Bold and beautiful – The Mezei Collection

There are several design elements which watch brands execute in automatic mode, basically they produce watches following trends without putting too much thought. As an example, majority of the dials we find in today’s watches can be an exercise for branding; there are logos, water ratings and features that are not really needed. In the end, do we really want to know if a watch is automatic in 2025? Perhaps at the beginning of the century when this was necessary, a prestige feature but nowadays seems irrelevant.

The same happens with the water resistance, I think the closest time my watch has been in close contact with water damage was when I did my dishes. I do not dispute that water resistance is important but I do not need a sign on my dial to remind me of its capability.

All this ranting (apologies) brings us to what a believe is a noble approach in watchmaking: the sterile dial. We have seen great dials in the past with no branding or designations, most of them are for military purposes and the main idea behind it is to avoid any distractions to the wearer, time is the prime element and branding the secondary.

Cook that concept a few years and we also have brands which are avoiding any clutter on the dial, this time is to find a more minimalistic approach. Of course, there are consequences or better yet, requirements that need to be fulfilled, otherwise the watch might look flat or even worst cheap, after all this is a luxury hobby.

It does takes a some courage to follow this approach because the brand equity might be diluted and the watch copied by 3^rd parties, but if you get it right, the striking looks will create a unique piece that will resonate even with the non-enthusiast watch community, it would transcend the hobby.   

We have seen big brands like H. Moser and Cie. and Serica to follow this approach, let the watch dials do the talking and once you get the hands on, the wearer will realizes the quality of the watch. The dial interest will shift to the movement architecture or the case construction, small details that will start emerge every time you wear the watch, it is a fascinating technique.

While I was walking around Time World UK, I keep trying to see the British brand Mezei, the stand was full so I kept coming back and forth. I finally got to see their new model: the London Smoke and I was so hooked that I wanted to get one in for review. Mezei approached the inimalistic philosophy and designed 3 variants that fit the bill, the aforementioned London Smoke, a British Racing Green and an Artic Blue. They are all equally striking and they had the confidence to only include the handset and a date, that’s it.

Join me to discover the small details that make this watch a hit with a  price that is unmatched for this type of design.

Let’s begin.

The specifications

When I read the specs of the Mezei I couldn’t believe the size of the stainless-steel case because the 40mm in diameter felt more like a 38mm. I have a 6.25 inch wrist and fits quite well. I think the secret is that the dial opening is challenged by the polished bezel, it is well balanced and doesn’t make the same mistakes of a large dial opening with a thin frame. The bezel finishing contrasts with the full stain case making stand out and that makes sense because it holds the beautiful dial that makes the watch stand out.

Whichever variant you decide to go for, there are 60 lines (60 minutes) around the dial.They are finished with a sunburst effect which is a clever/elegant solution because one of the first problem with empty dials is that they are hard to set and read. Coming back to the sunburst effect, it gives the Mezei a lovely shining hue, specially on the Artic Blue variant that makes you feel that you are looking at a new watch every time the sun hits it, very good execution.

The Mezei is a mix of a sports watch with a dress one. A testament to this are the handsets which are not the traditional dagger hands that we usually find for these types of watches, instead we have rounder thicker hands with filled with luminova, even the counter balance of the seconds hand having  similar treatment. Also we can find the date complication at 6 which has been colour match (on the British Racing Green) and framed to perfection, normally with a dial like this, I would have liked a non-date variant but because of its position and execution, I like it to have it here.

Another small detail is that the single numbers of the date wheel are larger to fill any negative space which again is the attention to detail I mentioned earlier, it is present all over the watch.

Turn the watch over and you will have a motif closed case depending on the version chosen and of course at the edge, all the specifications, right where it should be. Under the closed caseback you can find the Miyota 8215 automatic movement which not only helps to keep the watch thin but also affordable, we will touch on these 2 points later on. With 50 meters of water resistance and 40 hours of power reserve, the Mezei feels more than capable for everyday use.

On the wrist

It is easy to see with these dimension that the watch is a joy to wear. With 11.4 mm in height and 47mm of lug to lug, it becomes an unisex piece, it can be worn by anyone.

Sure as mentioned, it tends to be more of a dress piece with sports capabilities and looks but it really excels in any situation. The dial always remains the focal point and the case construction also shines with curves in the lugs that hug the wrist quite well, it is a simple but effective design.

I’ve worn the British Racing Green variant mostly at the office and on the weekends, mostly on common situation and it does blend quite well. Usually long sleeves because of the time of the year but I would like to try and see how it fits with a rubber strap and wear it over the summer, I suspect that it would be as good as it is today.

All variants come with a leather strap matching the dial and there is also the option of a mesh bracelet which will highlight that sporty nature we mentioned earlier. I would say that because there aren’t many colorful details besides the dial, the watch would be a strap monster.

Concluding thoughts

Now we come to the fun part, the price. Any of the variants are offered at 395 GBP which is a great price for a watch that not only is unique, but also brings something to the table that is not easy to find at this price range.

The whole package feels quite consistent and I enjoyed quite a bit the fact that the watch looks like nothing on my current collection, it is elegant but at the same a bit of a rebel.

I am keen to see what comes from Mezei in the upcoming months, this design feels that it could evolve to many things, the base design language is there which is probably the hardest part to achieve. Stay tuned.

For more information please visit: https://mezeiwatchcompany.com/online-store-1/ols/products

Technical specifications

Case diameter: 40mm

Lug to Lug: 47mm

Case thickness: 11.7mm

Case material: 316L Stainless Steel

Movement: Japanese Miyota 8215 automatic and manual winding mechanical movement with "hacking" seconds. Power reserve ~40H accuracy -20+40 seconds a day.

Glass: Sapphire Chrystal glass with anti-reflective coating.

Water resistance: 50m