A brown Maen Skymaster 38 MKIII is a first collaborative effort for Watchfinder
Fergus Nash- The Watchfinder x Maen Skymaser 38 MKIII is Watchfinder’s first collaborative release.
- The brown dial is influenced by the ‘tropical’ effect of black dials fading over time.
- It uses the Sellita SW510Mb, a hound-wound clone of the Valjoux 7750 with Sellita’s top grade of finishing.
If you’ve spent any time browsing watch content on YouTube, there’s a high chance you’re familiar with Watchfinder. The soothing voice of Andrew Morgan and some of the best videography make for fantastic viewing, and they have a strong connection with the watch enthusiast community. For their first-ever collaborative effort, Watchfinder have partnered with the Dutch-founded, Swedish-based and Swiss-made brand Maen. The result is the Watchfinder x Maen Skymaster 38 MKIII, tying together elements of age and modernity.
Maen’s approach to watchmaking doesn’t usually step out of the box, although they have been known to experiment while collaborating, like with the seconde/seconde/ Manhattan 37. The Maen Skymaster 38 however has remained relatively traditional up until now, where Watchfinder have infused its third iteration with hallmarks of vintage favourites. The dial’s brown sunburst is supposed to evoke the effect of ‘tropical’ dials, where sun exposure has faded black paint overtime and brought out warmer tones. It does this cleanly however, choosing not to include spots of water damage or imperfect blotchiness which most genuine vintage examples have. The surrounding area around the dial’s perimeter is a rough-textured white, giving some more breathing room to the aged luminous dots and minute markers.
Other vintage-style details within the watch are the dauphine hands with thin strips of luminous paint, and the square-lollipop registers on the chronograph subdials that are best known from vintage Rolex Daytonas. The contemporary seeps in mainly through the typeface chosen, including the Maen logo and the digital-looking Arabic numerals. The steel bezel itself is sandblasted for a matte finish, standing in soft contrast to the polished lugs and the brushed sections on the jubilee or five-link style bracelets. Wearability brings everything back to the retro style though, with a 38mm diameter and a 47mm lug-to-lug length which should be comfortable on most wrists. The 13.4mm height is a good middle point for a chronograph like this, and 100 metres of water resistance promises that you can safely wear the watch while swimming.
Many of the changes that come with the Maen Skymaster 38 MKIII’s case are due to the use of the Sellita SW510Mb movement. This is a manually-wound adaptation of the Sellita SW500, itself a clone of the automatic Valjoux 7750 chronograph which powered countless watches throughout the ‘70s, until today. The beat rate of 28,000 vibrations per hour ensures a smooth sweep of the seconds hand, and a 63-hour power reserve provides enough energy to keep the chronograph running for as long as you’ll likely need it. Maen have opted for the top grade of movement, meaning the decoration of the plates is much more elaborate than usual, and you can see that through the sapphire caseback. It also has a higher accuracy tolerance within +/-15 seconds per day.
The Watchfinder x Maen Skymaster 38 MKIII pricing and availability:
The Watchfinder x Maen Skymaster 38 MKIII will be a limited and numbered edition available for pre-order between October 8th and 16th 2023. Price: €1,800
| Brand | Maen |
| Model | Skymaster 38 MKIII x Watchfinder |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 13.4mm (T) x 47mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Brown |
| Strap | Beads of rice or five-link steel bracelet |
| Movement | Sellita SW510Mb, manually wound |
| Power Reserve | 63 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph |
| Availability | For pre-orders from 08/10 to 16/10 |
| Price | €1,800 |