Upstart New York fake watch brand Martenero launched just a few weeks ago, offering customizable mechanical replica watches for under $500. There are two models in the first collection, the Founder and the Ace, both modern reinterpretations of classic sport watches. Martenero co-founders Matt O'Dowd and John Tarantino stopped by HODINKEE HQ with a few of their creations so we could take a closer look. Overall, we were impressed by the build quality and the styling, both of which present a lot of value for the sub-$500 price tag. That you can make each your own with customized details adds that little extra touch.
Two years ago, Matt O'Dowd and John Tarantino met for drinks at The Ace Hotel in New York City to discuss their fledgling idea for a new fake watch brand. They'd been mulling it over for a while already, but that night they shook hands and decided to go for it. The road from that night to now wasn't easy, as sourcing quality components and manufacturing custom designs in small quantities isn't a simple task togoleseembassy, especially when you're working on a budget. It was important to both founders from the beginning that their replica watches be accessibly priced and not out-of-reach aspirational products.
The first fake watch in the collection is the Founder. Inspired by vintage sport replica watches (both O'Dowd and Tarantino are vintage collectors themselves), the Founder has a 42mm case with twisted lugs, a screw down crown, and a simple dial with hours, minutes, and seconds. There are faceted hour markers alternated with printed hour markers, complemented by a printed minutes track. The dial comes in black and white, each with a gradient track between 10 and 12 o'clock, and the minutes hand can be customized to one of four bright colors.
The pilot's fake watch of the collection is the Ace. Sharing the same case as the Founder, the Ace has a large Martenero logo at 12 o'clock with Arabic numerals at 3, 6, and 9. The large minutes track and hour markers, combined with the luminous sword-shaped hands, make reading this at a glance very easy. At the center of the dial is a tonal 24-hour track. This is unmistakably a pilot's watch, and in addition to the classic black and white dial options is a grey dial that's very handsome and modern looking. Your choice of colored seconds hand finishes things off.
Powering both the Ace and the Founder is a Miyota A821 movement, a workhorse Japanese automatic movement with a 45 hour power reserve. You can see through the sapphire caseback that the movement has been finished cleanly and nicely, if not ornately. The rotor has been opened up and branded "Martenero," a nice touch that adds a little extra detail. While some people might get upset that it's not a Swiss movement inside, the Miyota is a sturdy choice and one that helps keep the price down and the quality level up.
Martenero handled the details very well on these first two watches. They sprang for sapphire crystals (front and back), screw down crowns that offer 100m of water resistance, and a case that features twisted lugs with both brushed and polished finishes. The case edges are crisp and both dials have nice texture to them (especially the Founder's), meaning the replica watches look and feel like they cost a lot more than $500. The case is comfortable on the wrist, and each fake watch comes with both a leather and a nylon NATO strap, giving the wearer more styles to choose from.
Both the Ace and the Founder are limited editions of 1,000 numbered pieces priced at $485, including customization. You simply configure your fake watch (dial, hand color, and choice of straps) on Martenero's website, they put your fake watch together in Brooklyn, NY, and it goes out to you in just a few days. Seems pretty simple and replica watches are shipping now.
You can find all the details and order replica watches at Martenero's website.
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