MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII dive watch
Starting from 1.349 €The MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII is a compact dive watch built for travel, from the Stockholm-based Swedish brand MAEN Watches. Presented as the model's biggest update since launch, it is built around a fully redesigned 38 mm steel case, water resistant to 300 metres and topped with a heavily domed sapphire crystal. Its Swiss automatic Sellita SW330-2 movement drives an independent GMT hand, backed by a 24-hour scale on the chapter ring and a bidirectional 60-click bezel, giving three time zones at a glance. Offered in two two-tone bezel versions, brown and black or blue and black, it targets fans of compact tool watches with a restrained Scandinavian design.
MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII dive watch
MAEN Watches is an independent brand based in Stockholm, Sweden, whose watches run on Swiss movements. From the outset, the company has cultivated a typically Scandinavian approach to the tool watch: compact proportions, restrained design, functional mechanics and a carefully judged price-to-performance ratio. In recent years MAEN has expanded its catalogue towards dressier pieces, with the Manhattan Ultra-Thin and Grand Tonneau Ultra-Thin lines, without ever abandoning the Hudson, which remains the brand's identity-defining model.
The Hudson 38 was born in 2018 as the first generation, before a GMT variant later joined the family. With this MKII, MAEN announces the biggest update the model has ever received: the shape and construction of the case have been entirely reworked to return to the original 2018 intent. The case and bezel have been slimmed down, the sapphire crystal now has a heavily domed profile, the lugs gain drilled holes, the brushing and polishing have been improved, the lume gains in intensity and duration, and the bezel moves to 60 bidirectional clicks with a lume pip that customers had long been asking for.
In use, this Hudson works on two complementary levels. On one hand, 300 metres of water resistance and a solid screwed caseback make it a genuine diver; on the other, the independent 24-hour GMT hand, the chapter ring scale and the rotating bezel allow up to three time zones to be tracked. It is as much a travel watch as a water watch, sized for medium wrists and everyday use.
Technical specifications MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII
- Brand: MAEN
- Model: Hudson 38 GMT MKII
- Reference: M1.3.3 or M1.3.5
- Indicative price: 1.349 €
- Movement: Swiss automatic, GMT
- Calibre: Sellita SW330-2
- Diameter: 38 mm
- Thickness: 11 mm excluding crystal
- Water resistance: 30 ATM (300 m)
- Materials: 316L stainless steel
- Crystal: Box-domed sapphire
- Dial: Black and sandblasted / Black and blue
- Strap: Rubber, steel bracelet, jubilee or FKM optional
- Warranty: 2 years
The MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII dive watch
The Hudson 38 GMT MKII retains the compact silhouette that made the line's success, but in a construction rethought from the ground up. The case in 316L stainless steel measures 38 mm in diameter for 11 mm thick excluding crystal and 47 mm lug-to-lug, a size that is rare today in the GMT diver segment. The case and bezel have been thinned compared with the previous generation, giving a more balanced feel on the wrist, for a stated weight of 129 grams. The top of the case is occupied by a box-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, whose pronounced curve gives a very distinct visual signature reminiscent of vintage tool watches.
Below, the sandblasted jet-black dial favours pure legibility: applied and printed hour markers, a faceted date window at 6 o'clock, a chapter ring engraved with a 24-hour scale, and beige Super-LumiNova X1 lume that is brighter and longer-lasting than on the previous version. The bidirectional 60-click rotating bezel features a two-tone ceramic insert with a gold-toned 24-hour scale, plus a lume pip at 12 o'clock that owners of the previous generation had been asking for. Drilled lugs make strap changes easier, and the brushing and polishing work has been revised to give the piece a more refined finish without betraying its instrument character.
Two versions and three time zones on the wrist
The GMT range has been streamlined to just two executions. Reference M1.3.3 keeps the brown and black two-tone bezel with a root beer feel, paired with a GMT hand with a brown tip. Reference M1.3.5 introduces a very dark blue and black insert whose shade only reveals itself in natural light, with a blue-tipped GMT hand. Both share the same black dial, the same case and the same price, the choice coming down purely to aesthetic preference. On the functional side, the MKII tracks three time zones. The independent GMT hand sweeps the 24-hour chapter ring scale for a second zone, while the rotating bezel, graduated over 24 hours, allows a third to be tracked.
Setting the GMT hand is done simply via the crown's second position. This is a caller-type GMT: the 24-hour hand is set independently, while the hour hand does not jump from zone to zone, a logic better suited to keeping track of a distant contact than to the frequent traveller. The watch ships on a lizard-pattern TPU rubber strap, with several options available: a supple five-link steel bracelet, a jubilee bracelet and a black FKM rubber strap. The steel bracelet stands out for its polished centre links, its taper from 20 mm to 16 mm, and its deployant clasp with instant micro-adjustment.
MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII dive watch: compact and versatile
The MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII combines a 38 mm 316L steel case water resistant to 300 metres, a heavily domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, and a sandblasted bidirectional 60-click bezel fitted with a two-tone ceramic insert with a 24-hour scale. The Swiss automatic Sellita SW330-2 Elaboré-grade calibre drives hours, minutes, central seconds, date and an independent GMT hand, with 25 jewels, 28,800 vibrations per hour and around 50 hours of power reserve. The sandblasted jet-black dial is treated with beige Super-LumiNova X1. Two versions exist, M1.3.3 in brown and black and M1.3.5 in blue and black, delivered on TPU rubber with steel bracelets available as an option.
Movement
The Hudson 38 GMT MKII is powered by the Elaboré-grade Sellita SW330-2 calibre, a Swiss automatic movement with 25 jewels beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour. It displays hours, minutes, central seconds, date and an independent GMT hand, adjustable via the crown's second position. The power reserve of around 50 hours comfortably covers a night off the wrist. The movement benefits from Incabloc shock protection and automatic winding on a ball bearing, a guarantee of everyday reliability.
Diameter and materials
The case in 316L stainless steel measures 38 mm in diameter for 11 mm thick excluding crystal and 47 mm lug-to-lug, with drilled lugs and revised brushing and polishing work. The sandblasted bidirectional 60-click bezel houses a two-tone ceramic insert engraved with a gold-toned 24-hour scale, offered in brown and black on the M1.3.3 or very dark blue and black on the M1.3.5. The domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal sits above a sandblasted jet-black dial with a faceted date window.
Water resistance
With water resistance of 30 ATM, or 300 metres, the Hudson 38 GMT MKII sits firmly in dive watch territory, despite its compact size. The solid screwed caseback contributes to this resistance and protects the calibre from infiltration. The bidirectional 60-click bezel gains a lume pip at 12 o'clock, a long-requested addition, while the beige Super-LumiNova X1 on the dial, brighter and longer-lasting, ensures clear reading underwater and at night alike.
Accessories
The watch ships with a lizard-pattern TPU rubber strap, supple and consistent with the model's vintage character. Three alternatives are offered as options: a satin-finished five-link steel bracelet with polished centre links, a jubilee bracelet and a black FKM rubber strap. The steel bracelet tapers from 20 mm at the lugs to 16 mm at the clasp and features a 316L deployant clasp with pushers and tool-free instant micro-adjustment. Quick-release end links allow the strap to be swapped in seconds.
Warranty
MAEN Watches backs the Hudson 38 GMT MKII with a two-year warranty running from the date the watch is received. It covers defects found under normal conditions of use, but excludes damage resulting from abnormal use, lack of maintenance, negligence, an accident, mishandling, water-related damage, or failure to follow the brand's provided instructions. A standard level of cover for this segment, backed by tracked international shipping from Stockholm.
MAEN Hudson 38 GMT MKII The pros
and cons
- 300 metres of water resistance
- Compact 38 mm size
- Three legible time zones
- Two two-tone bezel versions
- Tool-free micro-adjust clasp
- Caller-type GMT only
- Around 50 hours power reserve
- Steel bracelets cost extra
- Diameter too modest for some
Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
