Racing chronographs… It might not be as packed as a category as dive watches, but in all fairness, finding the right one for you is not going to be a walk in the park. Hundreds of alternatives (and good ones, on top of that) exist, ranging from affordable quartz models to attainable Swiss mechanical options, followed by classic luxury icons or high-end watches with basically no limit of price. But let’s say you’re looking for a cool, compact, vintage-oriented racing chronograph with a timeless appeal, powered by a reliable mechanical movement… In that case, the Stockholm-based, Dutch-rooted microbrand Maen might have a very compelling solution for you: the third iteration of its chronograph collection, the Skymaster 38 MKIII.?By no means competitors, but you’ll get the racing chronograph vibe and inspiration…Even if we narrow down our search for a racing chronograph to accessible watches powered by mechanical movements, there are still dozens of watches to choose from. It’s never easy to find the right watch, specifically when the alternatives are so convincing. There’s always the case of you having a crush on a certain watch, but assuming that you’re in the market for a racing chrono priced under 3K euros, you’ll have a hard time finding your precious watch in such a packed market. Options can come from Japan with Seiko, Switzerland of course, with established names such as Tissot, Hamilton, Certina or Nivada, as well as micro-brands such as Baltic or Depancel. And we’re just scratching the surface of what actually exists on the market. A few years ago, you could have considered Longines, TAG Heuer or Tudor to be potential contenders, but those days are gone, unfortunately. What’s interesting to see is that, in order to control the costs, most of these watches rely on the same base architecture for the movement… The one-and-only Valjoux 7750 – proving once more the relevance of this calibre, even half a century after its creation. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Let’s get back to Maen, a relatively young brand founded by Dutchmen Sebastiaan Cortjaens and Jules van Helvoort, and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Going through quartz collections at first, funded through Kickstarter, Maen quickly found its audience and started building the brand. And it proved rather successful, with models such as the Hudson dive watch, the Manhattan collection with sporty-chic style and, for today’s matter, the Skymaster chronograph. The latter is now in its third version, following several rounds of updates and upgrades to make it incrementally better while true to the model’s original design. Refined case, streamlined dial, better specs, more advanced movement, cleaner look… And now the option for a fixed bezel with tachymeter scale.Indeed, as its name suggests, the Maen Skymaster was first released as a pilot-oriented watch with a 12-hour rotating bezel. But with the third generation, the model now adds the option for a fixed bezel with a scale to measure average speeds (tachymeter), immediately transforming it into a racing chronograph. What we’re looking at is a compact, well-equipped, fairly classic (it’s not negative, as timelessness matters) chronograph with undeniable 1960s inspirations – think Daytona, Heuer and the likes. The main attraction comes from the proportions, as the Skymaster 38 MKIII, as its name implies, is a compact 38mm watch – rare enough in modern days for a mechanical chronograph, and worth mentioning. So it’s not only the vintage vibe that you’ll get, but also the vintage feel on the wrist. The case of this MKIII has undergone some major modifications to accommodate its new movement. Indeed, the model used to be powered by a modular automatic ETA 2894-2, but now relies on a hand-wound Sellita SW510Mb with different casing dimensions. That being said, the proportions haven’t drastically changed, and the watch is still compact and balanced on the wrist. At 13.4mm in thickness (with a fair share of that due to the box-shaped crystal), it’s not overly thick, and the 47mm length is also enjoyable. Good proportions, good looks and even better specs now, as not only has the finishing on the case been refined – more precise brushing and polishing – but the water-resistance has been increased to 100m. It has some pleasant heft on the wrist too, oozing quality.The main novelty with this Skymaster 38 MKIII is the ability to opt for a fixed bezel, with a tachymeter scale. It’s here done on a sandblasted, black-coated surface that’s pretty effective in reducing glare, and the tachy scale is done in a beige tone, adding some retro charm to the whole package. A non-coated matte steel option is also available for a more modern/technical look. But I personally like the contrast offered by this blackened bezel. The rest is classic vintage racing chrono, with pump pushers on the side and angled lugs.Moving to the dial, Maen has given its third-gen Skymaster 38 a cleaner look than before but also more details on the dial. The flat dial with elongated markers has been replaced by this sleek sunray-brushed black dial with minimal printings and no more minutes/seconds scale between the applied hour markers. The minutes are now read on a recessed “pie-pan” chapter ring with a sandblasted surface and a contrasting white colour. There are also small luminous dots there, all giving a cool retro vibe as well as depth, but also benefitting legibility.Classic 1960s-styled snailed counters are done in contrasting white – reversed panda effect – with polished dauphine hands for the time, again with a thin luminous stripe in old-radium SLN – but since there’s little lume to be found, it avoids the gimmicky patina effect. It’s a clean, legible, non-talkative dial with well-balanced sub-dials – how good is that when a watch has a correctly-sized movement…?Talking about movement, the Skymaster 38 MKIII now opts for a hand-wound movement, the Swiss-made Sellita SW510Mb. The 7750-derived calibre needs little introduction and is here presented in top grade, with Geneva stripes and blue screws. Running at a 4Hz frequency, this cam-lever integrated chronograph stores a comfortable power reserve of about 60 hours.Delivered as standard on a black FKM rubber strap, the model we had for review came with a rather fitting jubilee-style bracelet. It feels the most appropriate in this vintage racing context and also proved comfortable and flexible. A more modern 5-link bracelet is also available, but it somehow feels more appropriate on the MKIII.MCR version with a rotating bezel.Now available from the brand’s website and priced from EUR 2,099 (incl. taxes), there’s not much to complain about with this Maen Skymaster 38 MKIII. On the contrary, there’s a lot to like, such as the cool design (admittedly familiar and inspired by past icons), the nice proportions, the clean dial or the overall impressive fit and finish. Maybe this could be the accessible racing chronograph you were looking for…? For more details, please visit www.maenwatches.com.