Maen Expands Its Sleek Manhattan Range with a New 40mm Case
Dutch-based microbrand Maen’s take on the “integrated-bracelet” watch is the Manhattan, and it’s pretty close to perfect in its original 37mm-wide variant. But the brand has continued to evolve the concept, first with an ultra-thin 39mm model with a hand-wound movement and, now, a 40mm automatic version. The Manhattan is beginning to look like the kind of robust collection you expect from bigger watchmakers with a strong range of options. The question is: is the new 40mm Maen Manhattan finally the one for you?
Unlike other popular categories such as field watches, dive watches and dress watches, the genre to which the Maen Manhattan belongs oddly lacks an agreed upon name or even a clear definition. Let's just say you know it when you see it. Call it “integrated bracelet,” “sports chic” (cringe) or "urban chic" (double cringe), if you will, but this type of watch has utterly exploded in popularity based on the hype around the defining Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus examples.
It seems that nearly every brand has taken a stab at the style in recent years, and this means that it’s matured and diversified. No longer do such watches look merely like wannabes or compromises for those who can’t get their hands on those most celebrated and prestigious models. Rather, they've become a new creative outlet for watchmakers, with some leaning sportier in nature and others more classic. The Maen Manhattan is the latter.
Based on the Vacheron Constantin reference 2215 from the 1970s, its sleek and retro-leaning style would seem to call for a smaller diameter. But 40mm is hardly a step back to the “bold” diameters of years ago. It should still wear easily on many wrist sizes with a lug-to-lug length of 49.3mm which isn’t a huge change from the original Manhattan 37 (which measures 47mm) and it’s nearly as thin, too, at 9.6mm (vs 9.3mm).
One of Maen’s strongest traits has always been packing in all the right specs for impressive value, and you can of course expect that of the Manhattan 40, as well. The likes of sapphire crystal, 100m of water resistance, applied indices, decent lume — it’s all there. That includes a Swiss automatic movement at a price point where many brands would offer a more affordable Seiko or Miyota. Just like in the Manhattan 37, the 40 is powered by the Sellita SW200 visible through the caseback window and available in standard or top grade options. You can also opt for date or no-date versions.
For the announcement, Maen taps into another trend: stone dials. At launch, the standard production models will come in blue and copper with the same Geneva stripe finish of previous models, but there’ll also be a limited edition model available only during the pre-order period featuring a jade dial. Why hasn’t there been more use of jade in watches? Aventurine, lapis lazuli and even tiger’s eye have been popular choices. For green, you see malachite. Jade can have a very cool look, but it’s actually a little expensive, and this dial option bumps the price of the Manhattan 40 by about EUR 220.
In the end, which Maen Manhattan is for you will come down to taste and wrist circumference. While a couple of millimeters can make a big difference, specs never tell the whole story. If the only thing keeping you from going for the Manhattan 37 has been that it would wear small, the new Manhattan 40 is probably what you were waiting for. Prices for the blue or copper dial variants are expectedly but still impressively affordable at EUR 679 during pre-order with later retail at EUR 759. The jade dial version is EUR 999, and the pre-order period will run from December 27th, 2024, to January 3rd, 2025.
Maen Manhattan 40
Dimensions: 40mm x 9.6mm x 49.3mm
Movement: Sellita SW200 automatic
Materials: Steel case and bracelet; sapphire crystal
Water Resistance: 100m
Price: EUR 759; EUR 999 for jade dial LE
To learn more, visit Maen, here.
