Maen’s Manhattan has proven to be a watch that works particularly well as a blank canvas of sorts. We’ve seen a number of limited editions of Maen’s integrated bracelet sports watch (including our own) and each finds new ways to present the piece’s central idea of a 70s inspired, elegant sports watch. Maen seems to enjoy riffing on the name of the watch – their collaborations with seconde/seconde/ are both visual puns of sorts that play on our reactions to the word “Manhattan,” and their latest takes that approach to another level entirely. Now, working custom dial specialists IFL Watches, they’ve developed a tribute to New York City culture that it feels like the brand has been building to since the collection was introduced.
IFL Watches, for those unfamiliar, specializes in custom, handpainted watches, taking familiar references and personalizing them to varying degrees. They make a variety of limited editions and one-offs, and also offer bespoke services, and include popular enthusiast focused pieces from brands like Citizen, Seiko, Tissot, and more. There’s an enormous variety in the style of IFL’s handpainted work, with some designs being incredibly intricate, and others more minimal. Some are completely abstract. For their crack at the Manhattan, we see IFL working in a style inspired by the city itself: graffiti.
Graffiti, of course, is not unique to New York, but nevertheless feels like an appropriate medium for the Manhattan. The dial features a wide mix of colors, with the names of New York City’s boroughs and and neighborhoods scrawled in an unmistakable graffiti influenced style. The way that the dial is completely covered in graffiti conjures familiar newsreel footage of New York in the 70s – think of subway cars that are graffitied across their entire surface. It might not be a reflection of contemporary New York City, exactly, but given the highly specific vintage inspiration of the watch itself, I think that’s perfectly fine.
The specs of the Manhattan are unchanged from prior versions. This is the 37mm size with an automatic Sellita SW200 caliber beating away inside. The key to this watch has always been its case height, which comes in at just 9.3mm. Between the smaller sized and thinner than average case along with a very nice integrated and tapered bracelet, the Manhattan is simply one of the easiest wearing watches in its class.
A total of 100 pieces will be produced, and they can be ordered only during a 24 hour window beginning on November 25 at 10:00 AM eastern time. The price is 1,199 Euros (excluding VAT). More information can be found on the Maen website here.
