Clemence burst onto the microbrand watch scene in 2021 with the Photic Diver (review here). As Mike said in the review, the Photic did everything it set out to do and did those things very well. Two years later, Clemence is back with the Munro, a contemporary field watch with the same goal as the Photic: do everything well.
If this is your first experience with Clemence, the brand is run by Tom Clemence (I know, the name is a shocker). Tom is an unabashed tree hugger, and I mean this in the best way possible. Clemence is partnered with Future Forest Company to help reforest parts of Scotland, and the brand vows to plant a tree in the UK for every watch sold. You’ll even be provided with a geolocation of the planted tree, so you can take your watch to visit the tree. Pretty damn cool if you ask me. Tom also spends a lot of his time looking for bats. With the fun stuff out of the way, let’s check out the Munro and see if it lives up to the standard the Photic set for Clemence.
On the Wrist
At its core, the Munro is a 37.5mm field watch that is 9.75mm tall and 45mm lug-to-lug. Do I need to tell you anything else? It’s about as good as you’ll get from a modern field watch that isn’t trying to keep the big watch trend going. When I put the Munro on for the first time, I said out loud, “Oh wow.” It contours to the wrist, has no sharp edges, and perhaps the most essential element for a field watch: it stays out of the way.
The Photic wore very well on the wrist, but I did feel it was a little flat and could use some thinning out and more lug curvature. The Munro solves both problems. The lugs follow a similar profile to the Photic’s, but the smaller case size allows it to sit closer to the wrist, especially with the flatter caseback. The Chris Ward Sealander C63 36mm was my favorite fitting sub-38mm watch until now. The Munro is what I think of when I think of a watch that fits my wrist perfectly. Clemence nailed it.
The Munro is legible and thin, has a quick-adjust clasp, and a quick-release bracelet with fully articulating links. What more could you ask for when it comes to on-wrist comfort? I’ll touch on some of those elements in the later sections of this review, but all of these elements combined are things you sometimes can’t get from some of the self-proclaimed best field watches on the market today *cough* Hamilton Khaki Field *cough*
Clemence Munro Specs | |
Case Width 37.5mm | Lug-to-Lug 45mm |
Case Thickness 10mm | Wrist-to-Crystal 8mm |
Lug Width 20mm | Weight 125g |
Water Resistance 150m | Strap Bracelet |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova BGW9 |
Movement Miyota 9039 | Price $700 |
Dial Details
The applied markers and numerals are likely the first things to stand out to anyone looking at the Munro for the first time. The numerals are big, bold, and packed with lume. The markers between each set of numerals give the dial some balance without making it feel too busy. I wouldn’t say this if they were larger, but they provide the numerals room to shine.
The black dial, called “Pitch Black” by Clemence, is more of a hazy dark charcoal. While not pitch black as the name suggests, it has a slight texture and embossed crosshair. Because I’m boring, this is my favorite dial color of the bunch and will undoubtedly look good with anything and stays closest to the field watch roots (see what I did there?) the Munro is firmly planted in (somebody stop me).
The handset fits the watch nicely. The hour hand is the perfect fit, and the minute and seconds hand are a little less exciting, but they are functional and don’t distract from reading the time. The hour hand reminds me of a map rosette, and I’m somewhat confident that is what Clemence was going for.
As I’ve progressed down my watch journey over the past several years, I’ve stopped caring about lume applications as most modern watches have lume applications good enough to suit my needs for reading the time at night. I realize that I might be sitting on a hill alone in this sentiment, so with that said, the lume on the Munro is excellent and looks very cool. Just look at the photo below. How could you not be happy with this?
Case & Bracelet
Microbrand case design has advanced leaps and bounds over the past several years. A few years ago, most case designs from microbrands were usually made to accommodate Seiko NH movements. They were also affordable and quickly made, making them thick and uninspired. Jumping forward to today, we have cases like the Munro’s. The case has clean lines and beautifully polished chamfers. To top it off, it is thin and svelte.
The finishing is all-around excellent. The fixed bezel is brushed on the top before dropping off to a thick polished chamfer. The sides of the case are brushed with polished chamfers on the top and bottom. All these finishing transitions make the Munro’s case feel reminiscent of the Lightcatcher case from Christopher Ward, and that says a lot about the level of execution Clemence was able to achieve.
Moving on to the bracelet, it only gets better. This is the best bracelet I have seen from a sub-$1000 watch. Period. Fully articulating links combined with a polished chamfer on each link make it look gorgeous as it drapes around your wrist.
Thankfully, Clemence abandoned the clasp used on the Photic and went for a slimmer, sleeker adjustable clasp. The clasp has a small lever to slide the links back and forth. I measured about 7.5mm of travel. This clasp looks and operates much like the Christopher Ward adjustable clasp and makes me wonder if Clemence licensed it. If so, this is a good thing because I love that clasp. This bracelet and clasp can give Monta a run for their money.
Final Thoughts
I’m having difficulty finding something to complain about with the Munro. It wears great, looks great, and doesn’t cost $2,000. The $650-$1,000 segment is hugely competitive, and brands must make their watches stand out from the crowd to be noticed. Getting someone to purchase it is a whole different story.
The Munro does that by executing everything it set out to do. More importantly, it did that without any compromise. Clemence didn’t skimp on the lume, movement, or bracelet construction. This watch makes the value proposition for other watches at twice the price hard to justify.
Check out more Clemence reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Clemence website here
I hear you raving about a 37.5mm watch here. How big is your wrist? At 7.75in, I have never found a watch that small comfortable to wear. Your dig at Hamilton is a bit unfair from that perspective. While I can appreciate a great bracelet. Many people prefer straps with field watches thus reducing the value of said bracelet and the final cost proposition. Just my 3 cents
My wrist is 6.75″ – if my wrist were an inch larger like yours, it is likely I would also find the Munro a bit too small. It is essentially the inverse argument, I would have a hard time finding a larger watch comfortable to wear. Cheers