For years, guys who love watches have been asking the same question: when is Teddy Baldassarre going to put his name on a dial? He’s reviewed thousands of watches, built one of the biggest followings in the game, and even opened his own store in Cleveland. Plenty of brands have come knocking with collab offers, but Teddy always held off. He wanted the first one to mean something, to be with a brand he genuinely believed in from the very start.
That brand turned out to be Brew.
Back in 2018, when both Teddy and Brew founder Jonathan Ferrer were still grinding to get noticed, they sat down for a simple video interview. That conversation didn’t just help put Brew on the map; it started a real friendship. Seven years later, the two American underdogs finally teamed up on a watch that feels like the natural result of all those years talking shop.
Image credit: Teddy Baldassarre x Brew
The watch is a special version of Brew’s Metric chronograph, now called the Brew Metric Teddy Baldassarre Edition. And for a lot of collectors who have been around the block, this one hits different.
Most watch guys over forty remember when 36mm was the standard size before everything got huge. The Metric brings that back, but with modern comfort. The stainless steel case measures exactly 36mm wide and only 10.75mm thick. That cushion shape with the TV-screen profile and hidden lugs sits perfectly on just about any wrist. It looks bigger than the numbers suggest, especially with the integrated bracelet flowing straight out of the case. Brushed surfaces dominate, with just enough polished accents on the edges to catch the light. Fifty meters of water resistance means you’re not babying it, even with the pump-style chronograph pushers and the push-down crown.
Image credit: Teddy Baldassarre x Brew
Flip it over and you’ll see the caseback etched with both Brew’s coffee bean logo and “Brew/Teddy” right next to it. Simple, clean, no over-the-top engraving. Just two names that earned their spot.
The real story, though, is the dial. Teddy and Jonathan went through six different color options before landing on a deep, toned-down navy blue that changes depending on the light. The main dial has a fine matte texture, while the sub-dials play with darker and lighter shades of blue for depth. Brew’s coffee-timing heritage is still there: the chapter ring has that familiar light-blue arc between 25 and 35 seconds, marking the sweet spot for pulling an espresso shot. The running seconds sub-dial at six o’clock is recessed with a beveled edge and simple dashes every five seconds. The 60-minute counter at twelve sits flush with the dial, segmented in alternating dark and powder blue.
Image credit: Teddy Baldassarre x Brew
Hands are where Teddy really left his mark. The old Metric had squared-off vintage hands. This one switches to pointed pencil-style hour and minute hands with a baby-blue accent stripe down the middle. The chronograph seconds hand ditches the old sewing-needle counterweight for a longer, retro speedometer pointer finished in the same soft blue lacquer. Sub-dial hands stay squared but now come in crisp white. All the hour markers and hands glow with turquoise Super-LumiNova that looks classy, not toy-like.
One change that owners of the original Metric will notice right away: the date window at 4:30 is gone. A lot of people complained that it threw off the balance of an already asymmetrical layout. Removing it cleans everything up without losing the intentional 70s funk that makes the Metric special.
Image credit: Teddy Baldassarre x Brew
Power comes from the same Seiko VK68 meca-quartz movement Brew has always used. For the money, it’s hard to beat. You get quartz accuracy for the timekeeping, but the chronograph runs on a mechanical module, so the pushers have that satisfying mechanical snap and the long seconds hand sweeps instead of ticking. Reset the chrono and you still get that crisp fly-back feel that makes cheap quartz chronos feel lifeless.
The bracelet is the same integrated stainless steel design everyone already loves, but this run adds a micro-adjust clasp. Between that and regular link removal, you can dial in the fit exactly how you want it. Brew also sells blue rubber straps and leather options that pair perfectly with the dial if you want to switch things up.
Image credit: Teddy Baldassarre x Brew
Price sits at $475, same as a regular Metric. That’s important. Teddy could have charged a premium just for his name, but he didn’t. This isn’t a cash-grab limited edition either. Brew and Teddy call it a “special edition” rather than limited, meaning they’ll keep making batches as long as people keep buying them. The first drop sold out fast, but more are already in production. You can jump on the waitlist at teddybaldassarre.com and they’ll email you the moment new stock lands.
At the end of the day, this watch works because it never tries too hard. It’s a refined take on a model that was already a modern classic, done by two guys who came up together in the same corner of the internet and never forgot where they started. For anyone who’s been collecting watches long enough to remember when affordable didn’t have to mean boring, the Brew Metric Teddy Baldassarre Edition feels like the kind of piece you’ll still be reaching for ten years from now, long after the hype has moved on to the next shiny thing.
Image credit: Teddy Baldassarre x Brew
Sometimes the best collaborations aren’t the loudest ones. They’re the ones that feel inevitable. This is one of those.
