Thoughts after Windup Watch Fair San Francisco
In preparation for the event, I collected a list of watches I wanted to try in the flesh. I have a small wrist and this was a great opportunity to try a few watches from my wishlist. I'm glad I did because there were many surprises.
For example, the larger models of Lorier (39mm) wore smaller than some 38-39mm Seikos I have, in a good way. And their acrylic crystal felt much "glassier" than other acrylics I have from Timex. I didn't love love their bracelets though.
My biggest disappointment was with Baltic and Studio Underdog, their designs look beautiful in pictures but I didn't get the sense I was handling $500 - $1000 quality when I was trying them on in person.
Nivada Grenchen was also a bit of a surprise, I loved their entry level Datomaster (available only in their Worn and Wound collab color), and the classic Antarctic had a good presence for the small size, but I wasn't impressed by their more premium models.
Finally, Islander watches was for me the highlight of the show. I was there with a non-enthusiast friend looking for an affordable watch, so we stopped by the Islander booth. This brand never spoke much to me because I wasn't a big fan of the logo, and generally speaking I tend to avoid the $200 to $500 range, either sticking to sub $200 bargains (Casio, Timex) or jumping straight to the over $500 Seiko Prospex and Hamilton territory. Man those Manhassets and Brookvilles were so good! And I don't mean "so good for the price", but "so good, period". I grabbed one for my friend and one for myself!
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I agree the Baltic looked like George from Walmart in person white studio underdog did not look the price at all!!
I returned a Baltic HMS for the same reason. Felt cheaper than a cheap Alix watch. I don't understand all the glowing reviews. What on earth?
I was about to say, 100% done with micro-brands but your comment on the Islander may put that on hold. I may pull the trigger on the ISL 05... their take on the SKX013.