Wrapping Up the Meridian MP-05

We have now shot past two weeks and it is time to sum up the Meridian MP-05.

I think the thing that keeps coming to mind is "hand-made".  This is not a mass produced watch.  Of course, it's one thing to say that about the case, but the crown, the dial, the hands... all the way down to the buckle on the watch strap!

The buckle is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship. Yes, those are hex screw heads you see. It would have been easy to simply purchase some ready-made buckles and stamp them Meridian, but this is not what they were after. This buckle is as strong a brand image as any logo could ever be.

The look and feel are clean and tactile - this is a very solid buckle and is the perfect accompaniment to the thick and robust strap - made in England exclusively for Meridian.

And the strap is also secured by hex screws that can be easily removed with the tools provided by Meridian as part of the "packaging".  While Meridian is a new enterprise, I suspect it won't be long until other strap variations are available.  But as I mentioned in earlier posts, the Meridians ship with a leather strap as well as an additional nylon strap.  As I am a fan of the leather strap that came on the watch, I have not gotten around to trying the nylon strap, but it is a very nice touch to have included it.

So what's the verdict?  I have to say that I have truly enjoyed wearing the Meridian.  This is a hand crafted watch.  And you can see that in all of the neat little finishes, as well as some of the eccentricities and seeming "imperfections".  These imperfections include an individually painted "sandwich" dial that  will not look like any other Meridian dial - for the very reason that it is individually painted.  I like that.

In addition, the screw-down crown, while very secure and functional, does not engage the way that say your typical dive watch would with the release of the crown.  In most other watches, you unscrew until you hear and feel a little "pop" of the crown releasing itself from the screw threads.  With the Meridian, it is much more subtle - you unscrew the crown and at a given point you will hear that old familiar sound of winding.  At which point, you reverse the direction and start winding the watch.  This took a little time to get used to, but now I have to say it is one of the very things I truly enjoy about the watch.

The lume is first rate -

The only suggestion I would make moving forward for Meridian would be to apply lume to the second hand.

The packaging is practical and useful and like the straps, the dials, the hands the buckles the cases - it is made in England.

The watch has worked quite well - the timekeeping is first rate with very minor deviations - the maximum I experienced was + 7 seconds but averaged + 5 per day.

The size of the watch while substantial is surprisingly far less of an issue than I anticipated it might be.  I owned a "serie B" Panerai back in 2003 which at 44 mm really did feel too big.  The Meridian is in fact slightly larger, but does not feel as ponderous on the wrist.  Part of this is no doubt down to the case style, and also the lack of a crown guard like Panerai's might provide for a slightly more "svelte" appearance and feel.

When we get down to price, this is where I have read a lot of discussion back and forth.  A very simple gut reaction for some folks on various forums is to immediately compare this watch to what other watches at this price point are available.   And this is where I would have to say that it is really like comparing apples to oranges - these are different things.  Panerai, Omega and others make very fine "serial production" watches.  These are watches that are manufactured - and there is nothing wrong with that by the way - but this underscores the key difference.  The Meridian is a hand-made, hand-finished watch that is made one at a time from materials (with the exception of the movement) that are produced in the UK.

Courtesy of Meridian

The movement although Swiss, is stripped down to its most elemental state and engraved and reworked with the type of touches that you would expect from some of the big names (but that you don't often see).  Hand blued screws on a movement that you will never see?  What's the point, only you will know this, right?  EXACTLY!  YOU will know that movement is beautifully engraved, you will know the screws are blued - not painted.  Ultimately, this is not a watch you buy to impress your friends with - this is a watch that you buy for yourself.  If you feel more secure with a more well-known brand, that is completely understandable - this is NOT a watch for everyone - and that is perhaps the coolest part about it.  It isn't trying to be for everyone.  I like that as well.  Like the ochs und junior or the MIH watch, this is something that is special and unique, not for the masses.

For me it is a question of buying a brand, or buying a watch.

My vote is for the watch.

More than Skin Deep - the Meridian Movement

I've been spending a lot of time talking about the Meridian MP-05, particularly about the look and feel.  But today I want to talk about the part of the watch that cannot be seen or touched (at least when the watch is fully assembled) - and that is the magnificent Meridian movement.

Courtesy of Meridian

The amount of detail that has gone into the decoration of this movement is truly impressive, particularly when considering that each Meridian movement starts life as a very straight-forward, humble ebauche.  But then through time, patience and painstaking effort, it is slowly stripped down, and built back up into the beautiful engine you see above.  Hand finished, beautifully engraved and adorned with REAL blued screws.

Now of course, as I said, you will never see this until the time comes to service your watch - but you can definitely FEEL this.  You feel the care and attention that went into it.  And you FEEL that the people who created and made this watch felt that this potentially unseen detail was worth it.  Beauty is more than skin deep!


www.meridianwatches.com

Meridian!

Okay, something quite extraordinary arrived this morning.  Ordinarily, I would not interrupt a review, but as this is a pretty once in a lifetime opportunity, I have decided to move forward with it.

Courtesy of Meridian

Those of you who follow the watch forums might have already heard a bit about Meridian.  Some conversation, possibly even some schematics - but no "official" image or briefing. 

I would like to introduce you to the Meridian MP-05

And as I am not famous for my photography - here is an official image:

Courtesy of Meridian

This is a 46 mm HAND MADE watch!  Each case is made in England - Norwich to be precise.  Each case is manufactured by hand - not stamped, scooped, etc - but one at a time.  Each case and back are cut and machined as a pair "in house" from a solid bar of stainless steel in their Norwich facility.  The cases (front and back) are then hand polished, or grained to provide the individual finish of each watch.

Courtesy of Meridian

And the finish is phenomenally good!  But what I like about it is knowing that it is truly done by hand - this is not a mass-produced item, this is something truly done one at a time.

This is a wonderfully proportioned, substantial case - 46 mm.  And the finish and attention to detail are evident in every step.  From the crown -

To the case back -

All done by hand.  And that also includes the watch hands -

Courtesy of Meridian

Which come out looking like this -


And the straps are all made in England and are top-notch!

Even the buckle is made by hand - one at a time!

This is a hand-wound beauty, conceived from a "Unitas" ebauche, and then built up and fussed over.  I have requested an image of the movement in its finished condition and will post as soon as I have it.

This is just a quick run-down to keep up with events - Meridian officially launched at Salon QP in London about 1 hour ago - so this is the first one in North America - I guess it's pretty good to be me!