The Monbrey MB2 Kenkyū has one of the most gorgeous dials for the money
Time+Tide
A lot has happened in the past 10 years since the onset of what we colloquially call microbrands. The market went through many phases, too, from a healthy obsession for vintage re-issues and divers to the revived interest in integrated bracelet sports watches and now a competition for who makes the coolest dials. In the latter trend, we’ve seen a lot of different designs: stone dials, dials decorated with food (like our Studio Underd0g “pizza watch”) or nature-themed textures and patterns. Today’s protagonist, the Monbrey MB2 Kenkyū, lives within this trend – but does things a little differently.
The case
Before we get into the seven different dial versions of the Monbrey MB2, we’re going to take a look at the case. It’s nimble, coming with a 37.5mm diameter, 45mm lug-to-lug, 11.8mm total thickness, and 20mm lug width, and well-finished, displaying abrupt angles at the lugs and slab-sided flanks. The angles are highlighted by seamless transitions between brushed and mirror-polished surfaces, the latter we find in key areas of the watch head: the chamfers near the lugs, the lower section of the fixed bezel, and the crown. The rest of the case is brushed, either horizontally or vertically, giving the MB2 a sporty appearance. With such dimensions, this model will certainly wear well on wrists of various sizes.
Moreover, the Monbrey MB2 presents an interesting semi-step construction at the fixed bezel, the latter occupying a lot of space on the mid-case. Looking at the case from the side we can see several stages shooting up and inward, ending with a boxed sapphire crystal. Besides its looks, the case also comes with a screw-down crown and case-back which gives this model 100 meters of water resistance, and a soft-iron cage wrapping the movement that adds antimagnetic properties of ≥ 4800 A/m. Coming back to the crown: it is rather small in proportion to the case but easy to grab and operate thanks to the presence of deep and polished knurling.
The dial
As mentioned earlier, the Monbrey MB2 Kenkyū does come in seven different dial variations. This is split across two main dial variants – “jewel steel” and “mother of pearl” – with three and four colour options for each texture respectively. This collection gets its name from the era in Japanese history when the first shogunate was established: a short span of nine years which began in April 1190 and ended in April 1199. The jewel steel texture’s moniker is a reference to tamahagane, a type of steel traditionally used to craft Japanese swords. I would describe this texture as being in-between laval rock and meteorite as it comes with a pronounced rock-like appearance whilst showcasing many sparkling reflective areas.
The mother of pearl dials feature CNC-machined iridescent finishes evocative of aventurine, and were inspired by the armour of Bishamon, the Japanese war god and purveyor of justice. Regardless of which dial texture and colour we’re looking at, they all come with the same layout: multifaceted, obelisk-shaped hour and minute hands filled with lume plus a needle-shaped seconds that’s gold-plated or heat-blued, sitting next to baton-shaped, multifaceted, and applied hour markers – except at 12 o’clock, which has an inverted triangle-shaped indice.
The hour markers have polished chamfers (like the hour and minute hands) but multiple, super thin horizontal CNC-machined lines on top. The latter creates a striking matte texture that is easy to see at any angle. We also find a simple minute track sitting higher than the dial to give an extra level of dimension.
The strap
The Monbrey MB2 Kenkyū will ship with two straps: a black Epsom-patterned Italian leather strap with a dual-finished stainless steel buckle and quick-release spring bars, as well as a stainless steel bracelet with an “H” link construction held together with pins and collars, female end-links (the finishing of which matches that of the case), quick-release spring-bars, and an on-the-fly micro-adjustment mechanism. The links of the bracelets are multi-faceted as well and rounded off on the outside.
The movement
The movement inside the Monbrey is a Japanese-made Miyota 9039 caliber (no date) which beats at 4Hz and comes with about 40 hours of power reserve. The 9000 series of calibres from Miyota are known for being reliable, precise, and easy to service, and is in this case regulated to unspecified parameters.
Monbrey MB2 Kenkyū pricing and availability
All seven versions of the Monbrey MB2 Kenkyū are currently available for pre-order directly from the brand’s website with shipping estimated to run between late March/early April 2025. Price: US$486 (pre-order price), US$649 (full retail price)
| Brand | Monbrey |
| Model | MB2 Kenkyū |
| Case Dimensions | 37.5mm (D) x 11.8mm (T) x 45mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Jewel steel pattern in indigo, blue, brown, black Mother of pearl in ice blue, dark green or pink |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Epsom leather strap, steel pin buckle H-link steel bracelet, folding clasp |
| Movement | Miyota 9039, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 40 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | November 4th 2024 |
| Price | US$486 (pre-order price) US$649 (full retail price) |
Made in partnership with Monbrey. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.