MEIA LUA Meridian: the Portuguese brand's first dive watch, in detail
MEIA LUA, the independent brand founded in Lisbon in 2018 by Gonçalo Lopes, has presented the Meridian, its first dive watch. It has a 39.5 mm 316L steel case, 300 metres of water resistance, a 120-click unidirectional bezel and the Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic calibre.
A presentation on the Tagus
The Meridian was shown for the first time in the late afternoon of 8 October to press, partners, collectors and friends of the brand, aboard a catamaran that left Doca de Santo Amaro, in Alcântara, at 6 pm for an hour and a half on the Tagus at sunset. The IPR was there.
The motto for this new phase is Beyond the Known. It marks a change of course: after the city watches of its first collections, MEIA LUA moves into tool watches, with dive specifications.
Where MEIA LUA comes from
Gonçalo Lopes founded MEIA LUA in March 2018, aged 34, after 13 years in banking. He chose a Portuguese name on purpose (it means «half moon»), inspired by the Moon and by Lisbon's light at night. The first model, the Inception, came out in September that year, with a Japanese Miyota automatic calibre, a 24-hour indication and launch prices between 329 and 369 euros.
The Callisto followed in 2021: a 42 mm case, water resistant to 100 metres, a Miyota 9122 calibre with triple calendar (date, day and month) and a Jubilee-type steel bracelet, priced between 529 and 569 euros. The Silver Ice and Semi Blue versions were limited to 30 pieces. At the time, sales were made exclusively online, and the main markets were Portugal, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and France.
Both collections sold out, and the brand's watches have reached collectors in more than 30 countries.
MEIA LUA signs The Portuguese Mechanical Watch: its watches are designed in Portugal.
With the Meridian, MEIA LUA moves from a Japanese to a Swiss calibre, from a 42 mm to a 39.5 mm case and from 100 to 300 metres of water resistance.
A new identity
The Meridian debuts a redesigned logo, cleaner and inspired by naval geometry. It appears on the dial, above the name MEIA LUA, and is engraved in relief on top of the crown. The dial also reads «MERIDIAN» and «300m : 1000ft».
The case
The case is brushed 316L steel with polished bevels. It measures 39.5 mm in diameter, 48.5 mm lug to lug and 20 mm between the lugs: versatile proportions, designed for everyday wear.
The sapphire crystal is a highly domed top-hat, recalling the silhouette of mid-20th-century dive watches. The anti-reflective coating is on the inner face.
The 300-metre water resistance, externally certified, relies on an 8 mm screw-down crown and a solid screw-down caseback.
The bezel
The bezel is unidirectional with 120 clicks: on a 60-minute scale, each click is worth half a minute. It turns in one direction only, so an accidental knock during a dive can shorten the indicated time but never extend it. This is the safety rule of every dive watch.
The insert has a luminous reference pip at zero and three markers for the five-minute intervals.
Four dials
The dials have a grained texture that evokes old nautical charts. There are four versions: Polar White, in opaline white; Ocean Blue; Tropical Brown; and Black Sea, in anthracite. The three coloured versions have a fumé gradient.
The indices are applied, in polished metal, and filled with Japanese luminous material.
The movement: Sellita SW200-1
The Meridian uses the Sellita SW200-1, a Swiss automatic calibre with 26 jewels, beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), with a power reserve of about 38 hours. It is wound by an oscillating weight in both directions of rotation. It has a stop-seconds function: with the crown pulled out, the balance stops and so does the seconds hand, so the time can be set to the second.
The SW200 is easy to service and one of the most widely used calibres in contemporary Swiss watchmaking, derived from the architecture of the ETA 2824-2.
The movement is hidden by a solid caseback, as dive-watch tradition demands. That is where the Meridian's most personal detail lies.
The astrolabe on the caseback
The screw-down 316L steel caseback is deeply engraved with a 16th-century nautical astrolabe, surrounded by circular brushing, the inscription «Relojoaria Portuguesa» (Portuguese Watchmaking) and each piece's individual number.
The watch's name and the engraving tell the same story. Portuguese navigators used the nautical astrolabe to measure the altitude of the Sun and the stars and work out their latitude. The celestial meridian, where the Sun reaches its highest point at solar noon, gives the watch its name.
«Relojoaria Portuguesa» engraved in the steel of the Meridian: the kind of statement the IPR wants to see more of.
The bracelet
Every version comes on a 316L steel bracelet with three solid links and solid end-links. It tapers from 20 mm at the lugs to 16 mm at the clasp, a folding clasp with two safety push-buttons.
Price, edition and sales
Each Meridian is individually numbered. Sales begin with an international pre-order, followed by the brand's online shop and selected retailers. The final price is being set.
With the launch, MEIA LUA also announced that Gonçalo Lopes has joined the Fashion and Luxury jury of the Prémios Lusófonos da Criatividade and that the brand is preparing partnerships in physical retail.
A step forward for Portuguese watchmaking
The Meridian brings together versatile proportions, an easy-to-service Swiss calibre, a 120-click bezel and a reference to Portuguese seafaring engraved on the caseback. It is the most ambitious watch MEIA LUA has made.
In a segment with many independent brands using Swiss calibres, the Meridian stands out by telling a story of its own, engraved on the caseback.
Technical specifications
Model | MEIA LUA Meridian |
Movement | Sellita SW200-1, Swiss automatic; bidirectional winding by oscillating weight; 26 jewels; 28,800 vph (4 Hz); about 38 hours of power reserve |
Functions | Hours, minutes and central seconds; stop-seconds |
Case | Brushed 316L steel, polished bevels; 39.5 mm diameter; 11 mm thick; 48.5 mm lug to lug; 20 mm between lugs |
Crystal | Domed top-hat sapphire; multi-layer anti-reflective coating on the inner face |
Bezel | Unidirectional, 120 clicks; circular-brushed steel insert; luminous reference pip |
Crown | Screw-down, 8 mm diameter, logo engraved in relief; Viton gaskets |
Dial | Grained; Polar White, Ocean Blue, Tropical Brown and Black Sea (the last three with fumé gradient); applied polished metal indices with Japanese luminous material |
Caseback | Solid screw-down 316L steel; deep-engraved 16th-century nautical astrolabe, «Relojoaria Portuguesa» inscription and individual number |
Water resistance | 30 ATM / 300 metres, externally certified |
Bracelet | 316L steel, three solid links and solid end-links; tapers from 20 to 16 mm; folding clasp with two safety push-buttons |
Edition | Individually numbered pieces |
Sales | International pre-order; then the brand's online shop and selected retailers |
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