Remember the times when watches were used to fit our wrists appropriately? You know, when brands would make watches that the average Joe could wear without feeling it was either too small or massively too large? Well, I don’t remember those days because I was born in the 1980s, but looking at the swath of vintage references that have been re-issued by major Swiss brands in the past few years, brands used to get dimensions right. And unless you are a fighter jet pilot and need the watch to fit over your flight suit, what you only truly need is a watch that fits your wrist just right.
A trend I’ve noticed in the past five years comes from European brands that make smaller watches. Maybe designing smaller watches can be put in the same basket as having smaller everything—cars, houses—so that we live more following the natural order of things. Brands heralding from France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden embrace reasonably-sized timepieces, and I love it. One such brand is Maen, and the best example of what the brand produces comes from the Hudson diver. Now in its fourth iteration, the Hudson is a well-proportioned, handsome, and sturdy diver that can be worn every day of the week.
On The Wrist
To put things in perspective, I have 6.25″ (16cm) wrists, so on the “smaller” side of things. The perfect watch for me should have a case diameter between 36 and 40mm, a lug-to-lug of 45-48mm, and a thickness of 13mm and under. The Hudson Mark IV is perfect for me: a case diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug distance of 46mm, and a thickness of 12.05mm, including the sapphire crystal. As you can imagine, the Hudson feels at home on my skinny French wrist, and it’s a joy to wear. Furthermore, it comes with a 20mm lug width which visually complements the whole package.
One element that makes a watch look good—in addition to feeling good on someone’s wrist—is the design of the watch head. By this, I mean how big (or small) the dial opening is and how wide (or thin) a bezel is (whether it’s of the fixed or rotating variant.) I’ve worn 36mm watches that are all dial and took more visual real estate than the Hudson. The Hudson has a small dial opening compared to its overall dimensions. This particular version (there are four different versions of this watch) is the one that perhaps looks the smallest as the rehaut is white and the dial black, making the latter seem smaller.
Furthermore, the bezel insert is narrow, which aids in making the watch look just right on the wrist. The Hudson Mark IV is also comfortable to wear, given that it has a flat case-back, a case with straight sides, and straight lugs. The bracelet, entirely made of stainless steel, aids in making the watch feel comfortable and look right due to tapering from 20mm at the lugs to 16mm at the clasp.
Maen Hudson Mark IV Specs | |
Case Width 38mm | Lug-to-Lug 46mm |
Case Thickness 12mm | Lug Width 20mm |
Water Resistance 300m | Strap Bracelet |
Crystal Sapphire | Lume Super-LumiNova X1/C1 |
Movement Rhonda R-150 | Price $515 USD |
Dial Details
The dial of the Hudson is dynamic. Starting from the outer dial, we see the white rehaut on which is printed the minute track and where the 15-minute increments are highlighted with blue Arabic numerals. The baton-style markers are applied and have polished surrounds, filled with C1 X1 Super-LumiNova that glows green. The markers are doubled at 12 o’clock to aid in nighttime orientation. Furthermore, the flat hour and minute hands have a unique design: they look like New York Skyscrapers (hence the name of the model?) and display a mirror-like polish. (Which makes them a bit hard to see under certain lighting conditions when looking at the watch straight down.)
One of my favorite elements of the dial is the gray sand-blasted texture that gives the watch a toolish aspect. Endowing the dial with such texture makes reading time easier as matte dials absorb light—while glossy dials reflect it. I had the Hudson Mark III, and I can tell Maen improved the dial’s finish—it’s much more refined and crisp on the Mark IV. Furthermore, Maen kept the text to a minimum which is always a plus: the brand name can be found at 12 o’clock, the words “Automatic” and “Hudson” at 6 o’clock, and “Swiss Made” at the southernmost point of the dial.
I generally lament the choice of having a white date disc on watches that come with dark dials. Still, it’s particularly well-executed on the Hudson and only slightly interrupts the symmetry. (The date aperture is somewhat beveled.) Last but not least, this version of the Hudson comes with exciting color accents: red on the “Hudson ” model name on the dial and at the tip of the hour hand, the lollypop of the seconds hand, and lastly at the 12 hour marker on the bezel. As mentioned above, the 15-minute increments on the rehaut are highlighted in blue. Visually, there’s a lot to enjoy on the Hudson, but I understand it might be too much for some.
Case, Strap, & Movement
As we know, the case has excellent dimensions, and it also comes with great finishing. The case sides, lug tops, and parts of the bezel knurling come with a satin finish that is better than most watches I’ve seen in the Hudson’s price range ($630 including VAT if you live in Europe.) Polished surfaces can be found on the case chamfers and the other parts of the bezel knurling. (The latter looks polished all around.) The crown is also fully polished and reflects light dynamically. Over the past years of writing about watches, I’ve learned that switching back and forth between polished and brushed surfaces makes a watch look versatile.
Staying in the “I’m a watch journalist, and I’ve got a lot to say about watches” rhetoric, I would like to give a special award to Maen for how they have improved the bracelet and clasp. Both are well-machined and well-finished, with satin-brushed and polished surfaces and solid construction. As mentioned above, the bracelet tapers from 20mm to 16mm, aiding in the wearing comfort. The clasp comes with four holes of micro-adjustments and double pushers. Opening and closing the clasp is easy and satisfying.
Finally, the movement. While Maen used to equip the first Hudson’s with STP calibers, it switched to the Swiss Made Ronda R-150 caliber with 25 jewels, 40 hours of power reserve, and beats at 28,800 BPH (4Hz.) This caliber is new and rarely used by independent brands, meaning long-term performance is unknown. So far, however, it’s been keeping good time running at +/- 1 sec per day. (What else do we need, really?) It runs better than certain chronometer-certified watches I’ve come across, which cost three times more (at least.)
Final Thoughts
One key specification I have yet to mention is the 300 meters of water resistance the Hudson Mark IV comes with. Maen re-designed the case construction and, in particular, the crown to add 100 meters of water resistance (the Mark III had 200) without altering the watch’s dimensions. That’s neat if you ask me. It’s common to see brands offer better models each time they release a new one. However, it’s rarer to see a brand continuously improve a model each time it releases a new version. Some brands do so: Rolex, Omega, and Tudor, to name a few. Brands sell watches for several thousand dollars, while Maen sells the Hudson Mark IV for $630 (and less if you live outside the European Union.)
More than being a handsome and well-made timepiece, the Hudson Mark IV is a testimony to Maen’s perpetual (like the pun?) search to improve its core collection model. And if you happen to not care for the gray dial version, know that the Hudson comes in three additional variants: jet black with date, midnight blue with date, jet black with no date, and there’s even a quartz version. Check out the brand’s website for more information.
Check out more dive watch reviews at The Watch Clicker here
Check out the Maen website here
Great article. I wish the date was at the 6 o’clock location. An otherwise great watch and value.
Thank you for this helpful review. I have exactly the same wrist size, with similar preferences, so I find your reviews very instructive. My ideal is 34-38mm, with 36mm as the sweet spot. I have been looking for an understated, classy, but versatile piece with proper specs in this size range and I’m finding the options surprisingly limited. Most of the offerings have a more edgy aesthetic, and I don’t want an Omega clone, so this looks appealing. I agree that a matching date disc would have been a giant improvement, but otherwise I’m leaning towards this model in midnight blue. I am in love with the Oak and Oscar Humboldt GMT but wish it were a tad smaller, and this looks like it would meet the same GADA criteria but with some added panache in my size. Much to consider, but it seems like an unbeatable value.
Thank you!