The last time we caught up Mario Jutronic and his Croatia-designed microbrand, Marnaut, the collection featured a pair of capable divers with a distinct dial inspired by a creature of the Adriatic Sea. Marnaut has been quiet in recent years and after a stint in Asia, Jutronic has returned to his homeland, marking the watch brand’s resurgence. Sometimes a change in scenery is what the soul needs, and you know what they say, there’s nothing better than home cooking. Now, Marnaut is looking to pick up right where they left off with a more refined version of their flagship Dark Surge 300 diver and the launch of their brand new Safe Harbour 100 collection.

The newly refined Dark Surge 300

As you’ll find out with all the noteworthy details, all roads lead back to “The Land of a Thousand Islands” in every Marnaut piece. The sea urchin exoskeleton inspired dial, a signature Marnaut design cue and a tribute to Jutronic’s younger days snorkeling in the Adriatic Sea to find these coveted creatures, reprises its format in the updated Dark Surge 300. The dial displays all 47 raised indices in radiating fashion with each one wrapped in a polished surround and filled with C3 SuperLuminova. There’s a certain depth this particular design provides. From above, the space between the top of the surrounds and the surface of its filling is noticeable. A side profile captures the same raised indices in a different manner as they reflect off of the glossy black dial. As a result, legibility is pure and at the same time the design becomingly strays away from the traditional diver aesthetic.

The Dark Surge 300B

The snakehead hour hand, large lollipop seconds hand and cardinal Arabic numerals further assist the diver’s prowess in legibility. You can also bet that the diver would be fun to look at in low-light conditions with its peculiar layout and heavy dose of lume, much like the Serica’s 5303. Down at six o’clock, the Dark Surge 300 displays a set of coordinates pin-pointing a specific location on the island of Biševo. It’s yet another tribute to Jutronic’s Croatia, and Biševo’s “Blue Cave”, a far-flung aquatic wonder hidden in a coastal cave from which the Dark Surge 300 draws its design ethos from.

The refinement is found within the case and the updates to its proportions. The stainless steel case shrinks a smidge to 41mm and is accompanied by a set of shorter lugs. The unidirectional rotating bezel still comes with its fully-graduated display, but now comes with an option for a ceramic insert with the Dark Surge 300T (Two-Tone) and the PVD-coated Dark Surge 300B (Black). If you fancy a steel dive bezel, Marnaut has you covered with the Dark Surge 300S (Silver).

The Sea Harbour 100

In addition to the Dark Surge 300 and Seascape 200, Marnaut is launching a brand new dressy tool watch with the Safe Harbour 100 collection. The Safe Harbour 100 sports a C-Case shape and is the brand’s smallest case size offering coming in at 39mm in width. The softer case features balance out the sportier dial, Double-O ring crown and 100 meters of water resistance making the Safe Harbour 100 a proper DTW candidate. It most certainly won’t look out of place on the sands and waters of Bačvice beach, or during a post-dinner stroll through Diocletian’s Palace, located in the heart of Split, Croatia’s second -largest city and the locale represented by the coordinates at six o’clock.

With the change in scenery also comes a refinement in the brand’s operations now centered in Europe. As currently constructed, Marnaut’s watches are assembled in Pforzheim, Germany and in regards to the movement for their newly released watches, they’re now powered by the Swiss-made Sellita SW 200-1. Mario Jutronic has also announced that he has opened up a showroom located on the island of Brac in Croatia. This is the first time we’ve ever encountered a microbrand showroom in Croatia and just adds to a long list of must-visits if you ever happen to visit.

The Marnaut Dark Surge 300 is currently available through Marnaut’s online store or at their showroom which is a 50 minute ferry ride from Split, Croatia if you’re keen on visiting. The Dark Surge 300 comes with a retail price tag of €749 (~ $814). The South Harbour 100 collection is currently being prototyped and slated to release later this year. Marnaut