Lume, art and Kangaroos- The Houtman Murchison River

There are objects that can be hard to describe. No matter what the writer tries to say or how good he or she is, the main subject keeps slipping away from the reader. 

If you are a watch aficionado, one of the phases you can relate to, is the one when you are fixated with an artistic dial. We all start admiring dials with round lume plots , explorer styles for their simplicity and racing chronographs, but at some point we transition to something different, the non descriptive.

I’ve recognised that I am at this part of my journey when I started exchanging messages with Jason who is the founder of Houtman watches, an Australian brand that is doing everyday watches with their own design language. 

Jason asked me which watch I would like to review and the Murchison series was my cup of tea as it included a beautiful black Pilot version, a salmon dial which was my favourite and a dark grey dial. Then for the last one, there was something different, something special, the Murchison River Lume Field. 

The Murchison River is one of a kind , and here we go on the quest to describe it. It’s a field watch because of the case proportions but the dial is an array of different types of lume which create one of kind experience.

Join me to discover a unique beauty from our friendly friends in Oceania. Let’s begin.

The specifications

The 40mm case of the Murchison makes sense, it lets the artistic dial to breathe. It has a mixture of brushed and polished surfaces which make the watch feel a tad more utilitarian, more for everyday. 

Coming to the main attraction, the dial a crisp white most of the time with black lines separating rectangular shapes. someone said that it could resemble bandages and they might not be far from the truth, like a patch or a well made mummy, maybe that doesn’t sound like a complement but it is, bare with. Whatever the inspiration is, the final result is outstanding as the Murchison not only looks unique during the day, but at night time everything is turned up to an 11. With 3 different types of SuperLuminova applications, the Murchison is not only legible during the day but it n the dark, it also creates a very special light show to the wearer. it’s like an explosion of neons on your wrist. 

The contrast of the blued leaf shaped hands also stands out against the white dial (when is under daylight) and paired with the minute track right at the outside, the Murchison is legible at a glance despite being also a canvas for an abstract painting. We like it.

Powering the Murchison River we find a Swiss Sellita SW200 automatic, a refined addition to complement a good package. The watch is also rated to 100 meters thanks to its screw down crow, at the end is a tool watch too. Tuen the watch over and you’ll be greeted not by a display back but by well executed kangaroo motif, it makes you remember where the watch comes from. another nice detail and flair from Houtman. 

On the wrist

Wearing the Houtman is easy for my 6.25 inch wrist, not only the dimensions are spot on but the bracelet that comes with is outstanding, it includes solid end links, clasp and micro adjustments, ticks all the boxes. Staying a bit with the bracelet, the 5 link design tones down the Murchison from its tool like nature, it feels more refined, at least for me. That said the brown leather strap which id supplied matches well and feels high quality.

I wore the Murchison everyday and everywhere, coffee shops, office and even hiking, I did not take it to the movies because with the lume, that would disrupt everything. The watch it’s very legible and brings a good combination of functionality and uniqueness, is not a watch that you would say: “it’s beautiful but there no point of using it …” , it works well as a timepiece and as individual expression. 

I quite enjoyed the fact that I can always find the right size for my wrist. this is important because when you add the watch head plus the bracelet, the Murchison has some weight to handle. That said, it does it well by staying planted aided by the lug design and well made bracelet.

Conclusions

It is hard to judge or describe a watch with so many attributes but I believe that Houtman found the right balance, as mentioned before is 2 objects at the same time: a watch and an artistic impression

We haven’t touch on the price yet and it does give the extra kick to the whole package. The Murchison has with a Swiss movement, a one of a kind design, limited to 75 pieces worldwide and it is under 400 GBP, in fact the watch is on sale at 341 GBP today. 

If you want to grab something out of the ordinary that is not copying anything out there, well this is a watch for you. In fact at that price I would be picking 2, perhaps that Burnt Earth variant is still in stock.

We are now curious on what’s coming from the brand , their Pilbara series seems to be flying off the shelf with some models already sold out, so we can smell something cooking. Looking forward to it.

For more information, please visit https://houtmanwatch.com/pages/houtman-murchison-series

Technical specifications 

• Solid Marine Grade Stainless Steel Case

• Swiss made Sellita SW200 Automatic Movement (no batteries)

• 100m / 10ATM / 330ft Water Resistance

• Screw-down crown with custom engraved logo

• Swiss Super LumiNova BGW9 luminous markers and hands

• Sapphire Crystal with anti-reflective treatment

• (Optional) Solid Marine Grade Stainless Steel Bracelet with quick release spring bars

• Screw-down solid stainless steel case back with embossed likeness Kangaroo

• Included extras: Suede Strap, leather watch case