By Brent Robillard
Good to the last drop
I remember the first time I saw the Brew Metric. And I can’t say that about a lot of watches. It was during the tandem launch of the original Retro and Steel Dial iterations. I stopped scrolling. I liked it immediately.
Of course, the Retro Dial was sold out before I could finish my coffee—though I believe Jonathon Ferrer would have applauded my decision to savour the moment—but I did manage to get my hands on the Steel Dial.
In fact, it was one of the earliest watches I reviewed on The Calibrated Wrist back in 2021. At the time, Brew was still very much a rising microbrand. Some collectors knew the name. Devotees on Instagram certainly knew the name. But it hadn’t yet become the fixture within enthusiast circles that it is today.
Hands on with the Jack Mason Strat-o-timer 42mm
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The explosion of coffee culture
Fast forward a few years and Jonathan Ferrer’s little New York-based company has become one of the more recognizable success stories in independent watchmaking.
The funny thing is that Brew got there without following the script.
While many brands spend their time chasing the next vintage military watch, dive watch, or Rolex-inspired sports watch, Ferrer has spent the better part of a decade (and then some) building a design language that is unmistakably his own. You can usually spot a Brew from across a room, which is something very few brands—large or small—can lay claim to.
Recently, Jonathan sent over a Brew Metric Retro Dial for me to revisit. Or, perhaps, visit for the first time in the metal.
I wasn’t about to say no.
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Key Features of the Brew Metric retro Dial
Case
The Retro Dial remains the most playful expressions of the Metric family. The stainless-steel case measures 36mm across, 41.5mm lug-to-lug, and just 10.75mm thick. Those numbers suggest a small watch, but the television-shaped case wears larger than the measurements imply. The broad surfaces and squared-off profile give it more authority than most 36mm watches. And because the bracelet runs edge to edge on the case, it feels more present.
It is also one of those rare watches that feels completely comfortable on a variety of wrist sizes. That’s a balance that is not so easy to achieve.
The first thing that grabs your attention, however, is not the case.
It’s the dial.
Dial
The Retro Dial looks like somebody spilled a handful of coloured pencils across a technical drawing and somehow made it work. Yellow, turquoise, orange, red, and white accents are scattered throughout the display, yet the overall result remains remarkably cohesive.
The asymmetrical layout is equally important.
The running seconds sits at six o’clock while the sixty-minute chronograph register occupies the ten o’clock position, creating a composition that feels slightly off-kilter in the best possible way. There is a sense of movement to the dial even when the watch is standing still.
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Watching TV
If the watch draws inspiration from the past, it would have to be from the Omega TV dials of the mid 70s. But even then, those watches feel stodgy and sterile by comparison. The Metric Retro Dial is a mischievous wink. Maybe even a risky one originally. Though later models have demonstrated just how far the platform could be pushed.
But I’ve always liked watches that take risks.
Not risks in the sense of making themselves difficult to wear or impossible to read. Rather, watches willing to try something different visually. The Metric falls squarely into that category.
It also helps that there is a sense of humour behind the design.
For starters, the coloured segment around the dial is intended to help time an espresso shot, referencing the ideal extraction window for coffee. It is a subtle detail, but it speaks to Brew’s broader identity. The coffee connection has never felt forced or gimmicky. Instead, it provides a framework for Ferrer’s design work, drawing inspiration from espresso machines, café culture, and the ritual of taking a break.
That last part might be the most important aspect.
Talk to collectors long enough and you realize that watches are often less about timekeeping than they are about creating small moments throughout the day. Looking at your watch. Actuating the chronograph. Brewing a coffee.
The Metric seems to understand that.
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Movement
Powering the watch is the familiar Seiko VK68 meca-quartz movement. As it did when I first reviewed the Metric years ago, the movement makes perfect sense here. The hybrid calibre combines quartz accuracy with a mechanical chronograph module, delivering satisfying pusher action and a sweeping chronograph seconds hand without pushing the price into territory that would fundamentally change the watch’s appeal.
There will always be enthusiasts who wish it housed a fully mechanical movement.
I understand the argument.
I also think they miss the point.
The Metric succeeds because it remains accessible. The meca-quartz movement keeps the watch thin, reliable, affordable, and fun. A mechanical chronograph might satisfy a different audience, but it would almost certainly result in a larger, thicker, and significantly more expensive watch.
Part of the Metric’s charm lies in the fact that it doesn’t try to be something it isn’t.
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Bracelet
The integrated bracelet deserves mention as well. Aggressively tapered and exceptionally comfortable, it flows naturally from the case and reinforces the watch’s distinctly 1970s character. There are echoes of the era throughout the design, but Brew avoids feeling derivative. That’s perhaps its greatest accomplishment.
The Metric is clearly influenced by the past. It just doesn’t look like anyone else’s watch.
And that brings me back to Jonathan Ferrer.
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Final Thoughts
Building a watch brand is difficult. Building one with a recognizable identity is even harder. Over the last decade, Ferrer has managed to create something increasingly rare in the enthusiast space: a brand whose watches are immediately identifiable without relying on a logo. Case in point… is the Brew bean not the most understated dial logo out there?
That’s an achievement worth acknowledging.
The Brew Metric Retro Dial remains every bit as charming as it was when I first encountered it years ago. Perhaps more so. What once felt like an interesting newcomer now feels like a modern microbrand classic.
Don’t believe me? Check out the brand website to see just how big the Metric family has become.
Check out The Ultimate Watch Buying Guide
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About the Author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
Take Two articles are full-length, hands-on reviews of vintage and preowned watches and represent the opinion of the author only. All photos are original, unless specified otherwise.
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