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In this episode of OverTime: The Podcast, Praka had the pleasure of hosting Austin and Henry from Monbrey Watches!
• Austin kicks us off with the Monbrey MB2 – Pink MOP CNC Dial on a beautiful Japanese Leather from Accurate Form called the Himeji Kurozan.
• Henry with the Tudor Black Bay 58, a modern classic.
• Praka rounds off the wrist check with the Monbrey MB2 Black Dial (Tamahagane) kindly on loan from Monbrey Watches, paired with a Delugs Alcantara Leather Strap.
We first kicked off with Austin and Henry’s background as industrial designers who have been around watches for almost 20 years now, and how they got to where they are now, starting their own brand.
The boys discuss the origin of their brand, the distinctive inspiration behind their brand – from two guys growing up in Hong Kong in the 80s (the heyday of Japanese pop culture and influence in Hong Kong) and how that shaped their design philosophy.
Praka discussed how he thought the MB1’s inspiration was very King Seiko however the design is more from the 70’s Wedge Car Designs (Lotus etc – check this link) which sports the angular styling which is evident in their watches!
Of course, Praka had to ask, why the brand name? The answer is very interesting!
We also had a special question from a fellow content creator CJ who asked – “With most Microbrands always being compared to mainstream brands like Seiko, Citizen, Rolex etc…for the listener's who have not seen your watches yet, what brand/brands would you say shares similar design ethos or aesthetics with Monbrey?”
The guys would align their design ethos/aesthetics with a Grand Seiko due to the following – elegance, sharpness and the facets which allow for greater reflections (very Seiko Grammar of Design!). Of course, the case and dial are their focus, with a mix of matte and shiny finish. What do you listeners think?
We wrap up the questions with asking their future plans, and they had some exciting exclusives! (only on OverTime!) More new dials (materials) for the MB2, and a complication to be introduced for the MB3! Henry is also working on something else super exciting, a subsidiary brand with more fun spin to Monbrey.
The guys also dropped another exclusive – an exciting collaboration with a YouTuber is incoming!!
Both Henry and Austin kicked off the Something Interesting section with two distinct Casio watches, the first being the Casio CPP 002 Sauna Watch, a watch (like its namesake) made for the sauna! Secondly the Casio CRW-001-1, a fully working ring watch in the silhouette of the square G-Shock.
Praka gave a show recommendation that he has been watching lately, Interior Chinatown, a police drama series with a twist based on a book with the same name by Charles Yu. Check it out here.
On the back of Praka’s recommendation, Austin added some other show recommendations, an Anime called Dandadan (Netflix link) and the Hong Kong Cult Classic, the crime saga, Infernal Affairs. So much so it was remade into the Hollywood movie, The Departed (Netflix link) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon etc!
• Website – Monbrey Watches
• Pre-order the MB2 – KENKYŪ
• Instagram – @monbrey_watches
Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode! If you have any feedback or just want to chat, you can find us here:
• Praka: @kinda.average.watches
• Justin: @horology_capture
• OverTime The Podcast: Linktr.ee - OverTime The Podcast
