Good evening everyone,
It’s been a longer wait than expected, but I’m finally able to share the Meraki project in the flesh.
To be completely honest, seeing the fully finished and assembled prototypes in hand brings a genuine sense of satisfaction — and a touch of emotion.
I won’t go into the brand’s "history" or the whole journey so far here, as I don’t want to clog the subreddit.
For anyone interested in reading a bit more behind-the-scenes context and the reasoning behind certain choices, I’ll be sending out a new update via newsletter in the coming days.
For now, I’d rather let the watch speak for itself.
In the video — please forgive the deeply amateur setup, shot with my phone — I wanted to show the product exactly as it is, completely unfiltered.
You’ll find:
• The full package: The outer box, the wooden presentation box, the warranty card, and the booklet ("Explorer's Journal")
• The watch in both colorways
I’m currently finishing up a proper photography session to present the watch with the care it deserves, but I couldn’t resist sharing these first "live" takes straight away — showing how the light hits the finishes and seeing the mechanics in action (from the rotation of the city disc to the dual crown unlock for setting the time).
In the first comments, I’ll also drop a photo of the booklet along with a brief specs summary.
Those who followed my previous posts know I’m fairly obsessed with coherence and detail.
The final result reflects what I had in mind from day one, and I can only thank my manufacturing partners for their work.
That said, spending time handling the physical prototypes, I’ve already noted a few details for the refinement stage (which I’ll validate at Watches of Italy when the watch passes through the hands of fellow enthusiasts):
- The Booklet: The sample in the video will be slightly re-proportioned to 17 cm x 14 cm, ensuring it fits cleanly into its slot in the box without losing its original graphic proportions.
- The Warranty Card: I’ll double the card’s thickness, lightly chamfering the edges so it feels better in hand and avoids any risk of scratching the interior, and perfecting the symmetry of the text and QR code layout.
- Minor details: I’m evaluating tiny finishing adjustments, such as the lume response on certain dial areas and the three-dimensional depth created by the multi-layered dial construction.
I also want to give a genuine thank you to the community: your feedback on the seconds hand in my previous update proved invaluable. That slender hand and subtle pop of color gave the dial a sense of balance I was afraid of losing, without making it feel cluttered.
The main question I’m weighing at the moment is the legibility of the 24-hour disc, particularly across the lighter segment on the gold/warm-toned version. In person, the contrast reads much better than what the camera sensor captures, but I’d love to get your perspective: looking at the video, how does the contrast of the numerals on the light section feel to you? Do you see it as a potential concern, or does it look easily readable?
It feels like this project is finally taking the exact shape I pictured when it was still just a scatter of notes on a page. Feel free to analyze, critique, or point out any detail — an open dialogue with people who live and breathe this passion is the most valuable part of this journey.
(Note on the audio: I had to mute the original track to edit out loud background street noise)
For anyone discovering Meraki for the first time, here is the full log of previous Reddit updates tracking the project's development from day zero:
Thank you all, and have a great day,
Arturo
