TheTimeBum Preview: Maranez Undercover

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One of the things I love about micros is that they are often willing to try out ideas that more established companies wouldn't touch. Case in point, the Maranez Undercover. Maranez is best known for their stable of automatic dive watches. They are well made, well priced, and can be a tad off-beat, like the brass and stone Layan, or the mighty 1000 meter Bagala 47 Bronze. Now, they have released their first quartz model and in true Maranez fashion, it is not something you see every day.

The Undercover is a Miyota quartz in a massive hexagonal case. It measures a whopping 50mm wide to the crown, 48mm lug-to-lug, and 16.5mm thick. At first blush, it would appear to have a crown on either side like the Jean Richard Diverscope but there is only one. The other protuberance hides a hinge. "What for?" you ask. Why, to access the secret compartment, of course.

Yes, along with more common features like the AR-coated sapphire crystal, 120-click dive bezel, and C3 SuperLuminova, you get a hidden 34x8mm storage area behind the dial. Maranez suggest it might be useful for "some [medicine] tablets, folded bank notes, small usb sticks, sim cards or micro SD cards." the watch is rated for 100 meters water resistance, but I suspect that only applies to the watch movement case, not the stash box.

The dial is conservative, just unadorned black with stick markers and baton hands, although it does boast the tiniest little nub of a second have ever seen. It does not seem particularly useful, but there must be a story behind that.

For the life of me, I don't know what to make of this watch, or how I would possibly use it, but I am delighted that Maranez was willing to give it a go. The Undercover is available at maranez.com in blasted stainless steel ($179) or IP black ($199), on a 22mm rubber strap.

Photos courtesy of Maranez



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Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
 

Lee Alcott

Apprentice WIS
Feed from TheTimeBum.Borealis Watch Forum takes no responsibility for any of the content posted.

One of the things I love about micros is that they are often willing to try out ideas that more established companies wouldn't touch. Case in point, the Maranez Undercover. Maranez is best known for their stable of automatic dive watches. They are well made, well priced, and can be a tad off-beat, like the brass and stone Layan, or the mighty 1000 meter Bagala 47 Bronze. Now, they have released their first quartz model and in true Maranez fashion, it is not something you see every day.

The Undercover is a Miyota quartz in a massive hexagonal case. It measures a whopping 50mm wide to the crown, 48mm lug-to-lug, and 16.5mm thick. At first blush, it would appear to have a crown on either side like the Jean Richard Diverscope but there is only one. The other protuberance hides a hinge. "What for?" you ask. Why, to access the secret compartment, of course.

Yes, along with more common features like the AR-coated sapphire crystal, 120-click dive bezel, and C3 SuperLuminova, you get a hidden 34x8mm storage area behind the dial. Maranez suggest it might be useful for "some [medicine] tablets, folded bank notes, small usb sticks, sim cards or micro SD cards." the watch is rated for 100 meters water resistance, but I suspect that only applies to the watch movement case, not the stash box.

The dial is conservative, just unadorned black with stick markers and baton hands, although it does boast the tiniest little nub of a second have ever seen. It does not seem particularly useful, but there must be a story behind that.

For the life of me, I don't know what to make of this watch, or how I would possibly use it, but I am delighted that Maranez was willing to give it a go. The Undercover is available at maranez.com in blasted stainless steel ($179) or IP black ($199), on a 22mm rubber strap.

Photos courtesy of Maranez



Continue reading...

Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
 

Lee Alcott

Apprentice WIS
Hi, new to the Forum and saw this about the Maranez model. Normally, I would not be anxious to buy a Chinese-made quartz watch for $179, but this one -- with its little hidden compartment -- caught my eye. Placed my order on Tuesday and watch arrived via Fed Ex (at no charge) on Thursday. I have about 25+/- watches, lots of diver's, but this is one cool watch. I was worried it would look like a toy. It does not. It has a substantial presence but also a minimalist architectural look. And I do take a pill or two a day, so what the hell? Someone on WUS was knocking Maranez but I think they have something going. I also have one of their "Layan" models with a California dial I got on WUS and it is both handsome and has great lume. Kind of a less expensive Ancon Tank (which I also have.) The Maranez is brass, the Ancon is bronze (which partially explains the $500 or so price swing.) If you are thinking about this watch -- go for it!
 
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