Get ready, because Maen Hudson is really something special!
People who know me, know that I hold on tightly to my integrity. In every aspect of life, I try to be as honest as possible, both with myself and with others, because I believe that is the only way to be upright in life.
When I was given the opportunity to write for the website, the first thing Strahinja presented to me when we talked about writing style was that I have absolute freedom to write my opinion and that I don’t have to ‘wrap up’ some watch flaws in some wordplay that won’t crystal-clearly convey my impression of the watch to the person who took the time to read my text. It was very important for me to share this with you, because I don’t want to create a false impression about something when I talk about a watch or a brand, given that my text might be a ‘trigger’ for someone to buy a new watch.
Who is, and what is Maen
Just as in the world of big brands, there are well-known and lesser-known brands, and a similar situation exists in the world of microbrands. I had the opportunity to enjoy watches from various microbrands, so I started exploring what else this world has to offer.
Maen is a Swedish micro brand, founded in 2017 by two Dutchmen, Sebastiaan Cortjaens and Jules van Helvoort, who shared a passion for watches. The term “MAEN” in Dutch means “moon,” which symbolizes time. Their goal was to present the best possible quality watches to their clients while maintaining reasonable prices. No one in our region had the opportunity to write a few words about them and their watches, so this text represents an additional pleasure for me.
Maen Hudson MK IV – a watch that changes my perception of micro-brands
Arriving at my door, I didn’t know what to expect. I open the outer box and find a watch roll inside. I open it, and I have something to see. My first impressions – literally left speechless. For the first time, in all this time of my love for watches, I had nothing to say. I wanted to say “something that is not seen every day” or “a level of quality that can and should shame luxury watches.” These would all be terms that express hype, but in this case, they would be absolutely correct. Hudson really deserves the hype.
Let’s start with the specifications – the case is 38.1mm in size, with a thickness of exactly 12mm. When I adjusted the bracelet to my 22cm wrist (links are adjusted with screws), it fit like a dream, thanks to the lug-to-lug length of 46.1mm. The dimensions follow my tendency to migrate towards smaller watches, for one simple reason – comfort.
In my eyes, the key to the case design is precisely comfort. The case is mostly brushed, with thin polished edges that give a vintage feel. They are barely noticeable, but they reflect on the wrist so that this watch has no sharp edges, nor segments that won’t be comfortable on the wrist.
The bracelet, which is 20mm on the lugs and evenly narrows to 16mm on the clasp, is a story of its own! The articulation of the links is something I can devote an entire text to! The links are made up of 5 segments, 3 brushed and 2 polished, giving it a beautiful contrast on the wrist. I’ve been in the world of watches for over 10 years, and so far I haven’t come across (not even in pictures) such a bracelet. The clasp has been improved compared to previous versions of the Hudson, now featuring 4 micro-adjustment holes, ensuring that everyone can find the perfect fit.
Sapphire glass is surrounded by a thin, vintage-style diving bezel made of matte ceramic, with engraved minute markers and a red inverted triangle at the 12 o’clock position.
What covers the sapphire glass is actually what surprised me the most. The relief dark gray dial is mostly black in most situations, but in the light we can enjoy a beautiful texture and dark gray color. Below the 12 o’clock marker is the discreet logo of this brand, while below the hands holder is a slightly larger ‘AUTOMATIC’ and below that ‘Hudson’ in red. The top of the hour hand is also red, as is the circle on the ‘lolipop’ second hand, which follows the overall design the creators wanted to achieve. The hands are in an art-deco style, and in a specific way symbolize the tops of New York buildings. The markers and hands are polished to a very high standard, so this watch is not ashamed even under a macro lens.
The movement that powers the Hudson is the Ronda R-150, a Swiss made mechanism with a 40-hour reserve and a possible daily deviation of +-10 seconds, but in practice this is much closer to COSC certified calibers.
Simply put, I don’t understand why this watch hasn’t received all the praise in the world. It took me a full month to write something that won’t sound like hype, but will present a real picture to you, the readers. Hudson is not trying to give off any Milsub or Tudor BB58 vibes, in fact, it doesn’t even want to. Simply put, the design that has been implemented is discreet, yet eye-catching, and the entire package exudes quality. At a price of 550 EUR, I can recommend the Maen Hudson to anyone without any hesitation, considering that I see it can ‘eat for breakfast‘ watches that cost two, three, or even four times more.
