Microbrand Manufacturers

For movements, the watches costing under $1000 use Miyota, Seiko, and Seagull. Those over $1000 generally use Sellita.

I know there are off the shelf cases, but I don’t know where they come from.

The CEO of CW has stated on a few occasions that they use the same suppliers as some luxury brands costing multiple times the price of CW, so it isn't just the small players that do it.

As far as the actual watchmaking goes, I know CW owns their own manufactory. I think they assemble for a couple of smaller Swiss brands as well.

I suspect that much like in the automotive world, nearly everybody uses a few common parts manufacturers.

Mido isn’t a micro. They’re a member of Swatch Group.

Thanks for the correction, my mistake

No worries!

Mido’s a Swatch brand who use Swatch’s own proprietary ETA movements CW have started making their own movements, but still get some of their own. Raymond Weil are another one that’s making their own movements although based heavily on Sellita movements. A lot of the off the shelf cases are manufatured in China.

Not to sure brothern sorry 😣

https://horologium.uk/partner-brands/

I recently preordered a watch from Beaucroft Watches. They said they are partnered with this company that also makes watches for other microbrands like Formex.

All Made in China

There will also be some in the microbrand space that pay a little extra for slight variations for their specific case.

Elliot Brown, Stirling Timepieces, and Sangin come to mind. A lot of similarity in overall diameter, L2L, etc.

Where you start to see differentiation is crown placement, finishing and overall QC from what I've seen in person. YMMV.

As a microbrand, I feel it's essential to address a common concern - our working relationship with manufacturers. Typically, microbrands don't directly collaborate with manufacturers; instead, we work with trading and production companies. These companies often produce some components in-house, usually limited to cases, and then handle assembly after securing all the required parts.

The majority of components are sourced from the production company's network of suppliers, the actual manufacturers. These suppliers often lack public-facing websites, which necessitates the presence of a middleman.

The role of the middleman is crucial as dealing directly with different suppliers and manufacturers would be a logistical nightmare. Moreover, many of these suppliers are based in Asia, resulting in language barriers and cultural differences to consider.

Interestingly, even most European watch brands source their materials from Asia, even if their watches are marketed as "in-house" products. The well-known European brands that don't produce in-house obtain their components from Asian suppliers and conduct assembly on-site using their own watchmakers.

Numerous production companies cater to different needs and sometimes even offer specialties. There isn't one specific company where all microbrands converge; it often requires networking to find the right fit. Visiting facilities in person is recommended to get a firsthand understanding of their operations, as the best production houses run a tight and efficient ship.

At the end of the day, the single most critical aspect of a good production house is its R&D and QC (Quality-Control) staff. They play a significant role in determining capabilities and setting quality standards. Moreover, they contribute to obtaining essential certifications like RoHS, ISO, CE, etc., as machinery alone is relatively easy to acquire.

Some microbrands choose to work with tradesmen who collaborate with production companies, who, in turn, liaise with suppliers. This may appear redundant and costly, but these tradesmen have spent years fostering valuable relationships and ensuring that the process is carried out correctly from the start. This approach often saves money for new watch brands in the long run.

In the quest for the right partner, a new watch brand may need to explore various options before finding the perfect fit. This journey may involve kissing many frogs, but it eventually leads to a beneficial and cost-effective partnership.

I hope this provides valuable insights into the intricate world of microbrand production and sheds light on the process that goes into creating our timepieces.

Not just microbrands, many big swiss brands use the same factories as the micros. 🤫

But there's a big difference with quality coming out of different factories

There was an interview back in March I think, with the head of Selita. In it he talked about companies who buy in bulk, some want customized parts/specs. Some want entirely one off designs or an “in house” movement.

I’m not saying that to slander companies who have in house. They still design and create the movement. Selita has the manufacturing capabilities for precision parts

Kemmner in Germany used to make cases as well as their own watches not sure if they still do.

I can weigh in here too, to piggy back off of @belhamel’s thoughtful reply.

First, no, the better ones are not made in China. Anyone saying otherwise has not been paying attention to the space, or have an understanding of the market. May they source parts in China and other places? Absolutely.

To many points made; what you may be thinking of microbrands using the same Private Label companies. Most of the major private-label microbrands use are Swiss based using their own suppliers.

I am not going to blow up any one company’s spot; but I will use a hypothetical. If I have some money and want to start my own watch brand. I will go to a company like Roventa-Henex, Walca, Grovana, etc. I will partner with them on cost, speed to market, movement, quality of materials, design, and distribution strategy. Each part of that process costs money. Not for them specifically, but the private label company then seeks out the parts based on the budget using their network. If I go cheap on parts, the quality of metal, materials, etc is impacted; perhaps they are sourced from an Asian factory. If I am willing to step up costs, perhaps a local Swiss manufacturer. All depends on budget. The watches are then built in Switzerland using Swiss Made criteria.

NOTE, as @Max said, the big boys have a similar process, but theirs is in-house vs. using a private label. The difference in the micro brand space is these are usually brands that do not have the ability or experience to source all this work on their own. Some brands over time may do their own work and eventually forgo a private label and assemble pieces in-house.

Again, I could speculate on a list of which brands use which labels (many I know are confirmed), but it would not be fair. Having spent time researching the topic, the brand, like anything, is as good as the suppliers it chooses to partner with. And no, a brand like Monta is not kicking out their parts at the same company making San Martins or Pagani Designs.

The ETA 2824-2 can be found in watches around $1000

According to Swiss law, a Swiss made watch must have at least 60% of Swiss manufactured components.

Grovana is not a micro brand they told me they produce over 100,000 watches a year

Welcome to WC. If you re-read what I posted above, they are certainly not a micro brand, they are a private label manufacturer. That said, I believe they do make some watches under their own label.