MSTR is a brand pronounced MEISTER, the result of a fever dream where Hublot, an IWC Ingenieur, and a Royal Oak Offshore had a key party. The goal was to make something luxurious and attainable. Have they reached that goal?
The difficult thing about buying someone else’s project is that you have to buy into their vision, and their execution. The founders’ background comes from DTM autohaus, a modifier of cars in El Monte, California. Apparently, if you can shape sheet metal, you can shape watches. And if you’ve grown up in a hip hop world, you know what you want out of style. This is the background of the MSTR Noble.
What you get in the MSTR Noble is a watch that has a screw down crown, a fixed bezel with Allen screws that secure it to the case, a chapter ring, over a carbon fiber dial. Indices are baton markers, with indices carved into the bezel between the Allen screws.
The MSTR Noble’s case is made of stainless steel, and either brushed steel, or coated in PVD rose gold, yellow gold, or black. The carbon fiber dial has a date window, and the hands are PVD coated to match the case. The lume is satisfactory, although we’ve seen brighter. The bracelet is coated to match the case, and is a combination of brushed and polished surfaces, tied together with a butterfly deployant clasp.
The PVD coating is only skin deep, doesn’t coat between the links
Look, let’s get real. Not everyone can pull off the MSTR Noble. Some people will make fun of it as ‘bling’, ‘eurotrash’, or other aspersions. People in my life were not fans. If you like it, get one. If you don’t, keep looking to fill that hole inside you, that unending emptiness that keeps you awake late at night…
Whistling in the dark
The Noble itself is well made, with a Miyota 821A, a sapphire crystal, sapphire display back with the MSTR M logo printed on it, and MEISTER engraved on the side opposite the crown. The bracelet is comfortable to wear, and easy to change to a silicone strap if you wanted to. The dial isn’t overflowing with text, but is limited to the MSTR script, the M logo, and the simple notation that this is an automatic watch. This is good – let the ostentatiousness of the case speak, let the dial be muted. That’s good fashion, pairing a statement piece with quiet elements that support it. Too many statements just fight for attention. Look, I’m no doctor-of-watches, but if I were, I’d tell you, the first rule is “know yourself.” Know if this is right for you, who you are in your life, and who you want to be. It looks like a good value for money if you want one on your wrist, and then like the Mr. Mister song, maybe we can learn to fly again, learn to live so free. https://www.mstrwatches.com/
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: MSTR Noble
- Price: Earlybird pricing starts at $325
- Who we think it might be for: You like a little bling, you like a big bang, you like to show off.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I don’t have the ‘going out shirt’ to wear it with.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Remove the MEISTER from the non-crown side.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The result is pretty much exactly what they set out to achieve – a watch that imitates without copying luxurious higher priced watches.
Tech Specs from MSTR
- Case size: 43mm
- Case material: steel (brushed, rose gold, champagne gold, or black finishes available)
- Crystal: flat, sapphire
- Strap: steel (brushed and polished, rose gold, champagne gold, or black finishes available)
- Movement: Miyota 821A, 21 jewel
- Water resistance: 100M
