Maranez watches -- microbrand goodness

[Nanuq]

I recently bought a Maranez Samui steel dive watch here:

 

https://www.maranez.com/watches.php#!/Samui-steel

 

I was looking for something that reminded me of a Doxa with the "Project Aware" turquoise blue dial.  This looked the part so I gave it a try.  Price was $349 and that included FedEx shipping worldwide!  Wow, that's Big Boys territory.  So how did it work out?

 

The watch arrived in days, not weeks, and it was much much more than I'd hoped for.  Yes, it's a direct ripoff of the Doxa cushion case.  Yes, the dial screams "Doxa" from every angle.  So let's think of this as a Doxa on steroids.

 

Granted I'm used to the thin 60s Doxas so this thing's heft might not seem as dramatic to the rest of the world.  But Jesus Joseph and Mary this thing's a brick.  Solid.  Carved from the center of the Sun then machined to satiny smoothness.  It has the required cushion case and tophat bezel, with a low profile caseback to keep the height down.  It has a massive 11mm screwdown crown    WAY bigger than any Doxa that went before, that looks perfectly proportioned.  Kneel before the king, Rolex "Big Crowns", this thing has you beat by another 50%.  The flat sapphire crystal is AR coated on the inside and produces wicked cool blue reflections on the wall.  The bezel doesn't rip off Doxa to the point it has USN dive tables engraved on it, but it's plenty useful for timing a dive if you know what you're doing.  Inside lives a nearly indestructible Seiko NH35 movement, and if you do manage to break it, a replacement can be had cheap from 100 sources.  It autowinds silently and comes on a nicely formed thick rubber strap with lots of length but no vanilla scent.  What more can a guy ask for?

 

Give Maranez a look, if you can catch them when they have inventory available to be shipped.  People are figuring them out, and they sell quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

[alt.watch.obsessive]

I like it! Dial color is great.

[dluddy]

That's nice Bob