Morar Digital Manual by marloewatchcompany

BEYOND EXPECTATION

MORAR

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MORAR FIRST EDITION

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hello.

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MORAR

FOUNDERS NOTE For a project spanning over 3 years, the Morar certainly should be old news to us. Yet each time we look at it we are filled with excitement, for we have created our very first dive watch, and it’s a beautiful thing. When we started the Morar project we knew we wanted to create something unique, which in the dive watch world is almost impossible. Yet here we are. The result of an incredible level of effort, thought, discussion and execution, the Morar hits every point we wanted to achieve; unique, robust, resolved and distinguished. It’s been a labour of love for us and we’re overjoyed to put our name to it and send it out into the world, for everyone to use and enjoy. And use it you can; the Morar is not just a good-looker, it’s a proper dive watch designed to survive at depths that few humans could.

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So we give you the Morar - we hope you like it, and want to thank you once more for supporting us. To the future, and whatever it may hold.

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LOCH MORAR

SPIRIT OF THE LOCH

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MORAR

We name all our watches after bodies of

a very small place, with a few houses

water, mainly in the UK but sometimes

and a hotel. The loch itself is quite the

further afield. When we approached our

opposite; incredibly long and vastly deep,

dive watch project we knew the name

the loch sits at 9 metres above sea-

was going to be of utmost importance,

level and looks like a sea-loch; one that

and the depth of the water would be

is attached to the outer seawater. It is

similarly so. Luckily we have a hugely

instead a mountain loch, fed with fresh

deep loch in North West Scotland, which

water from the mountains that surround

also happens to be the deepest body of

the loch and is home to many species of

water in the UK, which has a depth of

fish and geological interests.

310 metres. One inhabitant has traversed the ages Loch Morar is situated on the North

and remains to this day a mystery;

Western coast of Argyll & Bute and

Morag as she’s affectionately known,

is a stone’s throw away from Mallaig;

is said to have lived in this loch for

the main port for the small isles and

centuries. It is said that Morag is around

Skye. Mallaig is also the termination

30 feet long, with rough skin and three

point for the Great Highland Railway,

dorsal humps, and we can’t help but be

the route of which features in Harry

enamoured by this creature of folklore.

Potter, as the Hogwarts Express passes

So much so we placed her as the

over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Morar is

centrepiece of our case-back.

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ALL ROADS LEAD HERE

The dive watch has become more than

solving to project shelved to resurrection.

a dive watch, it has become a symbol of

At one point the Morar was intended

wealth, of status and taste. Or so popular

to use a manual movement, but due

culture would lead you to believe.

to significant challenges and a lack of realistic solutions, the Morar was shelved

When we set out on our journey with

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whilst we focused on other projects.

MWC, we always knew one day we would design and produce a diver’s

However in November 2018 the Morar

watch, and when that time came we

project roared back to life after deciding,

wanted it to be as unique and different

for the first time in MWC’s short history,

to all the cookie cutter designs as we

to use an automatic movement as the

could possibly make it. The dive watch

engine. This would solve many of our

arena is the most crowded place in

historical woes with the project and

watch land, and there’s very little to

allow us to bring the Morar to market

differentiate between any of them,

more resolved than originally designed;

save some branding, marginal technical

a by-product of our countless hours

specifications and fancy materials.

of discussion, production cycles and technical hurdles emanating from our

The time for our dive watch project

other projects since shelving the Morar.

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arrived in mid-2016, with a quick sketch of a rounded, pebble-like form with

As a result, the watch you have

integrated bezel and curved lugs. This

before you today is beyond even our

sparked the beginning of what would

expectations. The desire to create

become a project spanning the course of

something that followed no preordained

3 years, flitting from impossible problem

plan, that complied with no preset

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expectation of dive watch design nor

dive watches don’t actually dive. It’s a

compromised any element for aesthetic

completely aesthetic decision, driven by

or vanity reason.

the feeling of adventure and endeavour, of going to places that humans are

We designed the Morar to be a dive

incapable of surviving without apparatus

watch that can be used as a dive watch.

and skill. It is this desire, that will to

In MWC we follow very few rules except

go places that demand expertise and

one; nothing unnecessary. If it doesn’t

experience, that focussed our minds and

need to be there, it shouldn’t be there.

set us on a path to the purest design.

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By following this ethos it allows us to design accurately, knowing that only

You’ll see, as you become accustomed to

the essential elements that bring utility

the Morar and its design, that we have

and clarity to the design will make the

taken the vitals of dive watch design and

cut. As such the Morar is, in our humble

have stripped back everything we could,

opinion, a dive watch in the purest form;

to try and achieve a remarkable, clutter

no aesthetic quirks, no luxury materials

free yet essentially informative design.

and no claims of status. It is a robust,

There’s no ceramic inserts or high-dome

beautifully made, expertly engineered

crystals, no mirror polished cases or

instrument that can withstand any diving

expensive precious metals. The design

environment found in both recreational

follows our ethos to the letter.

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and professional diving. Over the coming pages you’ll see just It’s interesting to us that there’s such an

how much we have obsessed over each

industry demand for dive watches, given

element and why we approached each

that the majority of people that wear

part the way we did. You’ll read how

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we have designed the Morar to the requirements of the ISO 6425:1996 standard, even if we haven’t tested to

MORAR

that level. There’s nothing on the Morar we haven’t considered, sweated over or compromised for. It’s our pride and joy, and we’re delighted to have persevered, as the results speak for themselves. All roads really do lead here, and that B EYOND E X P EC TATION

place is Morar; our first dive watch.

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MORAR

THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS The main function of a dive watch, when

The dial follows suit, offering maximum

being used for diving, is safety. Air is

legibility with no clutter. The Morar is

at a premium when you are under the

one of the most easy to read dials we’ve

waves, and the usage of that air must be

produced, and with the aid of some

closely monitored. This is why the uni-

remarkably bright and long-lasting

directional bezel was invented, separating

luminous compounds, it doesn’t matter

a dive watch from everything else

what the light level is, you can read the

available on the market.

time easily.

Around the dial you’ll see the deeply

The Morar is made up of simple design

engraved bezel showing a 60-minute

elements but together forms a cohesive

countdown timer, which can be rotated

proposition. Designed to last even if worn

to the minute hand, giving a 60-minute

in harsh environments, there’s no paint

window of reference. The bezel rotates

to get chipped or printing to rub off; this

in one direction so that in the event of a

watch, if cared for and maintained, will

knock, the bezel can’t show an extended

last for lifetimes. Those are the details

period of time, only reduced time.

that matter in the Morar.

Important for those last breaths of air from your tank.

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THE BEZEL

Traditional dive watch bezels are a

elongation of time when diving. As such

thin aluminium or ceramic ring, glued

there’s a necessity for grip to turn the

into the bezel chassis and printed with

bezel, not just with fingers, but with

markings. Over time these bezels

wet gloves.

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MORAR

get worn away, chipped, scuffed and abraded, leading to a messy looking

We have designed a bezel grip that

watch and ultimately, one that might not

references the rifled grips of our crowns,

be legible.

and applied that texture around the bezel, again machined into the steel

How we have designed around this issue

surface. This design does two things;

is to have a bezel that features markings

the first is to satisfy the grip factor.

that cannot be rubbed off, chipped off

The many little machined grooves give

or scuffed off. Our markings are deeply

maximum surface grip. The second is

machined into the stainless steel bezel,

avoidance of catch potential; the form of

which not only gives incredible legibility,

the Morar case is smooth, and the bezel

but makes our bezel one of the most

follows this pebble-like form to create

robust around.

a beautifully integrated bezel and case. This makes the Morar comfortable to

The bezel is uni-directional as previously

wear and removes the risk of catching

mentioned; a safety measure to prevent

on clothing or equipment.

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THE CROWN

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The crown is, by MWC standards, the

again machined into the crown to form a

most important control surface of a

beautifully robust and tactile object. The

watch. For the Morar we have applied

crown is a screw-down mechanical seal,

the same ethos to this crown. However

with double o-rings to give maximum

in this case, there’s no daily interaction

ingress protection. The crown is

with it; the automatic movement within

nestled into the perfectly proportioned

the Morar requires no hand-winding

crown guards, offering oblique knock

(although you can, if you like) and as

protection and a furtherance of catch

such must fulfil one purpose only; to

protection. Underneath the crown guard

keep any water and dirt out of the case

is a scalloped recess to allow a finger to

whilst allowing time-changing and

get behind the crown to pull it out for

winding, if necessary.

changing the time.

The Morar crown is designed to look

It might not be a main control surface

like a valve found on an oxygen tank and

for this watch, but the crown has

has straight flutes machined deeply into

received the same level of consideration

the sides of the crown. The “M” icon is

for the Morar.

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THE DIAL

The dial is the watch. This is the action

both these features and so have created

zone, the place where everything must

a multi-printed marking that lasts longer

be in proportion and legible. We have

than any luminous compound we have

designed the Morar dial to be instantly

used previously.

clear, regardless of environment.

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The dial surface features a sand texture, The dial markings are inspired by the

a nod to the sea-bed and has a radially

shape of shells. The cardinal points all

brushed ring around the outside, with

reference bi-valve shells, with the “12”

more accurate minute markings. The

marking being a slightly different shape

MWC logo is raised off the sand, and the

that is repeated on the bezel pip for

“310” logo is a beautifully domed, glossy

continuity.

bubble that catches reflections.

The other markings mimic a simplified

All of these elements in isolation are

whorl shell. The biggest reason for these

undeniably effective. Together, they

shapes was to give us the maximum real

make the Morar one of the most legible

estate for luminous compound. Lume

watches we offer, and one of the most

works on a density principle; the more

resolved designs too.

of it there is, the brighter and more long-lasting it is. We wanted the best of

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THE HANDS

Time telling is a quick process. A glance.

The hands have a perimeter seam of

That’s usually all that is demanded; a

colour, different for each hand, to aid

split second look and the time should be

in quick identification. Priority is given

known.

to the minute hand, as this is the one referenced in diving most often.

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When submerged in semi-darkness, this ability to gather the time quickly

Speaking of diving, each hand is

and effectively is even more important,

generously filled with the same super-

and demands unambiguous design. The

bright, long-lasting compound as the

ability to separate each hand, marking

dial. With a little exception; the minute

and angle must be quick.

hand, which by ISO 6425:1996 standards must be uniquely identifiable in darkness,

We have designed the hands using

features a different colour of luminous

a simple square profile with bulbous

compound.

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centre. The minute and hour hands are identical in shape, with the minute hand

The running seconds hand is a simple

being longer than the hour. We’ve cut a

baton shape with a lollipop counterweight

small hole out of the minute hand, in the

and lume dot. This hand sweeps around

event of an overlap, so you can still see

the dial at 8bps; buttery smooth, bright

each hand.

and legible for safety.

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THE GLOW

Nothing is more magical than stuff

luminous compounds available, but they

that glows in the dark. Perhaps it’s an

came up short. So we turned to our

ingrained mysticism or love of other-

manufacturing partner to specify their

worldly things, maybe it’s knowing

proprietary luminous compound, certified

that there is something beside us in

for ISO spec divers, to achieve the glow

the darkness, a comforting presence.

and longevity we demanded.

Whatever it is, the fever pitch of excitement that we get when something

Our luminous paint glows brightly for

glows in the dark is a beautiful thing.

the first 5 minutes, and slowly decays in

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MORAR

brightness over the following 4-6 hours. Typically watches feature luminous

We have tested the longevity noting a

paints for utility reasons but also for that

maximum visible, readable duration of

cool effect. In a dive watch the luminous

5 hours and 25 minutes. We think that’s

paint is something more; as we have

pretty good!

designed this watch to ISO 6425:1996 standards, we needed to make sure that

What’s more, the ISO standard also

the luminous areas on this watch were

dictates that the minute hand must be

both extremely bright, but also meet the

distinguishable from the other hands

requirements set in the ISO standard

and markings, as well as have a set-

and, in the case of 6425:1996, that

time indication on the bezel. We’ve gone

requirement is visibility in pitch darkness

further and matched the colours of the

from a distance of 25cm from the eye.

lume to the time elements themselves; blue for hours and green for minutes. A

To achieve this, we tested all the

small blue pip indicating running seconds

pigments and concoctions of standard

completes the ISO requirement for lume.

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THE BACK

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For a dive watch that exceeds 300m,

number plate inside the information ring.

it is vital to have a solid case - and that

We have celebrated the use of our first

includes the case back. For the Morar

automatic movement, as well as shown

we’ve also specified an anti-magnetic

that the Morar is water resistant to over

plate within our case back for additional

310m; in fact it has been designed to

magnetic protection.

withstand a depth of 350m.

The case back of the Morar features 12

The case back is finished as per the

machined tool grips for maintenance,

case, with the central section featuring

and a deeply etched design in the centre,

a radially brushed finish to give the

featuring the monster of Loch Morar as

impression of being under the water

the centrepiece, in addition to the outer

looking upwards at the surface. The

information ring.

silhouette of our interpretation of Morag finishes the back off beautifully.

All of our watches are numbered sequentially and the Morar has a small

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MORAR

THE DEPTH

Dive watches and depth ratings are a

Loch Morar is 310m deep and what

tricky subject. Water resistance ratings in

would our dive watch be if it couldn’t

general, when speaking about watches,

withstand the depths of the loch it’s

are a bit of a mystery too. For example, a

named after! We therefore set the

watch rated to 30m of water resistance,

manufacturing depth rating to be

in reality can’t be placed anywhere near

not just capable, but overly capable of

water, for it will potentially leak. To get

reaching such depths. As such, the

real water resistance from splashes and

Morar is manufactured to 350m water

baths, you need to approach 100m of

resistance.

water resistance.

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Whilst the Morar will happily continue Dive watches start from 200m water

beating at 28,800bph at the bottom

resistance, with the caveat of allowing

of Loch Morar, you will struggle to

near-surface diving only, such as

remember it as you will have expired

snorkelling or shallow scuba diving.

from the pressure. The deepest a human

We didn’t like the caveats; the Morar

has scuba dived, with several tanks for

should be able to go anywhere and do

life-support, is 332.35m. Even then he

anything, including professional diving

was touch and go; so rest assured that

and commercial dive work. As such we

your Morar will last far longer at depths

looked at depths far greater.

than you will.

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THE BEATING HEART

Everything starts with the movement,

and that is the reason there’s a Miyota

and until it is chosen, nothing else can

9039 within the Morar today.

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begin. The case, crown, hands, crystal and dial are all built around this tiny

This movement, a low-hand-height

mechanical machine. To say it’s an

version of the legendary 9015, has

important decision is putting it lightly.

been used to keep the Morar as thin as possible. It features a glorious 28,800bph

The Morar demanded a robust and

smooth hand sweep, can be hacked for

reliable movement, one that was

precise time synchronisation and has the

automatic, had hacking capability and

ability to be manually wound.

could be hand wound, to make sure that it had more than enough charge within.

It’s an astounding movement and

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one that makes the Morar a superb Miyota has quickly become MWC’s

time-keeper, and one that has a quality,

favourite movement manufacturer,

reliable heart to keep it going for

for they have unbelievable accuracy,

generations to come.

precision and quality. We have been extremely pleased with their movements

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SPEC MOVEMENT

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MORAR

MIYOTA 9039

Automatic movement

28,800 bph /4Hz

24 jewels

Hacking function

Hand-winding capability

Parashock anti-shock

42hr power reserve

-10 ~ +30 sec/day CASE

40mm diameter

316L stainless steel case & crown

20mm lug width , 48mm lug-to-lug

12.4mm thick

30.3mm sapphire crystal w/ AR coating

310m / 1006ft water resistance

Proprietary luminous compound

Sequential numbering

101.3g

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5.0 FUNCTIONS

A B C

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SETTING Position A

Position C

In this position the crown is fully screwed

Pulling the crown out from Position B

into the case and immovable. This is the

will engage the time-setting mechanism

position where the crown must be at

within the movement.

all times, to make sure that the case is sealed from water ingress.

Once the crown is in Position C you can

MORAR

set the time by turning the crown either This is an automatic watch, meaning

clockwise or anti-clockwise. Once the

the movement of your wrist charges the

time is set push the crown back towards

watch as you go about your day.

the case until you feel a click. Then you

Position B Unscrewing the crown in a counterclockwise direction will bring the crown to the winding position. Here you can B EYOND E X P EC TATION

wind the crown in a clockwise direction to manually wind your Morar, if required.

can begin to screw the crown back into the case in a clockwise direction, making sure it’s tight and the seals are engaged.

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FUNCTIONS

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MORAR

Inside your Morar timepiece is an

Wind confidently and for as many

automatic mechanical movement. Each

rotations as you wish, for the Morar

movement is powered by your motion,

movement features a clutch that

each swing of your arm fuelling your

prevents over-winding - and for that

Morar more.

reason, you will never reach a hard stop when the movement’s power reserve is

Wearing your Morar every day keeps

full. It typically takes around 30 winds

it ticking. The necessity to wind your

to get the mainspring fully charged but

watch will be rare, but you may find that

once your Morar is going, strap it to your

your watch has stopped if unused. To

wrist and start dancing. Your movement

get it going again follow the instructions

will keep your Morar charged and ticking

on the “SETTING” page to decouple the

until you stop. Then it lasts over 40 hrs!

crown from the case thread, and then begin to wind the crown in a clockwise

Quite amazing considering it’s just a

direction to charge.

spring uncoiling itself slowly. Genius.

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CARE

To keep everything clean use a new microfibre cloth and gently polish away any fingerprints and dirt. Do not use any abrasive or chemical cleaning products on the case. The silicone strap is designed to be used in water, salt or

fresh. A mechanical movement, like a car

MAINTENANCE

engine, uses oils to lubricate all the moving parts. Every 4-5 years think about having your watch cleaned and re-

MORAR

oiled by any professional watch service and repair shop - it’ll keep everything ticking nicely. Marloe Watch Co. offers a 1-year limited

WARRANTY

warranty on all watches which covers manufacturing defects. The warranty does not cover damages that may occur

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from normal wear and tear and everyday use. If you have a warranty claim please contact us. See website for T&C’s.

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MARLOE WATCH COMPANY

Marloe Watch Company is an independent designer and producer of wristwatches, established in 2015 by Oliver Goffe and Gordon Fraser. A chance meeting and a shared passion for mechanical movements ignited the fuse and soon after Marloe Watch Company was born. Taking their name from the town of Marlow, close to where Oliver grew up, the

company’s values are strongly bound to tradition and design. And it’s these values, along with a passion for timepieces, that inspired the creation of beautiful watches

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Oliver turns the cogs;

Gordon sweats the small stuff;

from production to logistics, accounts to

From initial seed to video production,

marketing, he oversees the running of

managing prototyping and

the company to make sure everything

manufacturing, he oversees all design

is going smoothly, and dabbles in the

work and visual output. Gordon brings

odd sketch from time to time. With a

a background of product & industrial

background in marketing, Oliver brings a

design, engineering, photography,

significant amount of expertise to MWC,

graphics, illustration, model-making,

and his attention to detail is one of the

prototyping, video production and

fundamental reasons MWC continues to

editing. Passionate about the names of

grow with such pace.

colours, metal finishes and pretzels.

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MH EE

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CONTACT

MORAR

w w w .ma rl oewat c h com pa ny . com @ ma rl oewat c h co # beyond ex p ectation

FIRST EDITION Printed September 2019 in the UK

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