When you think of microbrands, as a watch enthusiast, what comes to mind? For me, more than anything, it is about the willingness to color outside the lines. The drive to explore new horizons where some larger brands just aren’t nimble enough to tread. Enter the Nemolithic, a dive watch from a brand appropriately named Horizon. In a market fraught with options galore, the design aesthetic, build quality and use of stone dials make this a unique offering that warrants a closer look.
What struck me initially about the Nemolithic after laying eyes on it in the flesh was just the sizing and structure. Though I am a firm believer there are not, generally speaking, “right” or “wrong” dimensions for a watch, the 40mm diameter and sub 12mm height feel ideal here. Off the bat I was surprised to see a 22mm lug width coupled with those measurements, but it works here. The bracelet was clearly designed specifically for the Nemo and its kin and leans into the vintage aesthetic without being derivative. The taper is great from the wide lugs all the way to the buckle ending at 16mm at the clasp. It’s a dramatic taper on paper, but I am for it, personally. I think further refinements could be made to the bracelet clasp, or perhaps Horizon could forgo the butterfly for a more traditional quick-adjust fold-over, but that is my only nitpick.
Continuing with the old-school design elements, the sapphire bezel insert on the Tiger’s Eye model is a nice faded grey color and surrounds a top hat sapphire crystal. The knurling on the bezel is fine, to the degree that, when viewed top down, almost looks beaded. The click-factor of the bezel is great. It is nice and crisp, and with 120 stops along the way you can get a high degree of accuracy. The case design itself feels sort of organic. There are not a lot of hard lines which makes for a smooth form factor that feels unique to Horizon. In particular I am a fan of the crown guards and large 7.5mm crown. While the former do seem a little on the small side for such a robust crown, the look is great and the surface area of the crown ensures great purchase when you need to make a quick time change.
The Nemo itself has been in the Horizon lineup for years at this point, but the inclusion of a stone dial variant was not on my bingo card. Stone dials are something of a trend right now, and I would say I am a fan, at least from the outside looking in. I have long pondered how a stone dial dive watch could look, so when I saw the Nemolithic announced I knew I had to check it out. There are five different variations of stone options, each limited to 23 pieces. I opted to look at the Tiger’s Eye.
I am not a professional diver, or really a diver of any type. At best, I am a vacation snorkeler. For my purposes, the Nemolithic is fantastic. There is novelty to the inclusion of stone in a watch in the first place. Even more so when the watch is meant for more adventurous activities than watching bubbles pop in a glass of champagne. The tiger eye dial is a striated blend of honey gold and chocolate brown. There is a unique sheen to the stone that seems to reflect and absorb light as you move your wrist about. I was surprised to learn that there is actually a technical term for this near-magical appearance – it is called chatoyancy. This refers to the way in which the multiple layers of this metamorphic rock form over millions of years to create a natural brilliance and layered luster.
There is some speculation among historians that ancient Romans may have carried the tiger eye stone into battle as a totem of protection, believing it granted the bearer fortitude and the wherewithal to endure the rigors of war. While I have not seen those effects yet – happy to report back in the future.
The coupling of a material as ancient as Tiger’s Eye with modern manufacturing and stainless-steel feels like a bit of a blend of old and new. It is refreshing to wear something that feels almost singular on the market and I could see the potential to own multiple examples based upon the form factor itself. This is a line with a lot of promise. I am looking forward to what comes from Horizon in the future.
Note: the gallery below showcases all four of the stone dial options
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