As a lot of you probably saw over the last day, Martenero has just released two new watches for their 2015 collection. We covered the Founder last year, which I loved, so I was excited to finally see the Marquis and Ascent. Luckily enough, Martenero’s CEO, John Tarantino, dropped by last night’s Red Bar Boston event to give us an exclusive hands-on with his new pieces.
Let’s start with the Ascent. The inspiration behind the watch, as John explained it, had a great deal to do with cold weather adventure; he mentioned everything from skis, to icicles, to snowflakes. Of course, as the design process went on, the literal design cues became more abstract, resulting in the finished product you see here. Often times, going too literal with your influence results in a niche product, so I think Martenero went the right direction. The Ascent is a great balance of casual and dress that I could easily seem myself wearing with a suit or a t-shirt and jeans. Options for the Ascent include four different dials and hands, and seven straps. The sunburst blue really stood out, but I ended up leaning towards the light blue dial with the marine strap.
The Marquis is Martenero’s dressiest piece thus far. What’s more, I think when you look closely at the dial detail, it presents itself as the most finely designed. The outer track of the dial is raised, and adds excellent depth. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, but dial depth can really “make” a watch. Further adding to the classy look of the Marquis are the applied Roman numerals and the non-luminous alpha hands. Like the Ascent, the Marquis will be available in both 38mm and 42mm. As for the dial and hands, the options are a little different from the Ascent. Black, white, and silver will be available for the dial, and the seconds hand can be blue, white, silver, or orange.
If there’s something I could say about both the Ascent and the Marquis, it’s that they make me think of vintage watches with a touch of modern. The crosshairs on the Marquis mixed with the Romans definitely gives a vintage flair, and there’s something about the simplicity of the Ascent and the 3 o’clock date window that does the same. I guess the point is that most any watch with vintage flair will appeal to me. I also love the fact that Martenero upgraded to the Miyota 9015, which is a superior movement to the 821a. In talking with John, he told me he’s learned a lot of lessons over the last couple of years regarding the watch production process, and with the Marquis and Ascent, I think that’s obvious. Both watches will retail for $595, which seems an excellent deal for a customizable mechanical watch. Look for a more thorough review of the Ascent in the near future.
by 
