In-Depth Review: The Brew Metric PVD’s Value for Money
Looking for something new and different to round out your collection? The Brew Metric PVD might fit the bill. We go hands-on in this in-depth Brew Metric review.
The Packaging
I placed my order on a Saturday afternoon and the package was at my door that Wednesday. At under $500, I was very pleased with the presentation. Included was a full-color manual with beautiful photos of other Brew references and colorways, a Brew branded single watch roll with removable compartment, and a link removal tool for the bracelet resizing process. This watch is clearly targeted toward the enthusiast and that’s a nice touch.
The Case
The Brew Metric features a square case with slightly convex sides resulting in an attractive pillowcase design.
The case and bezel are stainless steel finished in matte PVD black. The watch sports a diameter of 36mm on the crown edge, and an effective 41.5mm from lug to lug with its distinct built-in lugs. Thickness is just below 11mm resulting in the watch comfortably slips under the cuff.
The case back, too, is finished in black (don’t you hate it when a black watch has a stainless case back?) featuring the Brew logo.
Crystal is flat sapphire glass, and pushers and crown on the side of the case are finished in matte silver with the Brew logo debossed on the crown.
The Dial
Porsche fanatics will love this – the Brew Metric PVD is designed to evoke the ethos of 930 911s from the 1980s. The red chronograph and sub-dial batons against the matte black dial give a racing-inspired look that emulates the tachometer of those early Carreras. Sub-dials at 6 and 10 o’clock measure running seconds and chronograph minutes. The hour hand, minute hand, and hour markers feature an industrial double-baton design.
The dial is free of branding aside from a small debossed Brew coffee bean logo. And while I appreciate the subtlety, my first thought was this looks almost like a generic brand watch. I wondered what the logo might look like in white or the same “cream” color found on the edge of the hour markers. Notably missing is the date window that is featured on the silver versions of the watch.
The font choice again is reminiscent of classic Porsche typeface, and unique to the PVD black and gold colorways is the minute track that runs on the outer edge of the hour markers.
The Lume
Both the hands and hour markers are accented by creamy plots of what you might expect to be lume. But it’s not – no lume! I was surprised by this, as I’ve always been a fan of the lume on my Brew Retrograph, and I somewhat assumed this design aspect was built into the brand’s identity. This isn’t a dealbreaker but would have been a nice-to-have.
The Movement
The Brew Metric utilizes a Seiko Hybrid VK68 Meca-Quartz Chronograph – where the main functions of the watch use quartz technology. A mechanical module is used for operating the chronograph. The name is derived from a hybrid utilization of both mechanical and quartz technology.
No complaints here. The watch runs accurately as a quartz watch should. The chronograph is functionally a mechanical chronograph providing a satisfying “click” and snap back to zero when resetting.
The Bracelet
The bracelet gets points for being unique in its design, featuring an integrated look that tapers from the watch head down to the clasp. Such a design choice is certainly a welcome surprise at this price point. From a wearability standpoint, it’s a little stiff and heavy, and as others have noted it does occasionally pull at your arm hair if you have it. The clasp has 4 micro-adjustments for fine-tuning and is again adorned with the subtle Brew coffee bean logo.
Brew also offers a separate leather strap that perfectly matches the tapered contours of the watch and lugs for $55. You can do your best to fir your favorite 19mm or 20mm strap, I’ve even seen a few examples of a metric on a NATO. The way the case and lugs are shaped, however, make this watch best suited to the bracelet and strap that were designed for it.
The Verdict
First off, the proportions are fantastic. 36mm is such a sweet spot for an under-the-cuff watch on a slimmer wrist. The Brew Metric does however wear slightly larger due to its integrated bracelet. I’d say it carries the presence of a 38mm. Wrists of all sizes should be able to accommodate.
After first slipping it on, I was surprised by its heft and after a week on the wrist, I definitely noticed it throughout the day. It’s not a “dainty” watch despite its 36mm case size. With jubilees as my de facto favorite bracelet, this one is slightly less comfortable and a bit weighty. But it is just so cool. It’s such a fun watch to wear and definitely fills a role no other watch in my collection does with its blacked-out sporty look.
When assessing the value of a watch it’s important to consider not only the movement and raw materials, but the countless R&D and design hours that go into it. I can confidently say that there are few pieces, if any, that look like this on the market. It really is in its own category.
Brew continues to create fun, interesting pieces at reasonable prices – just look at their new Metric Automatic, built using the same design language as the Metric PVD, with a Seiko NH35 offered at $525.
This is a wonderful watch at a great price point for those looking to breathe a little bit of fun into their collection.
The Specs
Case Material: Stainless Steel 316L + PVD Black
Case diameter: 36mm
Lug width: 19.85mm
Lug-to-lug: 41.5mm
Thickness: 10.75mm
Movement: Hybrid VK68 Meca-quartz Chronograph
