A fairly young watch brand founded in 2017, you may be surprised to learn that the company is Dutch. Although the watches are made and assembled in Switzerland, both founders of the brand are from the Netherlands.
Maen translates as the word “moon” in the old Dutch language and represents the vintage feel of the watches they produce. Much like other smaller watch brands, Maen chooses to be the sole seller of their watches, so you won’t find them in your local dealer unless there is a pre-owned trade-in. On the one hand, this means that they can be slightly harder to get when out of stock, but at the same time keeps down the price of watches since there is only a single margin with only one business involved.
The Skymaster watch itself is a tip of the hat towards the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster used by dutch airline KLM to make the first transatlantic flights between Amsterdam and New York City – a route that is still extremely busy today.
Table of Contents
Dial & Bezel
There is always something attractive about a Panda dial chronograph, so it is a wonder why other watchmakers don’t create designs like this more often.
Overall, the design of the dial is classicly simple and there is nothing too unusual about it. The hands are fairly standard and are lumed – although for me this is not really a big deal since this is a dress watch.
Perhaps most unusual is that the bottom subdial says the word “Swiss” rather than “Swiss made”. There is nothing untoward about this however as the watch has a Swiss ETA movement and is also assembled in Switzerland. It is just not the usual way of writing and I had never seen this before.
Also Maen doesn’t use their M logo on the dial and simply prints “Maen Skymaster Automatic”. This is also fairly unusual as most brands will put their logo dead center on each watch they make.
The bezel on the Skymaster is one of my favorite things about this watch. It is both ceramic and not obnoxiously large either. This means that it doesn’t take away from the simple dress look of the watch and is also very resistant to scratches. The font size of the numbers is small, yet easily readable and fits just right with the overall image of the watch.
Case & Bracelet
The case of the watch has a simple layout with a 38mm case size. As you will have likely guessed, the Maen Skymaster’s case and bracelet are made from industry standard 316L stainless steel. This material is used in everything from fashion watches up to high-end luxury sports watches.
In terms of visual appeal, the caseback is one of the most impressive things about the watch. It is a screwdown caseback but you wouldn’t know this if you weren’t told since there are no indentations around the outside of the case. This may seem like a small detail, but it really does add to the overall beauty of the watch. Of course, the movement is easily visible too, which is a nice feature as well.
The crown and chronograph pushers are sized just right and do not stick out too far from the watch case. As well as this the brand’s “M” logo is engraved into the crown, which is finished well and very easy to turn.
As you can see, the bracelet of the watch looks a little more retro than the standard steel bracelets we find with sports watches. It doesn’t look old per se, but the polished inside links do make it different from the typical Submariner bracelet links you would find on most steel watches.
The clasp of the watch is very simple to use and springs open when you press the buttons on either side. This is a little more sturdy and durable than a butterfly clasp which you will find on most dress watches.
Specifications & Movement
The movement used in the Skymaster is an ETA caliber 2894-2. This movement is not elite but is a very high quality in terms of Swiss chronographs. Other brands that use this are Tissot and Rado – which are two of the most underrated watch brands in my opinion, as well as Bell & Ross – who make watches that are considerably more expensive than the Skymaster. The power reserve of this variation of the 2894-2 is 48 hours, which is easily enough to wear the watch casually.
As you would expect, the dial is covered by sapphire crystal and also has a ceramic bezel around it. This stops the watch from generating any unwanted damage or annoying scratches.
The dial does use Swiss Superluminova on the hands and hour markers – although these are quite small. As this is not a tactical watch and will likely not be worn outside work and social situations, this is not really a dealbreaker. It may be nice to have for some people, but doesn’t matter for most of us.
In terms of water resistance, the Skymaster can take anything up to 5 ATM. Although to be honest you would have to be a bit crazy to take an automatic chronograph dress watch near water in the first place.
Where To Buy
The Maen Skymaster is only produced in limited quantities, so you have to act fast when it’s released. Currently, Skymaster MKII watches are not yet in stock but will be in the near future.
Other than this, you will have to try and navigate the likes of eBay or Watchfinder in order to get your hands on a pre-owned Skymaster. As the ETA movement is relatively easy to service for typical watchmakers, you do not have to worry about maintenance when buying a used Skymaster.
