For the guy who'd rather have an espresso than a Speedmaster
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago ยท
Coffee-themed watches. Sounds gimmicky. It's not. Brew is a New York brand that pulls its design cues from espresso machines and cafe gear, and the Metric is one of the cleanest small chronographs around.
36 mm wide, 10.75 mm thick, cushion case, silver dial, steel bracelet, 20 mm lugs, sapphire, 50 m. That's tiny for a chrono, and on the wrist it's really comfy. Doesn't snag on cuffs, doesn't bang off things.
Movement's a Seiko VK68 meca-quartz. So it's quartz for timekeeping, but the chronograph has a mechanical module, so the pushers click like a real chrono and the hand snaps back to zero. Best of both, pretty much.
$475. Is that steep for a meca-quartz? Kind of, yeah. You can get a Seiko-powered meca-quartz from other micros for less. And 36 mm will be too small for a lot of guys. But the design is better than most, and you never have to wind it. If you like the look, it's worth it.