Integrated bracelet sports watches…four adjectives/nouns which have been the rage (again) in the past two/three years ever since…well, I don’t know who re-started it actually: mainstream or microbrands? Anyway, regardless of who dusted off the concept of steel watches with integrated bracelets, well, now they are here and loads of enthusiasts and collectors are going nuts over them. Literally. While most, if not all, of the models released today draw some inspiration—or a lot of it—from one of several iconic Swiss models from the wild horological period of the 1970s/80s, what seems to have happened, after that the buzz created by the renewed trend flattened out a little bit, is that micro/independent brands started to transform the source material into something more and more unique, as if they had secretly negotiated with the original creators to use part of their designs as a basis for their own ideas. That is where the Maen Manhattan comes in and comes from. 

To me there is nothing wrong with finding inspiration in what came before. As I’ve said many times here on Mainspring and elsewhere (I do repeat myself a lot,) it’s a natural process that stems from humankind’s inherent habit to always make the next step following a previous one. Here we’re talking about the main inspiration for the first Manhattan released in 2022, the Vacheron Constantin Royal which came out in 1975 and was replaced two years later by the iconic 222, from which the Swedish brand borrowed the case, bezel, and bracelet design, though quickly made it its own through numerous minute transformations which we will indirectly talk about in the paragraphs which follow. Since 2022 there have been a few versions of the Manhattan and today we’re taking a look at the latest one, the Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Tuscan Blue, the slimmest and most refined of all according to yours truly, and the one we happened to be taking a close look at today. What a coincidence! 

Specifications 

In my head I created this myth about integrated bracelet sports watches that they are not as tough as they appear to be. Although there is the word “sports” in their unofficial name, they appear more dressy than sporty in many occasions even though their steel figure tends to be on the larger and bulkier side of things. This impression most likely stems from the core nature of their design where the case and bracelet form a seamless unit that seems to be continuously flowing from one end to the other. And in particular the perfect integration of the bracelet within the case where, as the tradition goes, the end links of the bracelet are actually part of the case and not removable elements. Though in many instances the bracelets can be removed but appear as they cannot in order to preserve the original aesthetic of these watches, whilst making it possible to swap the stainless steel bracelet for a rubber or leather strap for versatility sake. 

So the Maen Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Tuscan comes with a lot of steel but is light (110g on the bracelet adjusted to my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist) and very comfortable to wear thanks to the modest dimensions of the case and of its…drum roll…ultra-thinness: 37mm in diameter, 47.4mm lug-to-lug, 7.1mm thin, and coming with 24mm lug “width” which tapers to 16mm at the double-pusher butterfly clasp. Though the bracelet can be removed from the case as it is screwed to the case-back and that the first link can also be removed, Maen doesn’t offer alternative options for fastening systems for this collection. So the screws are here mostly to add vintage and industrial charm to their horological creation and yes it works for me. Despite the 7.1mm thinness, the Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin comes with a sapphire sandwich construction and an impressive 100 meters of water resistance, a push/pull crown, a surprisingly good lume application as it is indeed an actual sports watch. 

Behind the second piece of sapphire crystal we find a manual-wind ETA 7001 Élaboré caliber which beats at 3Hz, comes with about 42 hours of power reserve, and which is regulated in five positions. It displays pretty neat Côtes de Genève finishing and blued screws, elements which I know would appeal to some of you but which don’t do anything to me as today I’m very much impressed by the combination of the compact dimensions, the double-show of sapphire, and the 100 meters of water resistance. Based on all of this and without even discussing the looks of the Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Tuscan, one would say that this is very impressive already. And what is impressive is the price at which this model retails: $1,637.50 USD which doesn’t seem to be too much to ask in today’s market for something sized and spec’ed this way. And I can tell you that the fit and finish is equally impressive even though the model I borrowed for the review seems to have had a rough life. Poor little guy. 

Design

At the core of the Maen Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Toscan there is the case and the dial. The former is pretty much the same as it was on the first iteration of the Manhattan released three years ago, and all that followed after that, though here is thinner and more nimble on the wrist. From the Vacheron Constantin it does borrow the overall case shape—the rounded octagonal profile, slanted fixed bezel, and the concave cut-outs at the four extremities of the case—as well as the lug profile and integration and the flat-link bracelet design. The bezel however has a more rounded profile and looks awesome being fully polished and rounded, and the effect is particularly intense where the corners of the bezel are aligned with what I described as being concave cut-outs: the corners of the mid-case which push in and out around the sides and towards the octagonal crown at the three. In other words, the corners of the bezel curve out whilst the corners of the mid-case curve in. 

Moreover, the Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Toscan is endowed with a distinct sense of symmetry because the same alternation of brushed and polished surfaces can be seen stepping down from the bezel to the mid-case to the bracelet, where the brushed sections of each zone are oriented vertically and complemented by polished chamfers. The case is therefore very much angular and faceted, alternating rounded and sharp angles, and finalized by the faceted flat-link bracelet which tapers dramatically towards the clasp and is both elegant and comfortable to wear. Mechanically, the Maen gives us small individual links which make it easy to size the bracelet, and aesthetically these same links make the bracelet look dapper as the multiple facets and tight link construction makes the dimmest of light bounce from it with sheer intensity. All of this makes the Manhattan 37 Ultra-Think Tuscan a superb piece of horology even though we have yet to discuss the dial and where the name “Tuscan” comes from! 

It is derived from hand-hammered dials from 1990s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak’s, therefore staying within the global theme of iconic integrated bracelet sports watches. Although I do not know how the dial of the Maen is made, it is extremely visually compelling to look at as the texture is deep and completely random, mimicking in some ways melted plastic or frozen lava. The dial texture is the first novelty of the Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Tuscan as well as the sub-seconds register at the six, sitting slightly lower within the dial and being complemented by an octagonal seconds track. The hour and minute hands may not be a Maen creation but they are best associated with the Swedish brand which has been using it for a few years now. They are shaped like skyscrapers, beveled and fully polished, well-lumed as well. The hour markers for their part faceted, applied, and lumed too, and cut in different ways depending on where they are located on the dial. 

The Heart of the Matter

Even though I mentioned twice or thrice the source material behind the original Maen Manhattan from 2022, which I felt compelled to do because the connection is obvious and a flattering one I believe, I will tell you this: Maen took the Swiss design—which, by the way, only existed for two years which makes it even more ok to have worked from it—and entirely made it its own. The overall shape is here obviously but the crown and dial aren’t, and even though the flat-link bracelet is, overall the Manhattan in all of its variations is something that has become an ubiquitous design of the popular Swedish brand. In other words, Maen created a continuation of the 1975 VC and created multiple versions of it, each time refining its proportions, fit and finish, and trying out different types of dial layouts, textures, and sizes. I’ve handled multiple versions of the Manhattan since 2022 and the 37 Ultra-Thin Tuscan is my favorite thus far. 

So at the heart of the matter there is this: with this collection, Maen has created one of the most original and elegant integrated bracelet sports watches which is a proper timekeeping device in its own right, not just an imitation or homage of something that has come before it. Its creation and distinct personality are akin to modernizing a classical genre of clothing—as a man I’m thinking of the Henley shirt—or a car—as a car-curious person I’m thinking of the endless iterations of the Mercedes G-Wagon. Therefore items and machines which are as iconic today as they were many decades ago, even though they changed creators’ hands. 

Conclusion 

At the time of writing this article, the new Maen Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Tuscan comes in four dial colors—the blue ref. M2.2.1, the green ref. M2.2.2, the copper ref. M2.2.3, and the grey ref. M2.2.4. The blue and grey are currently available for purchase on the brand’s website whilst the green and copper ones are marked as “coming soon.” As a reminder, this beauty of Swedish independent horology retails for $1,637.50 USD which is, I would dare say again, not too much money for what Maen is giving you. Just sayin. 

Thanks for reading.