What is time but a construct? An arbitrary measure of the perpetual advancement of life and of our allotment of it? Well I’m just shitting you. We’re not here to discuss the philosophical essence of time nor its scientific merits, but to only chat about the fact that time truly is our most precious commodity and that we do waste a lot of it, as very wise people are known to have said. Which is why engineers and scientists created instruments to measure it based indeed on an arbitrary “starting point” and boundarized segments (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years) so that we can more easily locate historical events and make it easier for humans to meet one another and replicate food recipes. Ever since mankind decided that “time” was something of importance that we should keep tabs on, we have come up with many ways to measure it over the past hundreds and thousands of years and now—as it is of interest to us watch nuts—there are different types of watches to measure different types of things. 

In our previous and first review of a Brew, we argued that it was alright for men to wear smaller everyday elegant watches and that brands do not have to categorize compact watches as being better suited for one gender over another. The coffee-themed brand, by releasing the Metric Lite Silver & Black, demonstrated that the 21st century was still a welcoming era for smaller watches, and today we’re going to see that Brew also decided that our time period of watchmaking is fertile for fresh horological ideas. And attainable ones, it should be specified, as it is what the New York-based brand excels at: doing things differently without forcing enthusiasts to find ways to bankroll their addiction. Thus our attention will be undividedly poured into Brew’s latest and most daring creation to date, the Metric Digital Blend, which is the world’s first hybrid watch to combine classic analog timekeeping with a digital LED espresso timer. Speaking of niche horology…I couldn’t have found a better example of it. 

Specifications 

What the study of the Metric Lite further brought to our attention is the fact that Brew created the perfectly balanced recipe to offer originality at an affordable price with equal measures of singularity in design and well-rounded specifications. The Digital Blend is no different as the $425 USD you’re about to spend stretches far and I would say further than the $375 you spent on the Silver & Black already. With this new creation the New York brand repurposed the winning case design of the Metric collection, beefed it up, and enlarged it to make way for the unique analog-digital module of unspecified nature. The latter combines a quartz movement which tells the time with a customized LED display through which the wearer can time the perfect espresso shot by way of a lovely 1980s animation with a 30 seconds count-down timer. The timer is actuated by the small pusher slammed into the right flank of the case at a perpendicular angle: one long press activates the timer, another short press starts the countdown. 

Once the large red-LED powered numerals reach “0”, a beeping sound goes off and a percolating coffee cup animation (which refers to the old-school percolator coffee machines which brew the coffee ground by a continuous cycle of boiling water in an upward movement) appears on the left side of the screen for a few seconds indicating that your espresso shot is perfect. (According to Google, the perfect 60ml espresso shot extracts between 25 and 30 seconds. I’m sorry Jonathan, I am not an avid espresso drinker!) Therefore and indeed, Brew created the world's first and the most singular use of a watch to time something I have ever seen in my young journalistic career. And even though I do not drink espressos myself, I simply adore the fact that I have a 30-seconds countdown timer at my disposal and that I have found myself activating it just for the sake of seeing the seconds fall down to zero and smile at the delightful animation. But, the Digital Blend is more than the espresso shot timer because it doubles* as another great everyday watch. 

*A pun was intended here…did you get it? 

Earlier I mentioned that Brew beefed up its now iconic rounded-rectangle case and it did when comparing it to my first and latest hands-on experience with a Brew—the Metric Silver & Lite which measures 30mm across, 34mm lug-to-lug, and 10.55mm thick. Indeed perfect dimensions for my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist though the Digital Blend is larger but not abnormally so: it measures 37.5mm across, 43mm lug-to-lug, 13mm thick and comes with a 19.85mm lug width**. What prompted me to say that the Digital Blend is a beefed up version of the Metric Lite is the fact that this type of case, when it gains a few millimeters in all directions, commands an increasingly strong wrist presence unlike any other type of cases I have experienced thus far. This means that the Digital Blend occupies a noticeable yet rather lightweight presence on my French skinny wrist (130g on the bracelet adjusted to the specifics of my body) which is perfect for what this watch is: a unique timepiece whose novelty and singularity would be glanced over in a smaller format. 

**The most precise lug width I have ever read on a spec sheet. 

Well, we’re not done talking about the specifications because we did spend a lot of time talking about the espresso timer which, to yours truly, belongs to this segment of the review. Anyways, let’s move on from it as the Digital Blend is—as I tried to make my way to it already—more than its function: it is a sporty elegant watch infused with the same yesteryear’s design cues we went over when speaking about the Metric Lite Silver & Black and which makes for the perfect everyday companion on account of the following: a comfortable bracelet with quick-release spring-bars, push-pins (which hold the links securely!), a nimble double-pusher deployant clasp with four old-school holes of micro-adjustment, a push/pull crown and screwed-in case-back for 50 meters of water resistance, green-glowing lume on the hour and minute hands as well as applied markers, a flat piece of sapphire crystal, and a 316L stainless steel case which presents a dynamic interplay of brushed and polished surface treatments which highlight its unique profile. 

Design

This is one of the longest “specifications” sections I have ever written because there was a lot that needed to be said about the nature of the Metric Digital Blend and how unique its technology and functionality makes it. A bit akin to an alien we would be familiar with or a unicorn we have heard too many myths about. Or maybe not. Visually-wise then I will permit myself to gush over the case once more as it is a superb stainless steel creation which perfectly embodies the timeless aesthetics of the 1970s/80s. With the Metric Digital Blend, we can more easily observe and analyze all of its curves and sharp angles and delight ourselves in seeing once more the slab-sided case flanks, cliff-like bezel construction and how it cascades over the rounded upper mid-case whose hooded lugs engulf the end-links of the bracelet. Like a boat tied to the dock with a short rope, the bracelet appears to be anchored to the case by way of small end-links, though the following links perfectly match the width of the north and south sides of the case. 

And Brew does symmetry and seamless integrations of the bracelet into the case to perfection, though here, again because of the hybrid analog-LED nature of its technology, the dial is slightly asymmetrical, vertically speaking. At the bottom corner we find the small display framed by a brushed silver platform on which the brand’s logo is stamped (on the right side,) and I’m ashamed to say that I failed most of the time to capture the blood-red numerals flashing onto the screen because of an unknown photographic technical limitation of mine. But trusts me, the animated numbers and percolating coffee cups are delightful to look at. Then, the majority of the dial is occupied by the time-telling functionality which encompasses a glossy black dial on which four markers are applied and lumed at the cardinal points, composed of cream-colored center sections framed by matte white paint, rectangular hour and minute hands of the same design, a red seconds hand, and the model’s name and mission statement printed at its bottom in a gray typeface. 

The Heart of the Matter

Brew, with each one of its new releases, forces us to ponder many horological questions: what actually defines value in a watch? What other use-case scenarios can watches fulfill in today’s world? How many collections can a brand derive from a theme? Why did no one think about creating a hybrid analog-LED display espresso timer in the crazy design period of 1980s and 90s when digital watches took off and offered more functionalities than we needed? And who is Jonathan Ferrer? Well, we won’t be able to answer all of these questions today but some: it’s actually hard to draft a commonly-agreed upon definition of what good value is after reviewing a watch like the Metric Digital Timer because it offers more than many watches do at this price point; perhaps that Brew will then create a watch dedicated to timing how long one must wait for an espresso shot to cool down before being able to safely drink it; weirdly, no one thought about this functionality before because Jonathan Ferrer, whoever is this talented individual, wasn’t around back then. 

Again, I would be stereotypically hard-pressed to find anything as good as the Metric Digital Blend on the market today at this price point, whether looking at the singularity of its design in relations to the high quality of the case manufacturing and finishing, or the uniqueness of its functionality and how it was answered by a fresh take on the time-telling and timing design of a timepiece. Or even and simply put, how cool it is for $425 USD. There you have it, the Metric Digital Blend is something new, bizarre, funky, of quality and of singular looks at a good price. Another Brew hitting a home-run. 

Conclusion

Since I do not drink espressos I’m losing steam and I believe I’ve said it all anyway: please do yourself a favor and go here to remove $425 USD from your bank account to add a unique piece of micro and independent horology to your collection. This watch is unique and as I attempted to prove it today, in more ways than you and I thought in the first place as indeed, what makes it interesting goes far beyond the world’s first hybrid analog-LED display espresso timer. I rest my case and I’ll play with the timer a few more times before returning this watch to the brand.

Thank you for reading.