In Review: The Martenero Automatic “Ace”

It’s hard not to really like a lot of things about this new, small, New York based watch brand. They’re assembled in the U.S. They use a dependable, automatic, Miyota movement. They’re awfully easy on the eyes, and you even get to pick and choose certain elements of the design. Even the cut of their internet-jib… the website, ordering process… etc… all fantastic.
But that price.
Most watch fans are going to pick one of these up, be impressed, but will have a hard time paying almost half a grand for one. Many may just not feel like it’s a $500 (or, $485) watch. Y’know how a pair of To Boot New York shoes feel nice, but not as nice as a pair of Allen Edmonds? And those TBNY shoes are usually just as expensive if not more so? There’s a bit of that going on here.

The aviation inspired Martenero “Ace”

The guts of a Martenero is a basic self winding automatic from the dependable (and affordable) Miyota. It doesn’t hack (meaning: when you pull the crown out, the second hand keeps moving) but you can hand wind it at the crown. 
The 42 mm case (on both models) will hit the sweet spot for plenty. Power reserve is in the 40+ hour range. Water resistance is a respectable 100m thanks in part to a screw down crown. Both the crystal on top and at the exhibition window on the backside are sapphire.
But $450 for a Miyota movement, even if it is under Sapphire, is going to be viewed as on the high side for most. So what do you get for all that extra cash? They’re not 100% “made” in the USA (the heart of the thing, the Miyota engine, is Japanese for starters…) but they are hand assembled in Brooklyn. And they’re a small, based in the US brand. So if that plucks at your Red White & Blue heart strings (sorry Canada), so be it. But most who give Martenero a shot will probably do so thanks to the ability to customize their watch:

You get to pick one of three dial colors, one of four second hands, the leather strap, and an extra NATO strap. They’ll even ask which strap you’d like to have the watch delivered on. Play around with the virtual watch builder and you’re bound to put together a combo that’d be hard to find anywhere else. Each watch is individually numbered. Word is, once they hit 1000 sold of a certain model, they retire it.
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