For a long time, mechanical chronographs were the one type of watches most micro/indie brands wouldn’t touch due to the complexity of the movement and of the inevitable price increase these watches call for. Because for a long time, watch enthusiasts believed that micro/indie brands shouldn’t charge more than, say, $1,000 for whatever type of watch they would come up with. It was as if these brands, due to their nascent history and lack of heritage, weren’t allowed to charge more for a more complex—and consequently more expensive to produce—timepiece. And that was actually true of whatever type of watch you could think of. Because unless you go for a quartz or mecaquartz caliber, it seems impossible to offer a mechanical chrono for less than $1,000, at least if you wanted to make a good one. (Read: one that has a look of its own and is well made.) 

As far as my little head remembers, Maen was one of the first micro/independent brands to venture into the world of mechanical chronographs with the Skymaster collection. Not only was it equipped with a Swiss caliber (the reference of which escapes me though) but it was also moderately sized. It was, in fact, everything that many watch enthusiasts had been asking for but couldn’t get from such brands. (And from any brand for that matter, regardless of size and legacy or country of origin.) Offering such a type of watch came with a major challenge, that of being able to service the movements should anything go wrong with them. Because repairing a mechanical chronograph caliber is more complex than repairing a three-hander. This fact alone stopped many brands from making such watches and many enthusiasts from buying them. 

A few years later things are different and Maen is now into the third generation Skymaster. And in for review we have the Skymaster 38 MKII.MCT M6.2.1., a mouthful of a reference behind which hides a wonderful piece of horology. (Spoiler alert!) 

Specifications

Since I’ve talked so much about mechanical chronograph movements already then we should start by talking about what’s ticking inside the Skymaster 38. A Top Grade Sellita SW510Mb, a cam-actuated, full-fledged caliber ticking at 28,800 BPH (4Hz) and coming with a whopping 63 hours of power reserve. I say “full-fledged” as in it has a tricompax layout, with a running seconds sub-register at the nine, a 30-minute counter at the three, and a 12-hour totalizer at the six. Perhaps the most traditional and sought-after type of chronograph movement which many fans of the Daytona and Speedmaster wish they could find for much less money. But as it is often the case with micro/independent brands, and as it is always the case with Maen, the entire package which surrounds this movement is superbly designed, manufactured, and finished. A second spoiler alert: this watch will set you back $2,481 USD (VAT included) which will make sense later. 

Indeed, the Skymaster 38 comes in a relatively compact format which wears oh so well on my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist. “Compact” as in the case measures 38mm in diameter (which you already knew,) 47mm lug-to-lug, 13.4mm thick including the crystal, and has a 20mm lug width. 13.4mm friends! That’s thin for a mechanical chronograph even of the manual-wind variety, and for any watch for that matter according to myself. (Not all watches can or should have a total thickness of 10mm or below.) And the aforementioned crystal is a piece of box domed sapphire which means it has a flat top but sits proud from the bezel, a detail that matters for two reasons: (1) unlike conventional domed crystals, it doesn’t make light bounce off it like meteorites skipping off Earth’s atmosphere; (2) the part of the crystal that rises up obstructs part of the dial but doesn’t create distortions. 

Moreover, there is a bit of lume on the hands and on the minute track in the shape of small dots, so the Skymaster 38 isn’t a lume monster by any means and it shouldn’t be so anyway, but there is enough of it to read the time at night. What is also nice with this model is that it comes with 100 meters of water resistance despite the fact that the crown and chronograph pushers don’t screw down, however the see-through case-back does (it’s a piece of sapphire, by the way,) which in fact denotes good engineering of the crown tube and pushers, however this happens. Lastly, the loaner I received was shipped on a brilliant Jubilee-style bracelet with short screwed links and a double-pusher butterfly clasp. The links being small it was easy to find the almost perfect fit*. 

*There is no such thing as the perfect for a bracelet or strap of any kind.  

Design

The first thing that should be pointed out about the design of the Skymaster is that it borrows some of the visual elements from the Brooklyn 36 I reviewed a while back. Or vice-versa, I don’t know. And I like this because it creates a continuity with the brand’s now expansive catalog which comprises divers, GMTs, dress watches, chronographs, and integrated sports models. (Most of their collections have singular aesthetics so it’s nice to see two collections look similar.) There are also multiple versions of the Skymaster, a sub-collection referenced MKIII.MCR where the dials are flat, the hands are in the shape of thin batons, and the bezels are of the bi-directional variety with 12-hour GMT scales, whilst the MKIII.MCT, a sample of which we are looking at today, have Dauphine hands, layered dials, and fixed bezels with tachymeter scales. 

Well I’m glad I borrowed a MKIII.MCT as they have a more sporty, aggressive look and especially, this version: the M6.2.1. Large polished Dauphine hands, a reverse panda-dial setup, a black sandblasted tachymeter scale with engraved and paint-filled markings, and polished and applied hour markers which sit at the edge of the central black section of the dial. Although I don’t have the necessary photographic skills to show you this, you should know that the hour markers aren’t flat but instead rise up at an angle as they reach the edge of the main dial section, like buttresses resting against an invisible wall, with a small and flat upper section. The latter at first appeared to me as being small elements of lume as they appear more brightly as the rest of the markers under certain lighting conditions and angles. In other words, it’s magnificent. 

And the dial is indeed layered. First because the three sub-registers sit lower than the main dial section, and they all have received a radial finish which contrasts nicely with the semi-glossy black dial which is endowed with a subtle sunburst effect. Moreover, the minute track sits lower than the main dial area and is endowed with a pronounced matte, grainy texture. And although it sits below the curve of the sapphire crystal, the minute hash-marks and lume plots are easy to see. By the way, did you notice the lumed section on the seconds hand? I hadn’t at first, and so we can see how much attention to details Maen put into designing the third generation of Skymaster as it is both visually stunning and practical to use since we can read the time at night with relative ease. And wow, the large polished Dauphine hands and inclined hour markers are just superb!. 

Last but not least the case. It comes with as much character as the dial does for it has massive lugs, long and meaty, fully polished on top and horizontally brushed on the sides, the latter blending in perfectly with the case flanks. Moreover, the lugs are endowed with inner vertically brushed bevels which adds character and make the lugs appear narrower than they actually are. And here, as it isn’t always the case, the end-link-to-case integration is perfect as the case flows out naturally into the Jubilee-style bracelet. Another design element which contributes to the "aggressive" character of the Skymaster is the large 7.2mm crown which comes with deep but polished knurling, the latter not precluding the crown from being easy to grip and operate. (The crown is so large that there is a small space below it to pull it out to hack the movement and set the time.) 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that the Maen Skymaster 38 MKII.MCT M6.2.1 is a full package and is priced so. $2,481 USD including VAT (so without it if you order from outside the European Union) is normal to me given the caliber within, the intricate dial layout—with the multiple layers, textures, and the polished markers and Dauphine hands—, the beautifully designed, manufactured, and finished case, and the overall singular aesthetic this model is endowed with. If you were to look at the catalog of any major Swiss or Japanese brands, you would have to pay much more to get the same amount of watch per dollar. I know this for a fact because even though you can get a full-fledged Swiss chronograph for not much more money—technically—than the Maen, it is miles behind the Skymaster 38 in terms of finishing, elegance, and character. 

Because yes, we cannot compare a Maen with a Longines on mechanics only, we should do so by looking at the design of both models, how well it is executed, and how well manufactured and finished the hands, dials, and cases are. The Mean wins hands down, put side-by-side with many Swiss chronos. That is a hot take which I stand firmly behind. 

Conclusion 

So, the Mean Skymaster 38 comes in two ranges and multiple dial variants. The one we looked at today is one of the four from the MKII.MCT sub-collection. If you don’t like this color scheme, then a panda or gray dial with a sunburst effect, or a stainless steel bezel insert might be more of your thing. And if your thing is actually to have a GMT bezel and thinner hands, then the MKIII.MCR range is for you. All in all, Maen has made a superb chronograph which can easily compete with many other such models from micro, independent, and major brands. That is why brands like Maen are capital for the improvement and diffusion of authentic and quality horology (a phrasing you might be familiar with if you’re American living on the East Coast,) and so it was neat to be able to tell you about this model.

Would I buy one? Absolutely. So go check out the full range Maen has to offer because there are many beautiful watches to purchase from their website. 

Thanks for reading.