One of Britain and Ireland’s coolest independent watch brands just upgraded its flagship model
Inspired by Belfast’s Titanic-era shipbuilding legacy, the Maraí 401 returns in nine colourways
Independent watch brands are having a bit of a moment right now, but few feel quite as tied to where they come from as Nomadic.
The Belfast-based company has unveiled an updated 2026 edition of its Maraí 401 dive watch, the model that first put the brand on the map back in 2021. And while the refresh doesn’t completely reinvent the wheel, it does sharpen up pretty much every part of the package.
The Maraí name comes from the Irish word for “sea farer”, while the number 401 is a nod to Titanic’s original production number, continuing the watch’s connection to Belfast’s shipbuilding history. It’s the sort of detail that could easily feel a bit gimmicky in less careful hands, but Nomadic has always leaned into its Northern Irish identity in a way that feels genuine rather than overworked.
This new version keeps the same clean, vintage-inspired dive watch aesthetic as the original, but introduces a refined case shape, redesigned handset, improved dial symmetry and a new Swiss-made Sellita SW200-2 automatic movement. That movement was only released earlier this year and bumps the power reserve up to around 65 hours, which is roughly a full day longer than the previous version.
In less nerdy terms: you can leave it off all weekend, and it’ll probably still be ticking by Monday morning.
Nomadic has also reworked the case profile to make the watch sit a little sleeker on the wrist, while a new bezel font and updated 12 o’clock marker help tie the whole collection together visually.
One of the biggest changes is the addition of a permanent 6 o’clock date window across the entire Maraí range, giving the dial a much cleaner and more symmetrical look. Full 12-index layouts have also been introduced to improve legibility, which matters quite a lot on a dive watch, considering the whole point is being able to actually read the thing.
Perhaps the most interesting addition, though, is the new 36mm Maraí 401 Compact. Dive watches have spent years getting increasingly massive, so seeing a brand move in the opposite direction feels refreshing. The smaller case size keeps all the same specs and styling as the 40mm version but packages it into something far more wearable for smaller wrists or anyone bored of carrying a dinner plate around on their arm.
The compact model also gets an exclusive white dial option called Prestige White, which might quietly be the nicest-looking version of the lot.
Specs remain properly serious too. The Maraí 401 comes with 200m water resistance, a ceramic bezel, domed sapphire crystal, Swiss Super-LumiNova lume and a stainless steel bracelet with quick-release spring bars and MicroGlide adjustment. Basically, all the stuff watch people immediately look for before pretending they definitely needed another dive watch.
The updated Maraí 401 is available in nine colourways overall, ranging from Deep Ocean Blue and Emerald Abyss to stealthier options like Blackout and Classic Black and Gold. It’s still recognisably the same watch that helped establish Nomadic a few years ago, just noticeably more refined this time around.
The updated Maraí 401 starts from £1,095, which places it firmly in premium territory but still significantly below the eye-watering prices attached to most luxury Swiss dive watches right now.
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