I have the Midnight Blue with the ETA2824-2; absolutely adore this piece. It’s the horological equivalent of wearing my most comfortable pair of blue jeans…Fantastic review, as always!👌
So I got my no date jet black. Initial thoughts. Bezel off, some back play allows for manual alignment. 12 o’clock indices slightly misaligned. Crown nicely aligns. Surprised to the noise of the rotor however not an issue. Gaining around 5-7 a day so far not checked with equipment: The metal bracelet is really nice The tropic is also nice. My wrist is 7 inch (I thought it was 6.5) The watch sits perfect at the 38mm size it’s very comfortable. Weight is good. The bezel bugs me as I can see with a resetting of the ceramic by a degree or so would just make everything align properly. The price of the watch is ok however beware of taxes to be paid to fedex. Roughly 20% I think these seem pretty well made and executed, however if I had tried this exact one on in a shop before purchase I wouldn’t have chosen this exact piece based on the imperfections. I’d have chosen a better finished example of the model. The more I wear it the more it grows on me and I’m starting to look past my initial gripes with the execution. I probably will have the bezel adjusted however.
I concur that they should add a lume pip to the piece! Overall, lume could be improved, yes they used the best they could with C1 X1, but C3 X1 would blow this right out the park. But wouldn’t look as white in brought daylight. The red hour hand add interest to the dial, makes it easier to read the time, a white coloured hour hand would’ve no transition to the markers. I like the textured dial, but I don’t like the greenish-blueish numerals on the minute track, only present on this grey version. What I particularly like is the bracelet design, the larger Center links look great! Well finished bracelet! In the end, it’s only 38 mm… but for collectors with a smaller wrist, this is a great offering for 650! Thanks for the review!
Thank you for such a considered and thorough review. A lumed triangle on the bezel would have been a huge improvement, along with a matching date disc, but those are small concessions overall. Thanks for covering all aspects of this watch, I was having a hard time finding info on the lume performance. The Maen website itself doesn't showcase the lume performance, perhaps because it is a relative weak point on an overall excellent execution. I have a 16cm wrist, so it's tough to find good, classic options that aren't recycled designs!
Beautiful and detailed review. Is really a beautiful bracelet for the quality? I mean, no rattle and robust quality? I'm always surprised when I test the bracelet also of important swiss (and not) brands like Longines, Seiko and Oris where the bracelet are terrible: so underweight, rattle.
I have the MK4 in the no date variant. It's pretty much the perfect dive watch. Dimensions, design, and quality are top notch for the price. Their Skymaster chrono model also looks really nice.
Thanks for the thorough review, what are your thoughts on the automatic Vs quartz version? Are there any differences apart from movement type? I have noticed that the dial on the auto says Swiss made where quartz does not. Any thoughts on this?
I like both the quartz and automatic versions. They are equal quality. The Ronda 515 has two versions; "Swiss made" and "Swiss parts". In order for a watch to legally have "Swiss Made" on the dial, 60% of the watches value needs to be Swiss. Therefore a movement needs to be Swiss made, rather than assembled outside Switzerland from Swiss parts. Ronda originally made all their movements in Switzerland. 20 years later Ronda transferred all its watch movement assembly activities from Hong Kong and China to Thailand. Ronda Ltd. in Hong Kong is now the Ronda Group's Asian sales hub, serving customers primarily in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and the USA. The Ronda R150 automatic is Swiss made hence "Swiss Made" on the dial as the watch meets the aforementioned criteria. The Ronda 515 quartz is made from Swiss parts outside Switzerland hence the absence of "Swiss Made" on the dial. Regards, #WR4K
I love your videos and reviews and they help me a lot to learn from this precious hobby. I'm wanting to buy my first vintage-style diving watch and I'm seriously hesitating between this Maen (in the version without date) and the San Martin SN006-G Milsub. I know that they are two watches that are not in the same price range, but if you had to choose one of the two, without taking into account the price, which one would you choose? Your opinion will be highly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.
Thank you for watching Pepe. Glad you enjoy my content. I would choose the SN006-G Milsub. I like the watch so much I added it to my own personal collection. See my State Of The Collection review. The Hudson 38 is an excellent piece. However it is 38mm, and I prefer the wrist presence and heft of the 40mm SN006-G case. The YN55A is also an excellent, reliable movement. I consider it the best San Martin watch ever made. It cannot be beaten for the price. Use the "WR4K" 10 USD discount code. Regards, #WR4K ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_FjcWi90w10.html
You are welcome Pepe. I am confident you will be delighted with your SN006-G Milsub. It is an ideal first vintage style dive piece. I really enjoy wearing mine. Regards, #WR4K
Thanks for such an extensive review! Now that you've reviewed both this Maen and the Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale, would you recommend one over the other?
I had a look at a Tudor in the flesh today and also a seiko prospex, yes they are different price and I keep this in mind but I see how affordable these maens are and I’m pretty much decided on the jet black none date. With steel bracelet and a tropic and nato option it seems to do everything I want out of the two former watches is this a fair summation? Thoughts appreciated.
The Hudson is better value, and better quality than a Seiko Prospex. Is isn't Tudor quality level finishing; however it is close to it for much less money. Therefore overall it is better quality/value at the respective price point. Yes, it is a fair summation. The Jet Black no-date version is my personal favourite, excellent choice. Regards, #WR4K
@@watchreviews4k thanks for the reply. I must say I found the Tudor a bit heavy. I had a 14060m years and years ago. It was so precise at gaining 11s/d It came as a gift, it required servicing within 3 year I wore it everywhere however and got accustomed to waterproofing, and the fact it gained. Interestingly when it was nee the bezel wasn’t well aligned and the Pearl blip at 12 on bezel was crqcked this was sorted when it went in for a service I wonder if they noticed and just changed it, also the crown came back in a better aligned position. That watch would have been £2510 it was a 2007 z reg 2 liner. Looking at Tudor yesterday I found the clasp better. Wasn’t as keen on hands. The prospex felt more “subby” loved the brown nato Japanese strap. The old Rolex clasp is as a pressed steel affair no glide lock or fanciness. I can only go off the internet and your review of maens from what I can see it looks like it holds up against my reference sub. The clasp looks superior. The bezel looks ok. The dial looks tidy. Thanks for your reply and advice. I’m also keen on the fact I can get a Maen for the cost of a Rolex ad service. Branding doesn’t bother me, Rolex’s are everywhere and that’s fine, they’re nice items that’s fine, their cost and then grey market value is staggering and almost nauseating, I even think the Tudor is overpriced, however I’m clearly living 15 years in the past. I think il pull the trigger on the Maen. I’m sure Itl perform as well as the old sub. Il be sure to give my honest thoughts and appraisal in time! Thanks.
No this is the latest MK4 version Kevin. Apologies for the mistake, the bezel insert is ceramic. It is matte finish so looks like aluminium. Regards, #WR4K
Great review, the Ronda movement is one of the best in the market I think, very thin, the watch looks very expensive and with very high quality 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻.. Hope more micro brand uses the Ronda and a glideclasp.. so tired of just using from the shelf fold over clasps..
Agreed Gino, the Ronda R-150 is a good movement. Its a shame more microbrands don't use it; as its a credible alternative to the SW200-1 which dominates the mid-tier. I would also like to see Glidelock style clasps used by more brands. Often the reason they don't use one is because they fear legal claims from Rolex SA Geneva for copying the patented Glidelock design. Regards, #WR4K
@@watchreviews4k but I hasn’t be the same kind of glidelock system as Rolex, there are other ways of making them, CW, Zelos, Monta, Certina, Nodus has other ones 👍🏻
Can’t get past that red hour hand and the plain Hudson looks too vanilla - black bay quality but boring like a sterile San Martin. You’d think they would spend a few hours doodling out a logo- too many micro brands just print their name on the dial with a bog standard font and cock up a good design
Maen use Garamond font in capitals, the same font used by Rolex (they use a Serified version of Garamond). It makes sense for microbrands to used well proven fonts such as Garamond, as they know it appeals to the majority of their target customers. Also one has to consider; can the font be used on the dial, crown, clasp; and embossed leather watch roll? A font needs to be suitable for both engraving and embossing. This is why I used Arial font in capitals for my "WR4K" channel logo, as I also wanted a suitable font for printing on watch dials, and embossing leather watch rolls. Regards, #WR4K
I don't mind the Garamond, it's one of my favorite fonts, but I agree that a designed logo would be more aesthetically pleasing. Of course having the brand name clearly identifiable helps with marketing, no doubt.
