The Creative Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør

One of the most intriguing natural phenomena is the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. Witnessing this display of colors in the sky is on the bucket lists of many travel lovers. I haven’t seen the spectacular green, red, and purple night skies, but I know from friends that they are mesmerizing. The Moon and the aurora borealis, the name for the auroras in the Northern Hemisphere, inspired Nordic Marine Instruments to create the new Lunør. The watch depicts the Nordic night skies and features an intriguing double-moonphase display with a distinct, glowing bonus. I had a chance to try out the Lunør for a few days and find out more.

My first encounter with the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør was funny. We received the watch on a bracelet, which makes it look like a nice, modern daily wearer. But once I saw the watch on the included leather strap, it transformed into a great contemporary dress watch. This is a remarkable stylistic shift that I have complimented Mick Jørgensen, the brand’s founder, on. There aren’t that many watches that smoothly transition between styles like the new Lunør. The watch made a great first impression, and I was curious to learn more about it.

The details of the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør

Let’s talk a bit more about the central idea behind this timepiece. Most moonphase watches leave the skies between lunar cycles undecorated. In such watches, the skies are merely static elements, with the moon drawing all the attention. Of course, this is different in real life. The Lunør dial takes a different approach, making its double-moonphase watch a great eye-catcher. Between the two Super-LumiNova moons, a glowing aurora, also rendered in Super-LumiNova, unfolds across the disc. Therefore, as the luminous moon slowly fades, the disc reveals a striking depiction of the northern lights. It adds an extra layer of visual intrigue to this new release.

Let’s talk about the watch’s specs. The Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør has a 39mm stainless steel case with an 11.8mm profile, a 48mm lug-to-lug, and a 100m water resistance rating. It’s the same case the brand uses for its Søværn sports watch, which Dave reviewed in 2024. This case features sharp, angular facets that give it a modern overall feel, and the mix of brushed and polished finishes enhances the watch’s visual appeal.

As mentioned, we received the Lunør on a stainless steel bracelet. It has a three-row Oyster-style design with a folding clasp, screw links, quick-release spring bars, and a toolless micro-adjustment system. However, Nordic Marine Instruments will include a leather strap as standard with each watch.

The different dial options

NMI offers three dial colors for the Lunør. The first, Atlantic Blue, is a beautiful, dark shade, which the brand pairs with an even darker blue leather strap. I think this is the most stylish of the three options. The second version is Shore Gray, which comes with a dark gray leather strap. Lastly, the Sky Blue variant we had in for review has a bright blue leather strap, making it the most vibrant. Unlike the pre-production model we received, the leather straps for the production versions will have quick-release spring bars.

The dial configuration of all three options is the same. Each dial consists of two main parts. The first is a smooth outer ring featuring a printed minute track and applied Super-LumiNova BGW9-filled hour markers that glow blue in the dark.

The hour indexes extend into a textured ring on the dial’s second main piece, and a polished steel ring between these pieces adds a nice detail. Most importantly, though, the sunburst-finished center of the dial features a large moonphase display on the upper half and a smaller “Måneblik,” meaning “moon view,” on the lower half. This helps to balance the overall design.

The aurora borealis is visible during the day and at night

As you can see in the pictures, the aurora borealis is not only visible in the dark when the lume glows. As the moon slowly moves across the upper display, the aurora also becomes visible in light green. It’s a nice detail that adds color and character to the watch while also serving as a reminder of this wonderful phenomenon. Since one rotating disc below the dial is responsible for both moonphase displays, the aurora borealis is also visible through the Måneblik aperture.

The machine powering the visual magic is a Miyota 9015 modified with a custom driving wheel to support the double-moonphase display. Essentially, this replaces the caliber’s typical date complication. This automatic movement still operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, features 24 jewels, and offers a 42-hour power reserve. It is a solid caliber to power this Lunør, offering an accuracy of -10/+30 seconds per day.

Wearing the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør

This brings me to what it’s like to wear the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør. First, sizing the bracelet was very simple thanks to the screw-fastened links and the toolless micro-adjustment system. The fully brushed bracelet feels decent in terms of quality, and the same goes for the clasp. While it is not the best bracelet I have experienced on a sub-€1,000 watch, it is fairly solid. Once you put the watch on your wrist, you get that same feeling. The overall quality is decent, and the finishing is straightforward, predominantly brushed with a few polished highlights.

The main attraction is, of course, the dial. I love its design, as it feels nice and balanced. On top of that, the aurora borealis offers an extra visual element that makes this watch interesting to look at time and time again. Admittedly, though, the light green of the aurora may not be the best match for the sky-blue dial.

While I didn’t see the other dial colors in person, the disc’s combination of dark blue and light green will suit the darker blue and gray dials better. What I do like quite a bit is how the watch feels modern. We tend to think that moonphase watches should be traditional in terms of styling, but the Lunør proves that they don’t have to be.

Once on the wrist, the nicely proportioned case wears nicely. The 48mm lug-to-lug is substantial, especially for a 39mm watch, but it never bothered me. For people with smaller wrists, the Lunør might be on the bigger side despite its modest case size. For me, though, with my 18.5cm (7.3″) wrist, it was smooth sailing while I wore the watch.

Operating the watch

In terms of practicality, the caliber is easy to use. After unscrewing the crown, you can pull it out to two positions. As a little side note, unscrewing the crown on this pre-production model wasn’t pleasant. Unfortunately, it felt like metal scraping against metal. However, I expect the final production models not to have this issue.

Upon pulling the crown out to the first position, you will be able to adjust the moon phase forward and backward. You will hear little clicks when you turn the crown. Usually, the Miyota 9015 has a date complication, but thanks to the modification, you can now easily set the lunar phase. As the rotating disc features two moons, setting the upper display automatically also sets the lower one. But the fun thing about the Lunør is that you do not just focus on the moon. As it slowly disappears, the aurora borealis appears. This distinctive design element makes the watch a joy to wear for those intrigued by this natural phenomenon.

Pricing and final thoughts on the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør

I’m sure plenty of people will love the watch for its special display of the northern lights. Overall, the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør is an original release that works well as a modern daily wearer on the bracelet and as a contemporary dress watch on the leather strap.

The watch is now available for pre-order on the official Nordic Marine Instruments website for 48 hours at a special price of US$799. This sum includes both the strap and the bracelet. After 48 hours, the price will increase to US$899, but it will still include the bracelet and the leather strap until the end of April 2026. After that, the stainless steel bracelet will be a separate purchase for an extra US$200.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with the Nordic Marine Instruments Lunør quite a bit. It was a great reminder that I still would love to see the northern lights one day. It’s amusing to think that a watch could motivate me to do that, so kudos to Nordic Marine Instruments for creating such an inspiring and original release.