MAEN Watches was established in 2017 and occupy the mid-tier of the microbrand market, with watches ranging from roughly €300 and €1500. The new Hudson 38 GMT is currently priced at just under €800 and available in four colourways. On test here is the GMT AGM.01.

The GMT That Thinks It’s A Dive Watch!

Before I even received the watch for review, certain specifications made this watch stand out from the crowd for me, such as its water resistance rating which exceeds most dive watches, and the movement used. It’s also an incredibly attractive watch. So much so, that its good looks alone will undoubtedly prompt some buyers to reach for their flexible friend (nice 80s reference there!). But how does the entire package stack up, and is it worth the asking price?

Case Design And Wearing Experience

The 38mm case is made from 316L stainless steel and is of a conventional three-section design, comprising 120-click rotating bezel, mid-case and caseback. The case finishing is all perfectly executed and predominantly finely brushed.

Working from the dial-side of the watch to the rear, first up we have a double domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating protecting the dial. This sits slightly proud of the steel bezel insert which has a matt black finish and is deeply engraved with an off-white 24-hour GMT scale to provide an easy reference for a second or third-time zone, in addition to the independent GMT hand.

Brushed and polished finishes are used for the coin edge of the bezel, which provides very good levels of grip considering that, despite the Hudson GMT’s phenomenal 300m water resistance, this is not a dive watch.

I’d describe the bezel action as very good for the price point with very little back play. Considering the watch is a GMT, not a diver, I’m surprised that MAEN has chosen to fit a uni-directional bezel rather than bi-directional. It could be that this is a cost saving measure, as they can carry it over directly from the Hudson dive watch.

The mid-case is a simple tried and tested shape, similar to the original Tudor Black Bay. It has straight sides with longitudinal brushing and has polished bevels which widen towards the ends of the lugs. The lugs angle downwards ever so slightly, but don’t extend past the caseback. The screw-down caseback is also a simple affair, just stainless steel with a brushed centre section and specifications engraved into a polished circular band.  The screw-down crown with signature ‘M’ surrounded by an etched circle, is polished, perfectly sized and has lots of grip.

For a GMT with 300m water resistance, this is a thin watch! Overall thickness is just 12.05mm, and the all-important lug-to-lug measurement is a crowd-pleasing 46mm. With measurements like this it should come as no surprise that I found this to be an extremely comfortable watch to wear. It’s worth noting that the height is nearly identical to its non-GMT dive-watch brother, the Hudson 38 MK4. From what I can gather, MAEN has managed to achieve this by using printed indices for the dial which are obviously less tall than the applied indices used for the dive watch. In addition, the caseback hardly protrudes at all, so it beds down into the wrist and sits flat.

From a visual standpoint, despite the mid-case being slab-sided, thanks to MAEN’s efforts to keep the watch thin, the watch never looks bulky from any angle. Polished bevels to the tops of the outer lugs also help break up the visual mass. The double-domed sapphire brings some lovely distortion and light play to the face of the watch.

The 316L stainless steel five-link bracelet tapers from 20mm to 16mm, feels great and is very fluid. It’s predominantly brushed, but added contrast comes courtesy of thin polished links that sit outside of the centre link. The female end links help restrain the lug-to-lug length. However, the stubby centre sections of the end links sit slightly higher than the outer links and case. Although to me this is not aesthetically pleasing, it’s not a big deal, and I doubt most people would notice it, let alone be bothered by it. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point it out so you can make up your own mind. The bracelet’s twin-trigger fold-over deployant clasp is milled, signed and has four micro-adjustment holes. It also has a wide, polished bevel running its entire length. The bracelet is adjusted using single sided screws. On-the-fly clasp adjustment would have been nice, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker. Overall, the watch head and bracelet combined result in a well-balanced package.

Hudson GMT Dial And Hands

The matt black dial has a grained texture and a printed outer minute track showing fractions of seconds increments, as well as printed 24-hour scale with red Arabic numerals denoting 6, 12, 18, 24 and grey numerals for every other 2-hour interval. Surrounding the main dial is the rotating bezel which has a steel insert in matt black and deeply etched off-white numbers in a very clean looking and attractive font.

The design for the baton-shaped indices is interesting as they are slightly raised from the dial, giving a more premium and three-dimensional appearance than that of flat printing. A double baton is used for the 12 o’clock marker, and all main indices are filled with a centre strip of glowing Swiss Super-LumiNova Grade X1 for improved legibility in low light.

The unique hour and minute hands are sporty but elegant, have a polished steel finish, and are filled with neatly applied X1 Super-LumiNova. The lollipop seconds hand has a simple circle of X1 lume and a tapered counter-balance. Being what is known as an ‘office’ or ‘caller’ GMT, the Hudson 38 GMT has a fourth hand, an independently adjustable GMT hand used to show a second time zone. This is instantly recognisable by its perfectly executed red arrowhead. To set the second time zone, you simply pull the crown out to its first position and turn away from you to make the GMT hand jump in increments of one hour. Everything about the handset looks to be very well executed.

Dial text is simple and clean. Just the brand name at 12, and ‘Automatic’, ‘Hudson’ and ‘GMT’ at 6 ‘clock. ‘Hudson’ is picked out in red to complement the GMT hand. Also at the 6 o’clock position is a framed black-on-white date window and ‘Swiss Made’ designation at the outer edge of the dial.

The only thing I found disappointing in terms of the dial was that the 24-hour GMT scale on the main dial has very poor legibility. Most of the time this won’t be an issue, as you can just read the 24-hour time by reading it from the rotating bezel, provided you ensure that it’s set to its default position with the triangle lined up to 12 o’clock. However, if you’re using the rotating bezel to track a third time zone and you’re not very familiar with GMT watches, you’ll struggle to quickly read the time at a glance. For the Hudson MK5 I’d like to see larger Arabic numerals used on the rehaut, as well higher contrast colours. I also think cleaning up the minute track by removing the micro hash marks (denoting fractions of a second) would help with legibility.

MAEN Hudson 38 GMT – The Movement

MAEN has taken the unusual decision to use the Soprod C-125 Swiss automatic movement for the Hudson GMT Mk4. This makes for a refreshing change from the usual Miyota or Sellita movements and it shows that the team at MAEN aren’t afraid to go their own way. This 25-jewel movement with bi-directional rotor ticks at 8 beats per second (28,800 vibrations per hour) which gives a nice smooth sweep to the seconds hand. It has a 42-hour power reserve and has Incablock shock protection.

Another point of difference from many microbrands is that MAEN went the extra mile by opting for the Elaboré Grade, which is decorated and adjusted to three positions, bringing accuracy to within 7 sec +/-7 per day, impressive! It’s just a shame that you can’t see the movement because of the solid caseback. However, like anything, this is a trade-off. Fitting a sapphire exhibition caseback would have added to the overall thickness of the watch. Given the choice, I’d prefer to have a thinner watch, so this design decision suits me just fine. Of course, this is personal preference though.  

The winding action is great, the crown engages positively in all positions and screws down with confidence. Pull out to the first position and turn towards you for setting the date, away to set the independent GMT hand. Pull out to second position to stop the seconds hand, hack the movement and precisely set the time.

Final Thoughts

There’s an awful lot to like about the MAEN Hudson 38 GMT and very few negatives. It’s well proportioned, looks phenomenal on the wrist, and offers quality that exceeds that of most other microbrands and indeed many mainstream luxury brands. In fact, in-house movement aside, the MAEN even compares favourably to the Tudor Black Bay GMT when you consider that it’s around a fifth of the price. Plus, the MAEN has more water resistance, even though the Black Bay is pitched as a dive watch!

If you’re looking at buying the MAEN Hudson 38 GMT specifically to track three time zones, it’s worth bearing in mind my points above in the ‘dial and hands’ section. In reality though, I think most people who buy GMTs will either only be tracking two time zones, or they’ll just like the look of an extra complication and a pop of colour. My only other negatives are very minor. Some people might like to see on-the-fly adjustment for the clasp, and maybe a quick-release trigger for the bracelet. Personally. I’d like to see the stubby end links of the bracelet sit flat with the case and rest of the bracelet, but that’s about it for negatives as far as I’m concerned.

Overall, the Hudson 38 GMT feels like a premium watch. The finishing is great, it houses a regulated Swiss automatic movement, and one of its biggest selling points is that it’s a GMT that can double as a dive watch, thanks to its unidirectional bezel and 300m water resistance. It’s also on the dressier side of sporty, so if this isn’t a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ (GADA) watch, I don’t know what is!

At the current retail price of around €800, it offers outstanding value for money. In fact, I can’t think of another non-homage Swiss-made automatic GMT with 300m water resistance for less than €1000. If you know of any, I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments section below!

The only fly in the ointment is that for UK customers, by the time you’ve added VAT and import costs, competition does open up from British brands such as Christopher Ward and Farer whose watches won’t incur these additional costs. However, even then, the Hudson 38 GMT certainly holds its own and it has its own style, so it’s horses for courses here!

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It’s a different angle taken by the brand – Maen means moon in Dutch (the founders are Dutch, but it’s a Swedish brand) and their previous models have all been dress watches featuring moon phase indicators. The Hudson, however, is nothing like that: a vintage inspired dive watch offering lots of options – such as date / no date, different hands, dial, water resistance, bezel, and most importantly the choice of a 38mm or 42mm case size. This sample I have is the 38mm, and I personally think it’s the better choice to match the vintage vibes running throughout.

What’s really cool is the stretch goals that have been unlocked: the each is now Swiss Made, and the ETA 2824-2 Elaboré.

Please note this is a press loaner which has done some miles so it’s not in perfect condition.

The specs

Dimensions: 38mm diameter x 12.5mm height x 46mm lug to lug
Weight: 137g
Water resistance rating: 10ATM / 100m
Movement: ETA 2824-2 Elaboré
Accuracy: +23.6 sec/day
Lug width: 20mm
Warranty: 2 years
Price: Kickstarter pledges from €349 / ~£306; RRP €499 / ~£435
Available from: http://www.wiaa.maenwatch.com/

The case

The 38mm case sits perfectly on my 7.25” wrist. It is a pretty slender and sleek shape, epitomised by the lack of crown guards and a boxed sapphire crystal and bulging caseback.

The case is polished down the sides with a splendidly cut shoulder, with a brushed top and bottom. It’s very well machined upon closer inspection, despite the wear and tear already apparent.

The crown has decent grip and solid thread, with the M logo deeply and accurately engraved. It proves to be a good size in relation to the case visually.

The bezel insert is quite thin, as well as the bezel itself; making it a little difficult to actually use and rotate. It looks cool though and you have the option for red accents or white with a lume pip. It’s a shame the lume pip only exists on the white bezel option.

The caseback has a large exhibition window showing off the movement, with details engraved in a channel surrounding this alongside a coined edge. If you opt for the 20ATM / 200m model, this will be a solid caseback.

The domed box sapphire crystal looks great and certainly provides vintage vibe, however it is very reflective – that’s because this sample doesn’t have any anti-reflective coating which is a pain. I’m told that the end product will have it, so we’ll have to see how that ends up.

The dial

The main customisation is here on the dial. Firstly you can choose black, midnight blue or white. You can also choose the rehaut; black with white text, or this one – white with green text.

The hands have central channels with polished steel edges that don’t go all the way up, a nice different design to the norm. You can also opt to go for a red tip of the hour hand and matching red disc on the seconds hand.

The applied hour markers are all impressively deep and well made, even up close; with a lume filled centre and polished border which catch the light nicely.

You can choose date or no date – the date window is located at 3 and is a neat cut straight of the dial, with a slightly bevelled border to tidy it up.

The C3 super luminova lume isn’t that impressive – not much charge or long life.

The bracelet

The bracelet is fully brushed, which is a sensible choice in terms of resilience to scratches and looking new for longer. It’s 20mm wide at the lugs on the 38mm version and I feel it’s a good size.

There’s a bit of an Omega Seamaster vibe going on due to the 3-piece centre link – what looks like gentle engraved channels either side of a large center link, it’s actually 3 links together totalling 5. I like this subtle bit of detail and the effort that’s gone into this.

The hidden butterfly clasp has the Maen logo engraved on one side – although I’m under the impression that this is no longer the buckle that will be on the final watches.

The movement

This ETA 2824-2 is coming in pretty wildly at +23.6 sec/day. But don’t worry, as this is the standard finish – the production run will have the nicer Elaboré grade. Let’s hope it’s regulated properly though – I’m sure it will be.

The ETA 2824-2, no mater which grade it comes in, is one of the most highly regarded Swiss Made Automatic movements out there; incredibly hard working, well wearing and easy to maintain.

Final comments

I must say, it’s a splendid design – which is coupled with great build quality. When you consider the amount of customisation too, you can get a watch that’s just right for you. The only negatives for me are the crystal being too reflective and the bezel action being hard to use.

I’ve been impressed, and it’s a watch that I’d happily wear daily – I really dig dressier divers that have a bit of flair about them rather than that practical edge.

There’s no doubt in my mind that it offers a lot of watch for the money; especially at the pledge price. A full Swiss Made diver that looks this good with a ETA 2824-2 Elaboré is also decent value at the RRP, although there’s a lot more choice out there at that price.

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Their Classic Moonphase is available in a few colour ways, this being the frost white with blue strap. It has an RRP €249 or approx £200, and it’s obvious that the main characteristic of the timepiece is the moonphase indicator. Let’s see if it’s decent value for money.

The specs

• Dimensions: 38mm diameter x 7mm height x 45.5mm lug to lug
• Weight: 50g
• Movement: Ronda 706.B
• Lug width: 18mm
• Crystal: sapphire
• Water resistance: 5ATM / 50m
• Warranty: 2 years
• Price: €199 RRP €249

The dial

The dial here is the frost white version, which has a very pleasant gentle eggshell / creamy tinge to it.

The design is simple and provides good legibility – they describe it as “Scandinavian minimalism with Dutch experimentalism in a New York fashion-forward setting” – which is obviously fairly generic marketing speak.

The straight pitched hands have a pointed tip and are polished steel, providing a variety of reflections depending on the angle. The omission of a seconds hand is a clever way of disguising the quartz movement, and it also maintains simplicity.

We have well-made applied baton hour markers, with a double baton at 12. They have rounded edges at the top and bottom which softens their appearance.

The moon phase indicator is the dial’s main focus and definitely draws the eye. It has the stock Ronda 706.B wheel, but thankfully it’s a nice one so it looks in place. It has a delicate border surrounding it, which yields neat attention to detail.

The logo is printed in the top half, with a minute track around the outer edge. All printing is neat and precise.

The case

The size of the case is rather graceful at 38mm in diameter – one of the smaller watches I’ve reviewed. It’s also incredibly lightweight at 50g including the strap, resulting in a very comfortable wear.

The majority of the case is polished, with the exception of brushed sides. The polished steel bezel in particular delivers flamboyant reflections. The general finishing of the case is good.

The case has a small push-pull crown, with the M of the logo embossed on the end – it’s easy to use and has good grip.

The caseback is secured by 6 screws, and is polished with a pleasant engraved pattern encompassing the central deeply engraved logo.

Sitting on top of the case is a flat sapphire crystal, with extremely good clarity.

The movement

The movement used is the Ronda 706.B. It’s not much to look at, but as is the case with all Swiss Made quartz movements it’ll get the job done, will stand the test of time and will prove to be an excellent workhorse,

It boasts a whopping 5 jewels, and a 44 month battery life.

The strap

The strap is fairly petit at 18mm wide at the lugs, reducing down to 16mm at the buckle. It’s smaller than I’m used to but is a suitable size for the 38mm case.

The blue leather has an alligator print stamped on the top. It has matching darker blue stitching which is supplies a very classy, sophisticated impression.

The leather is soft and supple, and is very comfortable on the wrist.

The buckle is a standard tang type, with a rounded design to it and the logo deeply engraved on the top bar.

Final comments

A moon phase indicator isn’t really the most necessary feature – I’m not too sure how many people are actually that bothered about it. But, it doesn’t stop it from being a visually pleasing characteristic of any watch; and one that never ceases to be a topic of conversation. The size of the Maen Classic Moonphase is on the smaller scale nowadays – but that actually gives it something that others don’t: a proper, classic watch which is the right size.

At approx £200, it’s probably at the top end of the kind of fee I’d expect – but in the Maen Classic Moonphase we have a Swiss Movement as well as a high level of finish and manufacture that supports the price tag and makes it worth it.

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