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Monbrey is a disruptive young watch company founded by two Hong Kong-based industrial designers, Henry Kwong and Austin Lee, with over 20 years of experience in watch design and development between them. Their inspiration? The so-called Wedge Era in industrial design is an unforgivingly angular aesthetic that originates from the 1970s and is living its renaissance today in instantly iconic products such as the Tesla Cybertruck. Monbrey was established to create Wedge Era-inspired watches built on the knowledge and experience accumulated by its founding duo.

When designers establish a watch brand from scratch, it is a demonstration of their eagerness to create more freely, in true alignment with their favorite sources of inspiration, professional values, and personal mission. The mission behind Monbrey is to serve as a fresh canvas to Kwong and Lee, a platform they can use to render the tension between past and future tangible. The brand reflects the Wedge Era car design from the ’70s and ’80s, with a modern aesthetic philosophy and an authentic connection with traditional watch design.

We have the vision to let our design sit within the liminal space between tradition and progression. Our goal is to invent a new dimension, from the past.

The Monbrey MB1 Antimagnetic Automatic watch marks the launch of this new adventure. It is 38.5mm-wide, 12mm-thick including the sapphire crystal that is not only double-domed but sports 5 layers of anti-reflective coating on the inside and an anti-fingerprint coating on the outside. The case is crafted from 316L stainless steel, the industry standard thanks to its excellent durability and beauty of finish, fitted with a soft iron Faraday cage to enforce the 4,800 A/m Antimagnetic designation of the Monbrey MB1, a black PVD-coated caseback and a screw-down crown for ultimate peace of mind. Water resistance is rated at 50m. The lug-to-lug measurement is 47mm, making the MB1 easy and comfortable wear.

At launch, the Monbrey MB1 Automatic is available in five stunning variations. Reference MB1RO-L01 features a brushed natural steel dial and MB1RO-L02 is fitted with a black ceramic-coated dial for a more subtle and stealthy look. The MB1RO-L03 model has a white ceramic coated dial for a retro-futuristic look, MB1RO-L04 is the Kickstarter Exclusive Edition with a satin finished and grained blue dial that shifts between dark navy blue and teal, and last, MB1RO-L05 with a gold PVD coated stainless steel case with a black ceramic dial delivers the ultimate 1970s aesthetic.

The lugs and the hour markers are long and angular, in line with the Wedge Era inspiration, while the beautifully proportioned center-mounted hands ensure optimum legibility and hence a tie to authentic watchmaking values. Safeguarded from magnetism by the soft iron Faraday cage is the Japan-made Miyota Cal. 9039, a robust movement that operates at 4Hz with 42 hours of autonomy, replenished by a self-winding rotor and protected by an anti-shock system.

 

Monbrey works with Arvato Bertelsmann of Bertelsmann SR & Co. KGaA, a leading international provider of supply chain management who’s worked with Sony Music, Apple, Microsoft, Hasbro, and others. The duo will lean on their comprehensive knowledge and experience to ensure quick and safe delivery of the MB1 to every backer of the campaign. The bespoke product packaging and a robust shipping carton box was also conceived in cooperation with Bertelsmann to ensure it can withstand falls, drops, and handling impacts. Every item pledged for on Kickstarter is subject to a quality inspection at Monbrey’s Hong Kong warehouse before being hand-packaged with care in the Arvato warehouse.

The Monbrey MB1 is available on Kickstarter — the campaign launches on March 7, 2023, and deliveries will take place in August, 2023. The Monbrey MB1 watch has a retail price of $499, with Super Early Birds paying $299, Early Birds $339, and Kickstarters just $369. You can learn more on the brand’s website.

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