Pushing the boundaries – The Urban from Monro Adventure

Let’s face it, no one needs more than one watch. This noble quest for a one-watch collection is surreal for us nerds but, that doesn’t mean that the appeal disappears, it is something that we always try to find.

I am not saying that the new Urban from Monro Adventure is this type of watch, but it does makes you wonder why we are always on the hunt for a new piece. To achieve this ethos (or at least come close), a watch needs to be versatile, well sized and of course good looking with complications but not overly complicated. Being well made is a given for watches like this but still, refinement with small quality details always help.

I’ve spent over 2 weeks with the Urban which also comes in plenty of variations, but I have to say that our aventurine version, is the one stayed with us. Having a watch that you constantly want to wear is already good and if you do not want to take it off, well that’s another level.

This is not the first watch we review from the brand, we reviewed the Ocean Adventure  and we were taken by the attention to details from the strap to the case construction and this new Urban is no different.

Join me to discover one of the best kept secrets from the UK based brand. It is something that would appeal to many wrists and eyes alike. Let’s begin.

The specifications

Someone a long time ago said that watches with integrated bracelets should be 37mm to 38mm but, nothing can be further from the truth as dimension only tell one side of the story. The Urban is 40mm in diameter and wears like a charm on my 6.25-inch wrist and this is because the lug to lug is a ‘’true’’ 50mm thanks to the female end links. Another detail on those lugs is that around the 46mm length, they aggressively go down to hug your wrist, it is a well-designed case with plenty of transitions from brushed to polished surfaces.

The vertically brushed bezel holds one of the coolest dials I’ve photographed so far with an aventurine finish. It is not completely black, but it has a very dark blue with sparks that stand out when the light hit them, effectively every watch is a unique piece, quite outstanding. The right side of the case has a side plate, it gives a bit of protection to the crown and then the left-hand side also adds this utilitarian feature, they kept things very symmetrical. I can imagine that there was a lot of thinking in the design department to achieve the final product. Another small detail, but a beautiful one, is that there is a lovely golden ring between the case and the bezel, it can only be perceived by the side but it is such a nice touch.

Staying with the dial, the layout is well thought out with 12 applied ‘’tear’’ drop shape markers, a date window at 12 (which also includes a lume arrow, thanks Monro) and a very original interpretation of observatory hands, easy to distinguish at a glance, all with well applied superluminova. The logo at 12 and 3 lines of text at the bottom complete a dial that breathes nicely, it is not overcrowded and very monochromatic.

When you turn the watch over, you are greeted with a very high-quality embossed steel caseback. At the beginning of my collecting journey, I was obsessed with seeing the inner parts of a watch but with time, I seem to be more appreciative of a nice design that only the wearer can appreciate. Under this case back, the watch is powered by the reliable Miyota Automatic 8215 movement, a proven workhorse that keeps the watch ticking and keeps the Urban affordable, more on this later.

The watch has a well machined screw down crown, easy to grip and gives the watch a water resistance of 100 meters with 42 hours of power reserve.

On the wrist

It is hard to fault a watch with these dimensions and to make things even easier, the guys at Monro opted for a regular strap construction instead of an integrated one. This is quite interesting and might have created issues to the British brand when it came to manufacture the bracelet, but because is so well made, there are hardly any gaps at the end links. The finished product creates that ‘’Genta’’ look that we all are obsessed with.

The bracelet really deserves its own paragraph because not only is high in tolerances but the amount of different finishing that we can find are perfect to recreate those beautiful reflections. The H style layout ends up in a butterfly style clap which has quick release pins at the end links, and with a good reason, it comes with an additional rubber nato style strap.

This might be the first time I see a design like this with a rubber nato style strap, but it works. Our aventurine variant comes with a dark blue almost purple strap that changes the look in seconds, quite attractive and a testament to that versatility we mentioned before.

I wore the Urban at the gym, office and even took it for a swim, it was a do it all companion that did not disappoint. Sure, for that swim I used that supplied rubber strap, for the gym a canvas one and for the office, the bracelet which was the perfect choice. All these looks can be achieved in seconds, and because of the dark dial, it is a bit of a strap monster, olive straps on the Urban look amazing by the way.

Concluding thoughts

As you can see this is a watch that have stayed with me quite a bit. And apart from all the details described, the main feature to me is the dial and wearing experience. That dial without sounds to poetic, looks like staring at a night clear sky, it is calming, and the sweeping second hands just give a positive effect to the overall composition. Then it is easy to pull, from the case to the straps, it has become one of the watches I used the most.

Another part that is important with the Urban collection is the price. The guys at Morno priced their new baby at 375 GBP which is unheard from an automatic well finished watch including a dial of this calibre. At most at this price point you will be getting a more entry level proposition from a bigger brand.

As mentioned at the beginning, there are several variants with a teal, orange, grey and purple dial, all with matching strap combination. There is also a chronograph variant with similar dimensions which is also worth a look.

More than a value proposition, I think the Urban is a watch that could be on anyone’s collection, I wasn’t aware that it was going to connect so much with it, it’s a looker that wears well. And that dial, do not get me started again.

For more information please visit: https://monroadventure.com/collections/monro-urban-adventure

Technical Specifications

Case Material: Stainless steel 316L

Case Diameter: 40mm

Lug to Lug: 50mm

Thickness: 12mm

Lug Width: 20mm

Movement: Miyota Automatic 8215, 'Hacking', 21 jewels, 21600 vph

Glass: Flat Sapphire with AR coating

Water Resistance: 100m (10 ATM)

Power Reserve: 42 hour power reserve

Bezel: Fixed