Maen Goes Back To Its Roots With The All-New Lunar Classic 36

On April 6th, 1609, the Englishman Henry Hudson set sail from Texel with a Dutch ship called De Halve Maen (The Half Moon). He was sent on a mission to find a passage to the Indies via Nova Zembla. However, Hudson ignored his contract and decided to seek a structural passage. Via the Faroe Islands, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia, the ship finally arrived at what would later become New York on September 11th, 1609. Over four centuries later, in 2017, Sebastiaan Cortjaens and Jules van Helvoort launched the watch brand Maen, which refers to this historical event. The first watch these Dutch guys, who live in Sweden, introduced was, of course, one with a moonphase complication. Now they’re returning to their roots with the all-new Lunar Classic 36.

Maen’s first watch from 2017, featuring a moonphase indicator

Since 2017, Maen has launched many vintage-inspired sports watches with New York-themed names. Take, for example, the popular Hudson collection and the rectangular Manhattan. But since that first watch in 2017, there hasn’t been one featuring a moonphase indicator. That changes now because the two founders are introducing the Maen Lunar Classic 36 today. It’s a completely new model with strong vintage vibes and, indeed, a very prominent moonphase display on the dial. Let’s take a look.

The Maen Lunar Classic 36

The Maen Lunar Classic 36’s case is stainless steel and — you guessed it — 36mm wide. It feels a bit bigger than that, though, because of its beefy and blocky lugs. They give the case a lot of wrist presence and make it stand out from the crowd. The lugs feature circular brushing on top, contrasting nicely with the fully polished bezel. It surrounds a box-style sapphire crystal, which protrudes about 1.5mm above the bezel. The Lunar Classic measures 11.35mm thick in total, and the lugs span 44mm from tip to tip. In addition, the case sides have been vertically brushed.

For the dial color, you can choose between cream, blue, salmon, or graphite. Other than these different colors, the finish and layout of the dials are the same. The base of the dial received a very subtle circular brushing, while the part that covers the moonphase disc is slightly textured. The sky on the moonphase disc is glossy, and the moon and stars are painted in elegant metallic gold. Underneath the rectangular hour markers sits a raised coin-edge-inspired ring. It adds an elegant tuxedo effect and suits the overall style of the Lunar Classic very well.

Like the hour markers, the dauphine hands feature luminous material. Below 12 o’clock, the brand and model names are printed, while the “automatic” text is found in the sub-dial at 6 o’clock. Finally, we find traditional crosshairs, which continue across the covered portion of the moonphase sub-dial.

Elaboré or Top Grade? — That is the question

Powering the Maen Lunar Classic 36 is a Sellita SW280-1 movement. This automatic caliber runs at a 28,800vph frequency, features 26 jewels, and holds a power reserve of 40 hours. For an additional fee, you can choose to get yours with Top Grade finishing instead of Elaboré Grade. In that case, you’ll also get a display case back instead of an all-steel one. As the perimeter of the case back indicates, the watch is water resistant to 5 ATM (50 meters)

As standard, the Lunar Classic comes on a textured and perforated black rubber strap. However, I think it looks best on the optional and newly introduced brushed flat-link bracelet. It consists of five rows of tightly fit links and closes using a nicely finished, push-button-operated butterfly clasp. It complements the style of the beefy yet elegant case very well.

On the wrist

As mentioned, the 36mm Lunar Classic doesn’t feel as small as it sounds, mainly because of the beefy lugs. The case design reminds me a bit of a King Seiko, but the dial and bracelet are completely different. The watch has great proportions, and it fits my 17cm wrist very comfortably. I also love the dial layout. I went hands-on with the cream-colored version. This might be the one with the least contrast out of the four. However, because of the coin-edge ring and the different finishes on the dial, it’s still very interesting to look at.

If I had designed the dial, I would’ve left out the continuation of the crosshairs on the moonphase sub-dial. I would also have refrained from faux patina and opted for white lume. Other than that, though, I think the Maen Lunar Classic 36 is a super attractive and stylish watch. It’s a very worthy successor to Maen’s inaugural model with a moonphase complication.

Available for pre-order now

The Maen Lunar Classic 36 is now available for pre-order. The pre-order price is set to €1,049 (on the rubber strap. On the 10th of October, that price will go up by €100. If you’d like to opt for the Top Grade Sellita movement, the price will be €1,486.50 during the pre-order week. After that, the price will go up to €1,586.50. The stainless steel flat-link bracelet is available for an additional €109 during the pre-order week. When that’s over, it will cost you €159. All of the prices here include VAT. For more information on the Maen Lunar Classic 36, visit the brand’s official website.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of the new Maen Lunar Classic 36.