Introducing The MAEN Greenwich Automatic 38 GMT

MAEN Watches may ring a few bells for regular W&W readers; we’ve covered their version of a dressy-diver in the Hudson 38 Automatic, as well as their vintage inspired chronograph in the Skymaster 38. The latest timepiece to be released from the young brand out of Stockholm, Sweden comes in the form of the Greenwich 38 Automatic; a stylish, modern-centric, GMT sports watch with clear lines of inspiration.

MAEN offers several dial and strap options to choose from on the Greenwich 38 Automatic, including the eye-catching ‘Clous De Paris’ midnight navy dial paired with their custom integrated rubber strap. Clous de Paris translates to ‘Nails of Paris’, otherwise known in English as a ‘Hobnail’ pattern, and is often used as a decorative technique to enhance metal parts on watch dials and rotors. MAEN uses the Clous De Paris pattern on the entire dial, akin to what you would see on a Girard Perregaux Laureato or an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The custom integrated rubber strap, lets just say, is Patek-esque (you may be sensing a theme here). We’ve seen many takes on the humble rubber strap, but this execution is particularly interesting thanks to the texture and clasp. With these two features, in addition to an alternating brushed and polished stepped stainless steel case, the Greenwich 38 immediately gives off a luxury sport watch vibe.

The Greenwich 38 Automatic has all the hallmarks of what you would want in a robust travel watch. The oversized blocky markers at 6, 9 and 12, combined with the more slender rectangular markers at the other hour indices, offer good legibility but might get in the way of the subtle texture underneath. The hand-set on the Greenwich 38 Automatic come with MAEN’s distinctive skyscraper hour and minute hands, a lollipop seconds hand and a sharp GMT arrow, which with the assistance of the 24 hour scale tucked away on the chapter ring, will help you keep track of a second time zone. A date window sneaks in at the 3 o’clock position.

The Greenwich 38 also features a screw down crown and a water resistance of 100 meters, which makes this watch move seamlessly from office to ocean, no matter what time zone you find yourself in. And for whatever reason you end up in a more formal situation, The Greenwich 38 has drilled lugs (YES!) making it easy to swap out that integrated rubber strap for something more refined. 

The heartbeat of the Greenwich 38, comes from a relatively new movement in the Swiss Tech S24-045 Automatic. The S24-045 Automatic comes from the S24 Calibre family, which was derived from the well known (and loved) ETA 2824-2. The ‘Swiss Made’ movement itself is regulated in-house, as well as tested for waterproofing and inspected for quality, at MAEN’s facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

MAEN also offers an enamel dial option, which is unusual for a brand of this size, as well as a tropic strap if you elect not to go with the integrated rubber strap. The Greenwich 38 comes in a  ‘White’ and ‘Orange’ variation, with the aforementioned enamel dial, in which the letters ‘GMT’ and the GMT arrow are the corresponding color. MAEN also offers a ‘Red’ variation in which all the hour indices, hour hand, minute hand and second hand are colored, you guessed it, red. The Greenwich 38 Automatic ‘Blue’, which almost appears dark grey at first glance, comes equipped with the textured Clous De Paris dial.

Watch enthusiasts have been clamoring for more options in the affordable GMT watch space and more recently, several microbrands have answered the call. MAEN Watches will soon be the next company to throw their hat in the ring. And with how the Greenwich 38 Automatic is currently built, especially with the sleek looking stainless steel case, textured dial and sporty integrated rubber strap, as well as an approachable price point at $770 USD, it’s going to be a very strong contender. MAEN Watches.