The First Teddy Baldassarre Collab Watch Is a Tastefully Tweaked Brew Metric Chronograph
Teddy Baldassarre is an online as well as physical retail company, a YouTube channel, a watch media powerhouse and, of course, the actual person those things are named after. They do nearly everything you can think of related to watches. But their own special editions? Surprisingly — if you stop and think about it — not until now. That's right, the Brew Metric Teddy Baldassarre Edition is the "Teddy" team's first venture into watch collabs.
Brew, on the other hand, is the New York-based brand created by Jonathan Ferrer that takes inspiration from coffee-enthusiast culture, as every microbrand-aware, hype-consuming watch fan surely knows. Having both started in the mid-2010s (2015 for Brew; 2017 for Teddy), the respective brands naturally had a chance to meet and grow together. Always fun and casual, Brew is a down-to-earth and accessible way for Teddy Baldassarre to enter the collab game at which outfits like Hodinkee and Revolution have been so successful.
Brew watches are typically affordable and often powered by quartz movements, but they're so nicely designed that they've long won over watch collectors otherwise snobbish about anything not mechanical. The Metric is classic Brew and one of its most popular models. Its design is very '70s, yet restrained, and it's been the canvas for a range of visually engaging iterations with everything from classy black-and-gold to funky, bright colors.
Powered by a Seiko VK68 Meca-Quartz movement, it offers a chronograph with a 60-minute timer (the other subdial at 6 o'clock is the time's running seconds) — as well as a highlighted section on its seconds scale from 25-35 for timing espresso shots. It measures only 36mm wide, and the quartz movement helps keep it thin for a chronograph at 10.75mm.
The Teddy x Brew edition represents a restrained interpretation of the design with a dark blue matte dial and lighter blue highlights. Of course, as any proper collab, there's yet more personalized tweaks such as the hands. Brew Metric hands usually have a flat-tipped, vintage feel, but here a pointed tip reminds me of TAG Heuer Carrera hands — a positive association for this Carrera fan. The chronograph seconds hand, too, gives similar vibes with its long, pointed shape that replaces the counterweight's loop with a more traditional wide base.
Branding is tastefully restrained with simply a co-branding indication on the caseback. As only the first Teddy collab, one has to wonder if its features such as the colors will become signatures going forward — as well as how energetic they'll be with more such projects. The Brew Metric Teddy Baldassarre Edition has a price of $475 but is sold out at time of writing. Not to worry, though, as the brand says it's "a special edition as opposed to a limited edition" and more will surely be available before long.
To learn more, visit Teddy Baldassarre, here.
