Bronze is back with the Obris Morgan Nautilus

When I first encountered Obris Morgan, they were just like me – fairly new to the world of watches. While those first watches were decent, they weren’t particularly of note. Fortunately, as the brand has matured, they’ve created their own design direction, and there have been some lovely pieces coming out of their factory. Their latest features a prominently scalloped bezel, and bronze. It’s known as the Obris Morgan Nautilus.

I will admit, the choice of bronze for the Obris Morgan Nautilus surprises me. If this were three years ago, many brands were bringing bronze to the table, and many in the forums were figuring out inventive ways to accelerate the patination of their watches. These days, though, it seems to have fallen from the limelight a bit. Sure, Oris has a few now, but it’s not the belle of the ball. Perhaps that will help it to stand out more?

Anyhow, I think it lends a lovely warmth to the Obris Morgan Nautilus, offsetting the black dial and strap. It also helps to set off what is – in my opinion – the star of the show, the 120-click bezel of the watch. This is heavily scalloped, with points at each 5-minute mark. This flares out two millimeters larger than the case (from 39mm on the case to 41mm on the bezel), and will only help to add to the ease of grabbing the bezel to turn it (I presume – I suppose your fingers could slip on those curved indents).

The dial of the Obris Morgan Nautilus feels much like something we’d see coming from, say, Benarus (a compliment in my book) and keeps things nice and legible. Timekeeping is courtesy of the well-known Miyota 9015 movement, which also helps keep the pricing down. While full retail is expected to be $379, pre-orders just opened today, and they’ll start out at $349, with delivery anticipated for mid- to late July. Not too shabby, no? Let us know if you pre-order one. We’ll also work to get one in for a review. obrismorgan.com

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: Obris Morgan Nautilus

Price: $379
Who we think it might be for: You missed out on the original bronze craze, but aren’t ready for an Oris price tag
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? Probably not – while bronze is fun to play with, not sure I’d want it long term

If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Let’s play around with some other metals – say, titanium?
What spoke to me the most about this watch: That bezel!