while broad, rounded baton hands in two shades of Super-LumiNova provide maximum legibility. A lollipop seconds hand with a bright, contrasting colored tip is the cherry on top. I'm obsessed with this dial design, and I think that the balance achieved here between usability as a tool watch and visual interest is quite perfect. It's a good reminder that good designers possess the all-important quality of restraint.

A solid caseback encloses the top-grade automatic La Joux-Perret G101 beating away inside, a favorite of both Paulin and AnOrdain. With a 68-hour power reserve and 28,800 VpH beat-rate, it's a contemporary caliber that has started to hold its own among microbrands at this price point. While I think no one is really allowed to complain about a solid caseback on any dive watch, I think this is an example where I would actually love the option of an exhibition caseback. Sure, the G101 isn't a visually groundbreaking caliber, but I'm surprised a little bit of visual flair on the caseback wasn't an option from Paulin, even as a small upcharge.

The Paulin Mara comes with two straps — in its original cork packaging, the Mara comes delivered on a fabric strap made from recycled fishing nets. But fear not for scratchiness, as the straps are actually lined in-house with Italian Alcantara, so you get a feel of a suede strap with a bit more water resistance for daily wear though it's probably not for long-term water exposure. If you're to take the Mara properly in the water, as it was designed to do, chances are you'll want to switch to the included custom rubber strap.

From a physical perspective, the rubber strap is impressive, mostly because it is custom injection molded to fit the case of the Mara. In practicality, the flare is a bit too pronounced, especially for smaller wrists. Having spent a few days with the Mara, though the rubber strap certainly felt more appropriate for the watch, I didn't like how much the strap flared outwards before it could turn down, leaving a gap on my wrist despite the case of the Mara being well-proportioned. The Mara remained on the fabric strap for the rest of my time with it. Despite all this, I couldn't help but love the silliness in the actual design of the rubber strap. It's where Paulin has seemed to let loose quite a bit, adding very striking branding down the entire length of the strap in its injection mold. It's not for everyone, but a strap can be easily changed.

Overall, for Paulin's first-ever entry into the dive watch space, count me impressed. It's managed to create in the Mara what I'd call a "toolish watch," one that checks off all the boxes you'd typically look for in, say, a microbrand diver, but doesn't let those checkboxes force an aesthetic compromise. Like an old colleague used to say, I need another dive watch like I need another hole in my head, but the Mara sure has me tempted.

For more, visit Paulin.