A trio of unique monopushers - MAALS Duetto

Rounded lines are always pleasant to the eye or at least we thought so in the past. With design evolution, we have learnt to appreciate that not everything needs a curve to be considered sexy. But when you go back to those principles and mix them with a proprietary inspiration, you could end up with a beautiful end-product.

I’ve been talking to the guys from MAALS since the pandemic, I’ve been lucky enough to review most of their watches. From their Moonphase Jumping hour to these their unique chronograph. The brand always put their passion as first ingredient, ultimately what this means is that they are not driven for what is fashionable, I respect that.

One of the watches I managed to get my hands on was the MAALS Sligo in a beautiful emerald green with a brass case. This was a commission from a US costumer, it was not a regular production model but when talking to the team about the project, I could sense the excitement, a tone with a hint that something else was coming.

Forward a few months and MAALS contacted me to check out and photograph their new baby: the Duetto. Inspired by the iconic Alfa Romeo Spider 1600 from 1966, the Duetto brings an array of details such as the iconic Alfa and 8C reds and a hunter case back, giving the chronograph a cabriolet like feel.

The Duetto comes in 3 varieties, a stark white, a deep cherry red and a very punchy green. With all this background, it is time to get into the actual watch. Let’s begin.

Specifications

It is odd to think that all chronograph watches were born as monopushers, it was actually a modern development to have one button to start and the other one to reset. That said, nowadays monopushers chronographs are scarce, they are not the norm and certainly more complicated than their 2 button counterparts.

In the case of the Duetto trio, the watches are powered by a Sellita SW500 MP automatic movement which includes a date. The movement is based on a cam operating system and offers 62 hours of power reserve. The action is amazing, and having only one pusher does feel like an organic system, it is very intuitive.

The stainless-steel case of the Duetto is 41mm in diameter, which is a good size for a chronograph, it is also manageable in terms of spam with a lug to lug under 50mm. The brushed surfaces of the mixed case counter act with the polished bezel, it gives an aura of refinement. The rounded lugs give the Duetto a more of an elongated style without sacrificing the tool nature of being a chronograph.

The hunter case back is something that I quite enjoy. For this feature, there are plenty details such as circular graining and a release button at 6 o clock which adds to the overall quality experience of the Duetto. I must say that it would have been nice to have a manual wind watch to avoid having the rotor to block the movement. That said, just like with the Alfa Romeo, we did not open the hood of the car to admire the look of the engine, we open it to remind us that this is a mechanical object.

The dials used on the watches are something else, and while the green and red version feel more like siblings because of the sunburst finish. The white one is pure and sporty, it would be hard to choose among them.

The layout of the Duetto is what we know and love. The positioning of the counters (rotary discs in this case) are mounted sideways. Regarding the discs, the setup must be very complex due to the amount energy that the movement needs to operate them. That said it also provides to the Duetto a more futuristic look, much bolder and out of the ordinary.

Two discs are found at the nine and twelve position. The large, brushed hands have a tip with Superluminova to aid with legibility. Then, in the red and green version you have white markers Arabic numerals and white printing, they contrast quite well against the sunburst surfaces. The white version feels more like a bespoke watch, it might be the favourite of the bunch because feels more unique with the blue printing and red lancet chronograph hand. The details feel a tad more pristine and being a flat shiny surface, the versatility is assured in my opinion.

On the wrist

The Duetto has good proportions for my 6.25-inch wrist, I have plenty clearance on both sides with a 20mm strap. One thing to notice is that because of the hunter case and nature of the movement architecture, the Duetto is a tad thick at approximately 16mm tall. It is not a deal breaker but something to take into consideration, a sacrifice for extra refinements that cannot be found on other offerings.

As the watches were prototypes, I did not put them through their paces, but I did play quite a bit with the movement and wore them nonstop inside the house. The action of the pushers felt great while the time keeping of the watch was flawless. Again, I was very drawn to the white dial variant, it just felt right.

Chronographs as watches they are meant to be bigger, I feel that the dial opening for the Duetto is spot on, there are a lot of moving parts and elements on the dial, a smaller case diameter would have been a bit annoying for legibility and overall proportions.

The layout of the sub dials perfectly matches the chronograph pusher at 2 o clock, it creates this visual asymmetry which I quite enjoy. Coming to the pusher action I can only say that it is outstanding. The feel of the movement is pure mechanical pleasure and again, to have only one button to stop and reset, feels more natural.

Conclusions

It was pleasant to spend time with not one but three chronographs and because of their looks, they all feel a bit different. The Duetto is a refreshing project from a brand that I always enjoyed. As part of the British Watchmakers Association, MAALS have been moving forward in terms of watchmaking, finding new ways to bring innovation and rarity for their clients.

I would have loved to see a version in brass, I know that MAALS have the capability because of their previous watch, it would probably need to be paired with a blue sunburst dial, quite a lovely combination.

Coming back to the Duetto itself, it is a watch that could fit in anyone’s collection. It is versatile and well-made but above all it is an original design which is rare these days. The built quality is something that we can also highlight, sure these were prototype watches, but they are already well made and ready to perform.

If you are into design and do not want to buy anything off the shelf, make sure you keep an eye out for this uniquely positioned microbrand. You will be pleasantly surprised, and I am sure the owners are up for a chat.

Technical specifications

·        41mm 316L stainless steel half hunter case – polished & brushed finishes

·        Custom push button spring catch to half hunter door

·        Polished onion crown

·        Custom chronograph sub-dial discs

·        Brushed lancet-style hands with Super-LumiNova® tips

·        Super-LumiNova® indexes, dial logo and numbers

·        Cambered front sapphire screen, AR coating both sides

·        Sapphire rear screen AR coating both sides

·        Water resistance: 10 ATM

·        20mm lug

·        Sellita SW500 MP b Self-winding - monopusher chronograph - date

·        Decorated Cam operated chronograph – single push-button at 2 o’clock

·        Circular graining decoration and côtes de Genève engraving

·        Circular-graining on the main plate

·        Typical power reserve: 62 hours