Micro Tournament Round 2 Day 2: Monta Vs. Habring²

Check Out The Lineups Here:

• Monta

• Habring

Get daily updates and see the updated bracket here.

Organizer note; I love both of these brands and if I was not forced to vote to get the count, I would abstain. Two of my favorites. In this case, I threw my vote behind the likely underdog.

Go Monta!

Habring² is in an entirely different league above Monta, Imho.

German, self movement, love the habring2 range

Agreed, one of the last independent makers left in the mix.

Homage brand vs hand crafted masterpieces. Whatch crunchers choose…….homage brand….

I love my Monta's. They are fantastic watches. Habring are in another level in pricing. Way too expensive for me for what you get.

True.

But at a level that is approaching unobtanium for some.

If one can't afford ownership, then we might as well just do a watch tourney, and add in GO, ALS, RGM, et al.

Just sayin. $4K is out of reach for some, and is no different than discussing dream watches of Moons, Subs, Reverses, Tanks, etc.

Haven't voted yet either, since to me I can't tell what Monta adds to Lorier's I have.

And H² is just not my style, horological prowess or not.

Habring uses in house movements. They are not as easily accessible as Monta. But they are at a higher status altogether. Because of access I would choose Monta. IMO, a watch that is not easily obtainable or serviceable is not a watch that I would buy.

Goooo ......Habring!!! In house GPHG multiple wins 💪❤

https://www.gphg.org/en/watches/chrono-felix-top-second

Is it not Austrian?

Monta but only because it is more visible for me.

Face_palm...you are correct sir

Monta adds better finishing and much higher quality bracelets.

Affordability is not a prerequisite for this comparison, though I think it's fair to include, as it is part of the pluses and minuses of any brand or watch.

But GO, ALS, etc would not be reasonable to include anyway because they are parts of larger conglomerates. Habring is not. They are an independent, just one that is doing much more complex work than your average microbrand.

Habring!! 🙌🏻 no comparison. Monta will prob win though because of their marketing and following, but this is like comparing a JLC to a Raymond Weil.

Monta is great BUT habring is a whole different level of watchmaking, craftsmanship and innovation. Have to reward that with a vote

So far throughout this tournament, I've looked at every website of the brands I wasn't familiar with. I've got to say, Habring isn't doing people any favors with that website design and layout.

#monta wins this round for me. Though they’re on the higher end in terms of price for microbrands, I think they’re one of the best!

Who wore it better?

I believe Monta offers just outstanding quality and design all around. I don't see it as a homage brand at all, although the new OceanKing v3 has trended away from it's more original vibes towards Submariner vibes. The brand's model portfolio covers most of the bases, with models like the Noble (dress/GADA), Atlas (GMT/GADA), and Triumph (Field) as stand outs in their design cues and fit/finish. Price points are reasonable, albeit creeping up along with all the other brands.

Agreed.

Finishing and bracelets matter less to me. But that's my opinion.

And complexity is nice, I'm just in the very small minority that cares less about complexity, and more about legibility, lume, shock resistance, etc. also of importance is how quickly a watch can get serviced/repaired/replaced. I fully expect anything I wear to get subjected to austere and/or extremely odd happenstances during the work day.

But that's the beauty of choice.

And knowledge. If I ever have a colleague looking for crazy cool, hand made complications, I'll recommend H² over other big names.

But I'm a micro/indie guy at heart.

i prefer the brand who built their own movement, watchmaker used to work for IWC, and didn't use cheap parts to make a calatrava knockoff.

I am a huge fan of Habring and everything that they do. I may never own a Habring, but that doesn't stop me from seeing that the watches they build are much better than their competition in this bracket.

Love my monta triumph. Habring looks interesting but I couldn’t really tell you because their website is hot garbage.

I actually completely agree..🍻🤌🏻

Using that criteria only. And I still haven't voted in this one, I don't know 😂.

For me it's also impossible to not also include other criteria to make a watch useful for me to wear, daily.

I have a fairly large collection, mostly random, niche microbrands, but each and every one is worn for at least one day, sometimes multiple if out in a mission, training, or TDY.

And the watches that get the smallest amount of wear are the ones that don't have some of those criteria.

But I'm a very small, niche end user for even the watch brands I like.

99% of the time, a lot of enthusiasts straight up tell me, you should just get a G Shock, it's better.*

To those I say I prefer easy to read analog, and quite honestly Rule No. 1 always applies. "Always look cool." Even as a joke saying, it's true, I like wearing something other than the ubiquitous G Shock.

*I also point out, there's a reason why, for at least US DOD personnel, the Casio Protrek and various Suuntos are actually issued vs the G Shock. In fact Marathon, CWC, and even Tudor are GSN/NSN can be unit issued. G Shocks aren't, to my knowledge. Can be purchased commercial off the shelf, and often are but haven't been issued for some time, outside of pre-9/11 stuff.

Forgot one instance of G Shock counting as issued. Very briefly, in '07-'09 there was a tough solar, atomic, G Shock, in silver of all colors that was briefly fielded, but it was phased out in lieu of Suunto's new Vector and early Protreks.

Man, I don't care. I just saw a resemblance. I don't know what a "calatrava knockoff" is, but if one qualifies then the other does also. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sorry, I just call them like I see them. Honestly, I don't care. I don't have a pony in this race. I have a Baltic Aquascaphe, which is an omage to the Blancain Bathyscaphe. If the Habring2 is an omage to the "calatrava", that doesn't offend me. I just saw a resemblance.

Poll closed for this matchup. Congratulations to Monta!

And …Another unique in-house watchmaker falls. Upside?

Well, not a total drubbing!