Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, a new wave of small-scale independent horology was born, roughly four decades after the last one. Life is but endless cycles which spread through four generations, where the first one starts more or less exactly when the fourth one ended. About four generations ago, so at the onset of the 20th century, we saw the beginning of the time of wristworn timepieces and of many brands which today are considered to be the mainstream/luxury/OGs of the industry. Because Rolex started as a microbrand—buying parts from various suppliers and stamping “Rolex” on the dial—long before it started manufacturing its own components and watches, and many others embarked on the same path though we never think of them in this way. And so 60 years ago there was a wave of micro/indie brands which did the same thing as Rolex in the 1920s, and as many brands have been doing since the early 2000s: buying parts from the same suppliers but stamping their name on the dials. 

So the concept and idea of micro/independent horology is as old as the first wristworn timepieces, even though many enthusiasts/collectors/members of the multi-platform media believe it is a brand new thing. It’s not. Though the problem with seeing this segment of the watch industry in this way is the inherent negativity and stereotypes that stem from this narrow—and tunnel-like—vision. They all look the same. They’re made in China on the cheap. They are all homages. But one could argue that in 2025, more than in 2015 and 2005, there is a lot of novelty in the design and technical departments and thus the micro/indie brands of today are extremely creative and resourceful in order to bring their own unique vision of horology to the financial reach of many watch enthusiasts-in-the-making and of self-proclaimed industry experts. In other words: it is now easier to find brands that go beyond buying off-the-shelf parts from giant catalogs. There is more novelty in the independent sector and that’s a good thing.

That’s what we’re going to talk about today by looking at the Abinger Nimrod Nightfire. 

Specifications 

Before we get into the what and how of the Abinger Nimrod is, let’s talk about the why of Abinger. Many brand founders come up with ridiculous origin stories which they pair with Hollywood-like movies and Steve McCurry-quality imagery through which they tell impossible and unbelievable stories of a key childhood memory or drive to design something from the guts or urge to create another unique something. And the videos and pictures which accompany their stories always show them sketching watch faces on large pieces of white paper with a pencil or specialized marker, whilst sipping coffee from an enamel mug, overlooking a lake or mountain range from the comfort of their cabin, after that they took a drive in the nearby virgin forest in their immaculate vintage Defender. (Am I angry about this? You bet your ass I am.) This particular vision of independent horology is mostly bullshit though this is the blend of it we see the most nowadays. It’s a mostly a disgenuine and unreachable fairytale. 

What about Abinger then? Well, it was created by someone who simply likes watches, inherited a cool piece from a deceased family member as is often the case for us watch nerds, attended watch shows, talked to many micro-brand owners, and decided that he wanted to create a watch that didn’t exist. The latter is why all brands are created even though that isn’t the story most brands share about themselves. This is why, for example, Wayforth created the Voyager, Lōcī the Pacific Coast Highway, and Vasco the All-Terrain/Off-Road. You like watches? Then create one. That’s it. And whenever brand founders admit to that they always come up with genuine horological creations which tend to be more affordable than not, better spec’ed than not, and to fulfill a particular type of lifestyle. Though I have yet to speak about the specifications of the Abinger Nimrod, I wanted to tell you where it comes from so that what follows will make more sense: it’s a cool piece created for genuine reasons. 

So, what do we have here and how much does all of this costs? The Nimrod is a do-it-all watch for those who have the mindset of travelers for adventures near or far. Therefore: an incredibly legible dial day in and day out, with lumicast hour markers that glow ice blue at night; a reinforced stainless steel case with a scratch resistance of 1200Hv measuring 38 x 45 x 10.9mm with a 20mm lug width; a three-link steel bracelet with screwed links, quick-release spring-bars, and tool-less micro-adjustment mechanism; a sandwich sapphire construction; a fully-lumed 120-click unidirectional bezel with a DLC-coated brushed stainless steel insert; 200 meters of water resistance by way of a screw-down crown and case-back; a Japanese made Miyota 9039 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) regulated to run at -10/+15 seconds per day. All of this will set you back £499/$677 USD when pre-orders open on August 23rd, 2025, and £650/$882 thereafter. 

Is this a nice deal or what? Yes of course and that is so solely based on the specs which are on part with the good side of the micro/indie market. 

Design 

In order to better understand the design of the Abinger Nimrod, we must also understand the inspiration for the model. Being a model created with intrepid and everyday travelers and adventures in mind—we can all embark on adventures everyday and anywhere should we choose to see life this way—the brand drew inspiration from three sources: first, the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, an anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol aircraft, which is a modified version of the de Havilland DH.106 Comet (the world’s first commercial jetliner which also inspired Abinger’s first but second upcoming collection,) used by the United Kingdom from 1969 to 2011. Second, by Ernest Shackleton's pioneering Nimrod expedition to the South Pole of 1907-1909, his second visit to the continent and one of the three expeditions Sir Shackleton led in the Antarctic. And third, by the biblical character of Nimrod, the hunter and builder of cities who is linked to the Orion constellation which has been used as a key navigational aid since times immemorial. 

Although it would be hard to derive any key design components of the Nimrod from its sources of inspiration, what all of this does mean is that it was created to be both an everyday watch and an adventure timepiece. We already know that it is built to sustain 99% of situations we could realistically find ourselves in, and that it can do so whilst being a comfortable piece of horology to wear on the wrist given its rather compact dimensions in relation to its depth rating and three-dimensional blocks of lume. Therefore let’s first take a look at the case which I should warn you comes with a delightful profile. It wears thin and nimble, and looks so: on the left of the case, slab-sided flanks adorned with fine vertical brushing; on the right side, similarly-finished flanks which become crown-guards by way of gentle curves, which protect the mid-sized crown which is easy to grab and operate as there are a few millimeters separating it from the guards. 

The lugs have a simple profile, long and thin with vertical chamfers on their outer sections, and which curve down gently towards the wrist. A thin coin-edged bezel sits flush to the mid-case and is complemented by an ultra legible bezel insert on which a 12-hour scale in created by way of BGW9-filled grooves CNC-machined in the shape of a modern typeface set against a black DLC-coated stainless steel background. There is enough machining on the bezel edges to make it easy to operate and visually flow with the design of the case and bracelet. The latter is also fully brushed like the case—the Nimrod is, first and foremost, a tool watch inspired by a military aircraft—with a three-link construction, a rather short clasp, and male end-links which makes it possible for the utilitarian aspect of the case + bezel combo to naturally flow all-round the bracelet. Although it is fully brushed, the alternation of vertical and horizontal brushing endows the Nimrod with a little extra umph. 

But to me the dial is the star of the review and what prompted me to want to review this watch in the first place. I’m a diehard tool watch nerd and I was immediately drawn in by the legibility of the dial—a 12, 3, 6, and 9 layout always does it for me—and the elegant simplicity of the baton markers and sign-post hour and minute hands. The latter ones and seconds hand are painted black and have plenty of real estate for generous applications of lume. (Note the lumed pip and tip of the seconds hand.) Moreover, the hands are perfectly proportioned to the baton markers which further adds to the aforementioned elegant simplicity as well as the dial’s de facto legibility. But the kicker here is the contrast created by the lumicast hour markers—and how the numerals are molded into what seems like a bespoke typeface—and the glossy black sunburst dial—an asshole to photograph—which appears dark grey at certain angles. But don’t get me wrong: it’s simply gorgeous. 

P.S. Bonus points also for the raised and brushed stainless ring which welcomes the minute track. 

The Heart of the Matter

Going back to the introduction and whatever I tried to say through my horological meanderings in the Specifications section of this review, the Abinger Nimrod is two things, and therefore there are two hearts to the matter today. First, it is a legitimate piece of everyday and adventurous horology which is built tough like a SOB and which is appropriately priced for what you get—as a reminder, £499/$677 USD on pre-order starting August 23. This in and of itself is reason for celebration as it demonstrates once again that we don’t have to pay several thousands of dollars (or your entire summer vacation budget) to acquire a good tool watch. Second, it is a novel creation in the way it looks—as it superbly mixes various elements of watch design we are all familiar with and which have been proven through time to work well—and in what it brings us and what it represents—a moderately sized, ultra-legible, and more importantly, highly polyvalent piece of equipment which could be anyone’s one-watch-collection. 

And that is, I believe, what Abinger aimed at achieving with its first release and to which I want to say: Bravo. In other words, the Nimrod epitomizes what I would consider to be the good kind of independent horology which is rare to encounter today but which is also becoming a bit less so everyday. And it is 100% up my little alley. 

Conclusion 

More than 1,800 words later—fuck me, my reviews are getting longer and longer to write and read—we’ve taken a close look at the first collection of a new brand and I know we will agree that it constitutes a great first offering. It is mechanically sound and aesthetically pleasing, striking the perfect balance between superlative legibility and elegant functionality, something a lot of brands miss the mark on. The clever addition of a 12-hour bezel endows the Abinger Nimrod with a little extra something that can be used whilst traveling or not, so do the great lume and depth rating which confer to this piece a true versatile nature which can be had for what I would consider to be a reasonable sum of money. So again: £499/$677 USD starting August 23, 2025 at 3pm GMT through September 13th, 2025, at midnight GMT. After that prices will go up to £650/$882. The brand aims at delivering the watches in March of 2026. 

Oh by the way, if the Nightfire (black) variant isn’t your thing, perhaps the Herne (green) or Ardent Hell (brown) would be. 

Thanks for reading.