Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee
Starting from 870 €The Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee reinterprets the Scottish house's first dive watch in the spirit of mid-20th-century divers. Limited to 250 pieces, it is built around a 39.7mm steel cushion case, slimmed to 11.8mm, giving it particularly pleasant skin diver proportions on the wrist. Its matte black dial with a genuine gilt finish, achieved through true electroplating, is its standout feature: the gold lettering emerges from the brass itself rather than being printed on the surface. Powered by a Japanese automatic calibre and fitted on a striped NATO strap with a signed buckle, this diver is aimed at fans of historic tool watches seeking a rare, legible piece suited to everyday wear.
Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee dive watch
Glasgow has become, within a few short years, one of the most distinctive hubs of independent watchmaking, and two of its most talked-about houses share the same workshop. Paulin was founded in 2013 by three sisters and has built a loyal following thanks to its bold colours, its Bauhaus-inspired graphics and a deliberately playful approach to the contemporary watch. Design and manufacturing are carried out side by side, under the same roof as sister brand anOrdain, a recognised specialist in enamel dials.
The Mara, meaning “of the sea” in Scottish Gaelic, is Paulin's first diver. It reprises the cushion architecture of the Modul platform, softened and curved for marine use, a silhouette this edition keeps unchanged. Hodinkee's work went elsewhere: into the tone, the typography and the historical texture. Where the standard Mara lines up coloured geometric hour markers, this version adopts the iconography of 1950s and 1960s divers, with warm gilt accents, matte black and aged luminescent material.
In a deliberate period detail, depth is displayed in metres ahead of any other unit, as it was before 1969. This watch is therefore not content with a simple retro nod. It revives a dial-making process the industry has almost entirely abandoned, in the service of a modern diver, reasonable in size and designed to be worn every day.
Technical specifications Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee
- Brand: Paulin
- Model: Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee
- Reference: PAULINMARAXHODINKEE
- Indicative price: From €870
- Movement: Automatic
- Calibre: Miyota 9039
- Diameter: 39.7 mm
- Thickness: 11.8 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m (10 ATM)
- Materials: 316L stainless steel
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Dial: Matte black
- Strap: NATO
- Warranty: 2 years
The Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee dive watch
This edition reprises the architecture of Paulin's first diver, derived from the Modul platform, and pushes it towards decidedly vintage proportions. Its 316L stainless steel cushion case measures 39.7 mm in diameter for just 11.8 mm in thickness, against 13.5 mm on the standard model. This slimming down changes everything on the wrist: the watch slips under a cuff as easily as it heads out to sea. At 48 mm lug to lug, it stays contained on slim wrists as well as larger ones. The unidirectional 120-click bezel, dark grey, is topped with a double-domed sapphire insert that gives it a rare reading depth at this price point.
Its profile extends slightly beyond the case at 12 and 6 o'clock to offer a secure grip with wet or gloved hands, and its edge carries a pattern of polished spherical indentations, echoed on the screw-down crown. The closed caseback is engraved and numbered. The whole thing exudes tool watch: nothing protrudes, every detail serves function or legibility. It is more a leisure diver than a deep-diving instrument, acknowledged as such by its maker, but the build rigour and attention to finishing place it clearly above typical production in this price range.
A limited-edition galvanic gilt dial
What truly sets this watch apart is its dial. Matte black, it carries a gold gilt finish obtained through true electroplating, following the process the industry abandoned in the mid-1960s. A brass blank is gilded, the text and railway track are protected by a chemical mask, then the disc goes through the galvanic bath that blackens everything else; once the mask is removed, the gold sits flush in the recesses, beneath the surface. The hour markers are then painted one by one in aged Super-LumiNova, matched to the hands and the bezel scale.
The house's own “Wim” typeface signs the design, the hour hand borrowing its shape from the dot and stem of the “i” in the Paulin logo, while the gilt “Hodinkee” mention sits at 4 o'clock. Beneath this dial beats the Miyota 9039 calibre, automatic, chosen in place of the standard Mara's Swiss movement to gain slimness. It oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 42-hour power reserve. The 100 m (10 ATM) water resistance comfortably covers leisure diving and swimming use. Delivered on a black and grey striped NATO strap with 20 mm lug width, with a signed steel buckle, the series is limited to 250 pieces.
Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee dive watch: gilt rediscovered
The Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee is a 316L stainless steel diver measuring 39.7 mm, just 11.8 mm thick and 48 mm lug to lug. Its matte black dial with genuine galvanic gilt finish carries hand-painted aged Super-LumiNova hour markers. The unidirectional 120-click bezel features a double-domed sapphire insert, the crown is screw-down and the caseback is engraved and numbered. The automatic Miyota 9039 calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 42-hour power reserve. Water resistance is 100 m, the strap is a 20 mm striped NATO, and the series is limited to 250 pieces.
Movement
This edition is powered by the Miyota 9039 calibre, a Japanese automatic known for its reliability and slimness. Its selection, in place of the Swiss movement fitted to the standard Mara, allowed the case height to be noticeably reduced without sacrificing robustness. It oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, a rate that ensures good rate stability and a smooth seconds hand, and offers a 42-hour power reserve. The whole remains easy to service, with a widely available calibre that is simple to maintain anywhere in the world.
Diameter and materials
The cushion case is cut from 316L stainless steel and measures 39.7 mm in diameter for 11.8 mm thick, with 48 mm lug to lug. These skin diver proportions make the watch comfortable on a wide range of wrists. The crystal is sapphire, while the dark grey bezel carries a double-domed sapphire insert whose optical depth matches that of the gilt dial. The closed caseback is engraved and numbered, marking its place within the series.
Water resistance
The 100 m (10 ATM) water resistance was deliberately reduced from the standard Mara's 300 m, in order to slim down the case and recapture the dimensions of 1950s divers. It remains more than sufficient for swimming, freediving and leisure diving. The whole relies on a screw-down crown and an engraved closed caseback. Immersion time is tracked using a unidirectional 120-click bezel, whose overhang at 12 and 6 o'clock makes handling easier with gloves.
Accessories
The watch is delivered on a black and grey striped NATO strap, in nylon, chosen to extend the spirit of mid-century tool watches. It ends in a signed Hodinkee steel buckle, custom engraved for the occasion. The 20 mm lug width opens the door to numerous alternatives, from rubber to aged leather, depending on the intended use. The rest of the box contents are not detailed by the brand for this edition, with the NATO strap and its signed buckle being the only documented elements.
Warranty
Paulin applies a 2-year warranty to its watches, meaning twenty-four months covering manufacturing defects found under normal conditions of use. This duration matches the Scottish house's general limited warranty, as stated on its product sheets. As always with a dive watch, maintaining water resistance over time depends on periodic inspection of the gaskets and proper tightening of the crown, operations that fall under routine maintenance rather than warranty coverage.
Paulin Mara Limited Edition for Hodinkee The pros
and cons
- Authentic galvanic gilt dial
- Hand-painted aged Super-LumiNova
- Unidirectional 120-click bezel
- Limited to 250 pieces
- Screw-down crown and numbered caseback
- Water resistance limited to 100 metres
- Limited availability
- Price published only in dollars
- Warranty not edition-specific
Discover all the brand's models!
Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
