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Massena LAB Release - a Uni-Compax reissue within days?

rustynuts
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39mm, $3,495

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"Three years in the making, the Massena LAB Uni-Racer is a testament to the art of defying the rules and creating a timepiece informed by the past, but with a "Big Eye" on the present. The Uni-Racer is a 21st-century interpretation of a mid-century classic, with each detail of the watch painstakingly re-edited for the modern watch wearer. The Uni-Racer features a 39mm stainless steel case, finished vertically for added visual interest.
The dial is configured in a black dial with silver subdials, and features a 30 minutes "Big Eye" counter as well as a small seconds counter. Zooming in, the wearer can appreciate the specific and shifting blue color of the subdial hands, which was achieved through an arduous process of using traditional hand heating, oxidation, and other metal treatments. Look even closer and you will notice the engraved "M" logo in the acrylic crystal, reminiscent of the old days.

As the company names implies, the Uni-Racer was created through a process, much like a laboratory experiment, but the final product is a timepiece that is meticulously crafted, rich in details and history, and intended to be a new cult classic beloved by connoisseurs and casual watch fans alike."
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Massena-Lab-Uni-Racer-Black-Movement2-1024x1008.png Case-Side-1-1024x683.jpg Dial-Black-1024x683.jpg DSC6190-greasy-1024x683.jpg Side-Black-Dial.png
JimJupiter
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thanks for finding and posting. Someone wont be happy 😁 Regarding the watch...all I want to say is that I like the Deepstar Reedition a lot more 😉
 
w154
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JimJupiter JimJupiter
thanks for finding and posting. Someone wont be happy 😁 Regarding the watch...all I want to say is that I like the Deepstar Reedition a lot more 😉

^
This
 
Wlcutter
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For whatever it's worth, they're running the Sellita 510M, which has become the go-to movement for such watches (its the Sellita build of the ETA 7750, made manual, and, as such, approximates the old dimensions of the V72). It's a *phenomenal* movement; I wouldn't pay close to $4k for a watch powered by it, however.
 
STANDY
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How thick are those hands 🤨 at 8:47 you won’t see the small subdial 🙄
 
rustynuts
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If it had been a collaboration with Universal Geneve I could see the point but it's a homage in the same vein as a Dan Henry 1962 - better finished perhaps, with a mechanical movement, but also 13x the price. The Baltic is more attractive and more original (it's just unfortunate that the "Manuel" reminds me of abused Spanish waiters)

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Wlcutter
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rustynuts rustynuts
If it had been a collaboration with Universal Geneve I could see the point but it's a homage in the same vein as a Dan Henry 1962 - better finished perhaps, with a mechanical movement, but also 13x the price. The Baltic is more attractive (it's just unfortunate that the "Manuel" reminds me of abused Spanish waiters)

Agreed on the Baltic, though IMO the differences between the ST19 and Sellita 510M are *profound* (the ST19 in+of itself has kept me away from a number of watches). Also big yes on Manuel.
 
bgrisso
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Oh I guess I was confused, I thought it would be UG branded (developed and released as partnership with ML).
 
wristpirate
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bgrisso bgrisso
Oh I guess I was confused, I thought it would be UG branded (developed and released as partnership with ML).

Fro some reason I thought the same. Looks nice and tempting IMO
 
Larry S
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bgrisso bgrisso
Oh I guess I was confused, I thought it would be UG branded (developed and released as partnership with ML).
So it’s just a $3500 watch with an obvious homage to the big eye. I remember well the Steinhart lynching thread of a few years back. My view, if you like it buy it.
 
Woops
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I can see this doing very well indeed despite the high price tag and lukewarm reception here.

Production appears to be limited to 200 ‘Unique Edition’ watches only. I have heard some say that only 200 original ‘Big Eyes’ were ever produced so even this fact appears to be a nice homage by ML to the Uni-Compax myth.
 
CaptainWinsor
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I don’t understand the excitement over a watch that isn’t isn’t made by UG and just has the name put in the dial. Sounds like an attempt to drive demand and price.
 
JimJupiter
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The white one is much nicer to my eyes than the black one. Btw, the page stated a thickness of just 9mm. This is really cool and a fact I dont like about the Aquastar.
 
Wlcutter
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JimJupiter JimJupiter
The white one is much nicer to my eyes than the black one. Btw, the page stated a thickness of just 9mm. This is really cool and a fact I dont like about the Aquastar.

I'd bet a fair amount that the total thickness of the watch is closer to 12 or 13mm; the *case* is listed as 9mm thick; the movement itself is almost 7mm thick, before measuring the height of the hands, so that'd be an awfully thin caseback+crystal.
 
JwRosenthal
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I'm not understanding who this is marketed towards at this price point. $3.5k gets you Longines heritage chrono, LNIB Tudor Heritage, both colors of Hamilton chrono's and a myriad of well respected vintage pieces. Bump up a couple grand and you're in JLC Heritage, Tag and Breitling Chrono territory.
If this were $1-1.5k, I can see that- but this just seems very ambitious for a micro-brand.
 
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