We all, of course, walk in the shadows of those who came before us – which is just one reason why watches – which measure the inexorable passage of time – mean so much to all of us. But it’s rare to go on a watch launch that feels as poignantly symbolic as that of the new Nomadic Fior 555 GMT, which took place recently in Belfast (the ‘555’ refers to part of the city’s geographical co-ordinates).
Specifically, the launch took place aboard the SS Nomadic: the boat after which the company is named. But this is no ordinary ship, as the Nomadic – now a museum piece in a dry dock – was better known as being the tender vessel to the Titanic, before then going on to become a troop carrier and floating restaurant.
The sinking of the Titanic took place more than 110 years ago, but it’s only been in the last few decades that it has been properly talked about, as before then it felt to many local people like a wound or a stain on Belfast’s history. While the loss of more than 1,500 lives will always remain a tragedy, that inexorable passage of time has delivered a new perspective on the story: celebrating the Titanic as a ground-breaking feat of engineering that ushered in a romantic era of glamorous and adventure-filled travel.
It's precisely this vibe that Peter McAuley wanted to tap into when he founded Nomadic just three years ago, in 2021. And the company has come a long way in that short space of time, releasing three families of watches: the Marai dive watch, the Turas sports watch, and now the Fior GMT: the one timepiece that Peter always wanted to make. That’s why he chose to launch it in a place that inspired his brand’s very existence, which resonates with history.
The Nomadic was actually designed by Thomas Andrews – who also designed Titanic – and it gave the arriving passengers a brief taste of the luxury they were to experience when they actually got on board ‘the ship of dreams’.
As Titanic was the largest cruise liner in the world at the time, many harbours – especially Cherbourg – were too small to accommodate it – which was why the tender ship, capable of ferrying up to 1000 people, was needed. It’s a dizzying thought that many of those people in whose shadows we walked at that launch would have had their last experience of solid ground as they stepped onto the Nomadic, oblivious to the fate that awaited them nearly halfway across the world.
So it’s a place that invites reflection on what’s really important in life, which is what made it the perfect venue to launch Nomadic’s new GMT: a genre that’s all about (nomadic) international travel, yet also about the constant attachment to homeland and family.
It was inspired by a story very close to home, illustrated in the promotional video that you can see below. The two ‘actors’ you see on location in the film are Nomadic’s master watchmaker Michael Rowan in Belfast, and his son Jonny, who lives in Melbourne, Australia.
While separated by distance, they always keep their GMT watches on each other’s home time. And this, essentially, is what the Fior – which means ‘true’ in Gaelic – is all about: a connection to your roots. For Peter, it’s simply a “dream come true”, as the GMT was a watch he has always wanted to make.
It's not just a nice story either, as the quality and finish of the actual watch – powered by a Sellita SW330-2 GMT movement – is impeccable, arguably the best yet from Nomadic. At 41mm it hits the sweet spot of size, sitting comfortably on most peoples’ wrists, and there’s a choice of four launch colours: red, green, black and yellow, or black and grey (plus a ‘prestige’ version with gold links on the bracelet). One thing that Nomadic has worked hard on is the lume, which is particularly impressive. The distinctive GMT hand is yellow: a leitmotif of Nomadic design, which echoes the bright yellow cranes of the Harland and Wolff shipbuilding company that built the Nomadic and Titanic.
It’s a nice touch, but it’s only when you come to Belfast that you really appreciate how much those cranes dominate the sky – they are one of the first things you see when you touch down at Belfast City airport. Like many design aspects of the Nomadic brand, it's something that makes complete sense once you see it for yourself.
And there are lots of stories that you only discover later, such as the fact that a Nomadic watch has actually already been to the Titanic wreck site, as part of a dive expedition. This is probably also the right time to mention that the latest Fior is water-resistant to 200 metres: all of the watches are pressure-tested at the surprisingly small but fully-equipped workshop in Belfast city centre.
Only a limited number of each colour will initially be made available, with pre-orders starting now in time for delivery in late November, before the watch joins the permanent collection – with more colours in the pipeline.
My personal favourite is the ‘crimson dawn’, which delivers a new take on the root beer theme, standing out quite distinctly from the others. But unsurprisingly for an Irish watch brand, the signature colour is green, so expect that to become the best seller.
At £1595, the Fior 555 is pitching itself firmly into a hotly-fought arena, price-wise. But Peter and his permanent team of just four people believe that they can carry it off, and their confidence and infectious passion is well-placed.
This is a very complete, elegant, and competent watch: one that doesn’t re-write the rule books or go off on an idiosyncratic tangent, but is all the better for that. Will people choose it over more established names? The level of quality is generally high across the board at this level, so it will all come down to whether or not people buy into the brand’s story and values.
In Nomadic’s case, they are clear, compelling, and coherently expressed – with the meaningful nod to heritage that every new brand needs.
