
Even among the eclectic world of watch microbrands, Brew stands out. After all, it’s not every day that you see a watch brand based around the theme of coffee culture, and founder Jonathan Ferrer’s designs bring a much-needed sense of playfulness to the watch space. For the brand’s latest release, that playful sense is more overt than ever, as Brew has introduced a pixelated chronograph inspired by ‘80s arcade games.
The 8-Bit Brew is the latest take on Brew’s hit Retrograph form, but it’s quite unlike anything we’ve seen from the brand — or any other watchmaker — before. The matte black dial is adorned with colorful accents of bright orange, blue, and yellow, with a pixelated steaming mug of coffee at 6 o’clock above the date window, a pixelated sun and moon on the 24-hour indicator, and squiggly, pixelated hands on both subdials. The theming continues on the case back, where a very early Nintendo-style font points at the chronograph pushers with arrows labeled “Press Start” and “Press Reset.” It’s a clever touch that nods to the overall attention to detail that Brew routinely injects into its designs.
Like other Retrographs, the 8-Bit Brew runs on a Seiko VK64 meca quartz chronograph movement housed inside a 38mm x 41.5mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal. The watch is available now from Brew’s website, where it is priced at $395.
