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Foliot is a brand built on the guiding principles of travel and adventure. For its first launch, the brand introduced the Stratonaut, a classic and refined GMT purpose-built for jet-setting across the globe. For its second and newest collection, Foliot presents the Scubanaut 200 and Scubanaut World Diver, two adventure-focused watches based around Miyota’s new 9075 traveler GMT movement and featuring plenty of thoughtful and well-considered details at a surprisingly affordable price point.

Part of the beauty of mechanical watches is the history that sits atop your wrist — early versions of balance wheels and escapements that still beat in the heart of mechanical timepieces were developed in the 14th century. Yet, even this ancient timekeeping system has its forebear: the verge and foliot escapement. In this simple system, a verge escapement drove a horizontal bar affixed with weights at each end, and, as the foliot oscillated on its vertical axis, one could adjust the rate by moving the weights closer or further from the center of the foliot. Though primitive, the verge and foliot was revolutionary, giving rise to modern mechanical timekeeping that relied on oscillations. New York-based watch brand Foliot, founded in 2022, is certainly modern, but it has an appropriate name for a company that honors the past while embracing new approaches to timekeeping.

Foliot is the brainchild of Izzy Alsafa, an adventurer and world traveler who inherited his love for both travel and watches from his late father. As his father would embark on globetrotting adventures, he would bring back watches as gifts for Alsafa, igniting a lifelong passion for both the watches and the places they came from. Moving across the world, from Bangladesh to Dubai before eventually settling in the United States for university and work, Alsafa embarked on plenty of his own travels to far-flung corners of the globe, from scuba diving in the Caribbean, to meditating in Japan’s tranquil gardens, to traipsing Europe’s cobbled streets. That love for world travel — and having a timepiece that can accompany the adventure — serves as a guiding principle for Foliot.

Given Alsafa’s passion for travel, it’s no surprise that Foliot’s first collection would be a GMT. The Stratonaut GMT series, the first collection in Foliot’s Traveler Trilogy, was a runaway success. With a rotating 24-hour bezel and inner 24-hour chapter ring, and running on an ETA 2893-2 automatic movement, the Stratonaut GMT is purpose-built for the world traveler.

For the second collection in the Travler Trilogy, the Scubanaut, Foliot capitalized on the release of the new Miyota 9075 GMT movement, allowing the brand to create an adventure-ready dive watch with a few tricks to satisfy seasoned travelers. The Foliot Scubanaut collection features two watches: the Scubanaut 200 (in both a black and white dial configuration) and the Scubanaut World Diver. While both share plenty of familial DNA, which watch is right for you comes down to whether you need a GMT function on your watch.

Both Scubanaut models measure 41mm in diameter (48mm lug-to-lug, 12.5mm in height) and are crafted from 316L stainless steel. Foliot employs a clever design with its 120-click bezel: The inner ceramic insert features elapsed time (typical of a dive watch), while the outer stainless steel edge of the bezel features markings for a countdown timer. This design adds instant versatility without added complication. Foliot was careful to consider all the details with the Scubanaut; for example, the screw-down crown features a bright red warning ring that alerts the user if the crown is left unscrewed.

For the Scubanaut 200, Foliot prioritized legibility and simplicity, with broad, applied triangular markers and Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9. Combined with large hands and red-tipped seconds, reading the time is instantaneous. And, because the hands and markers are coated with blue Super-LumiNova C3 (green Super-LumiNova C3 on the minute hand and bezel triangle), that legibility carries over no matter the lighting.

Though the Scubanaut 200 is time-only, foregoing both the date and GMT function, it still runs on the new Miyota 9075 movement. Why? Because the 9075 is a traveler’s or “true” GMT movement, it allows the hour hand to be independently adjustable. You can quickly adjust the hour hand to the current time upon arrival without having to fully reset the rest of the watch — a major benefit to frequent travelers, especially those whose philosophy is to live in the moment, wherever they are. The Miyota 9075 also provides a smooth sweep at 28,800 vph and features a 42-hour power reserve.

For frequent world travelers who require the extra functionality of the date and GMT hand, Foliot has you covered with the Scubanaut World Diver. The World Diver’s design echoes that of its time-only sibling, sharing the same case, bezel, and triangular markers, but the broad blue and white 24-hour ring clearly identify the watch’s intentions. Though a serious dive watch with 200m of water resistance, Foliot keeps things light and cheerful with a blaze orange seconds hand and a bright green counterbalance on the GMT “Mirror Hand,” as the brand calls it. The counterbalance of the Mirror Hand isn’t just for show — for those of us not accustomed to reading 24-hour time, a quick glance at the counterbalance in the afternoon lets you know the time on a 12-hour scale.

Regardless of which Scubanaut you choose, each comes mounted on a tapering 20mm three-link brushed stainless steel bracelet. Ensuring a perfect fit, Foliot also supplies half-links, and the bracelet includes tool-free micro-adjustment on the sleek clasp. In addition to the bracelet, Foliot includes its new MarineSport elastic nylon strap with proprietary clasp. Designed in-house, the clasp allows you to quickly get the ideal fit and lock it in, while enjoying the comfort and flexibility provided by elastic nylon. The Scubanaut 200 comes with a black MarineSport strap with a red accent stripe, while the Scubanaut World Diver is paired with a blaze orange strap.

For those who travel the world — or just their own local orbit — the Foliot Scubanaut 200 and Scubanaut World Diver are up for any adventure. With clever and thoughtful details throughout, the Scubanaut collection offers exceptional value, with prices starting at just $549 USD via Kickstarter Early Bird for the Scubanaut 200 ($599 Preorder, $699 Retail) and $649 USD ($699 Preorder, $799 Retail) for the Word Diver. To learn more about Foliot and the Scubanaut collection, please visit the brand’s Kickstarter page or visit their website, Facebook, or Instagram.