Brew Metric Chrono Taxi: cool to look at, probably not mine

I probably will never own a Brew watch. The new Metric Chrono Taxi is unique and cool-looking, and it's also a little too playful for me. My wife would hate it.

Then there's buying one. When I look at Brew, I seem to spend a lot of time looking at watches I can't buy. I'm never going to be the person sitting around waiting for notifications so I can buy a watch the second it comes out. I don't love them enough for that, so looking at them may be as far as this relationship goes.

A New York cab on your wrist

The Chrono Taxi puts yellow, black and a checkerboard stripe across the familiar Metric chronograph. The checkered pattern carries onto the chronograph seconds hand and the caseback, and there's a New York marking at six o'clock. Brew has committed to the cab theme.

The underlying Metric format stays familiar: a steel cushion case, steel bracelet and VK68 mecaquartz chronograph. Quartz handles the timekeeping, with a mechanical module for the stopwatch. This edition is about the taxi design rather than a new movement or case.

Brew lists a sapphire crystal, 50 meters of water resistance and a folding clasp with micro-adjustments. The bracelet uses quick-release attachments, and Brew lists both brushed and polished surfaces on the steel band. The price is $495 USD, checked October 16, 2026. Brew also lists a two-year warranty. The specifications don't tell me how the bracelet or clasp feels.

Still 36mm

The case measures 36mm across, 41.5mm long and 10.75mm thick. I'd like an option for those of us with wrists larger than a chicken's leg.

The cushion case isn't going to wear exactly like a round watch with the same diameter. Brew's own sizing instructions say to print its template at 100 percent scale. You can put that on your wrist to see the case outline at its actual size, which gives you more to go on than the width alone.

Even with the measurements in front of me, I'd still want to see a larger version. And even if Brew made one, the yellow cab treatment would still be a little too playful for my taste. I can appreciate the design without wanting it in my collection.

Buying the Taxi

Brew says it's making 1,000 pieces, with the online release scheduled for October 19 at 10 a.m. Eastern. The page currently shows a sold-out notification button ahead of that release, so that button doesn't establish that the allocation has already sold through.