Your Fav Microbrand?
Hey Watch Crunch fam!
Thinking about finally grabbing a microbrand watch. What brands have impressed you and why? I noticed some of them look kinda like scams...
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Saeed T.
Casual watch collector here. My collection is small but growing, and I love seeing what timepieces others have. Here for a good laugh and some watch talk!
United Arab Emirates
Member since
Last active: 1 week ago
Baltic.
Islander
Baltic.
I really wanted one of their limited editions once but missed out! 😔
I currently have 3 favorites: Baltic, Henry Archer and Islander.
Kurono Tokyo and Atelier Wen
Well, Third Watch is my default favorite 🙄🤣 but aside from that I would love to get my hands on a Lorier. Baltic is another that really makes some stunning pieces. Of course Islander is always a crowd favorite.
Kurono Tokyo and Atelier Wen
Worth the price tags?
Worth the price tags?
Kurono yes. My AW just arrived an hour ago and I’m at the office so haven’t unboxed it yet.
Laurent Ferrier
Scurfa. Solid dive watches by a professional diver. Some stock problems though.
MrJones. Highly original and fun dials & very affordable.
Not really a microbrand anymore, but Farer has an interesting line-up and assemble quality watches. Personal favourites are the Milan and Roche II.
Serica, Moels, Baltic, Lorier and Dan Henry
Scurfa. Solid dive watches by a professional diver. Some stock problems though.
MrJones. Highly original and fun dials & very affordable.
Not really a microbrand anymore, but Farer has an interesting line-up and assemble quality watches. Personal favourites are the Milan and Roche II.
I like MJW dials but something about it looks off and cheap I haven't seen one IRL though...
Well, Third Watch is my default favorite 🙄🤣 but aside from that I would love to get my hands on a Lorier. Baltic is another that really makes some stunning pieces. Of course Islander is always a crowd favorite.
I'm guessing you have a third watch tattoo too 😂
I like MJW dials but something about it looks off and cheap I haven't seen one IRL though...
The case is indeed nothing special and rather lightweight; it’s all about the dial.
The case is indeed nothing special and rather lightweight; it’s all about the dial.
I love the dial but it's the case that looks very cheap...
Another vote for Nodus, especially the Retrospect, great watch, gorgeous finish and bracelet for the price.
Also a new UK brand, Helicon. Stunning green diver and lovely people.
Am currently awaiting delivery of a Traska GMT in July, can't go wrong by all accounts.
Nodus. For the designs, the quality, and especially the owners, Wes and Cullen.
Formex
Nodus, Monta, and Halios
I was trying to think of a watch for my wife to get me as a present on an affordable budget and settled on the Boldr Venture, which is their little field watch. It retails at £249/$299.
I thought I would get it and wear it in rotation with no bother but this thing…..there’s something about it. It’s the cheapest watch in my collection but I find myself reaching for it again and again, and finding excuses to wear it out of its normal place in the rotation. It disappears on the wrist but has such a cool case shape, perfect hand length, a tiny splash of orange colour, I just love it.
Cons are that the lume could be more enduring and the NH35 is a little ‘scratchy’ on a hand wind but at this price I just don’t care.
From the ⌚ that I own, I can recommend Pitzmann and Farer.
San Martin may not agree with everyone, but I am very happy with mine.
I would say, though, to delve into microbrands slowly.
It is easy to get excited about a great looking ⌚ with exceptional value, which leads to another and so forth.
Ultimately, one has a handful of microbrands that could equal a Longines, Oris, or even entry level Grand Seiko or Omega.
My suggestion is to have some bigger brand ⌚ already and consider a microbrand for a distinct reason.
For example, I bought the Farer Cobb Monopusher because it has a pulsometer scale, albeit a very unusable one, and the Pitzmann 3 Chronograph for its use of the Seiko 8R48 (NE88) vertical clutch column wheel chronograph mechanism.
In retrospect, I would not have gotten the Farer Cobb Monopusher and a Christopher Ward C65 Chronograph and gotten an Omega Speedmaster Racing.
So make sure that you are content with what you have before investigating microbrands.
Other brands that I do not have but recommend include Monta, Kurono Tokyo, Atelier Wen, and Horage.
It’s definitely easy to get carried away and blow all your watch savings on micros just to have something right now, rather than patiently build money for a bigger purchase down the way.
9:40??
8:43 (-ish :)
I only got 1 micro - Farer 😎
I only got 1 micro - Farer 😎
How is it??
I was trying to think of a watch for my wife to get me as a present on an affordable budget and settled on the Boldr Venture, which is their little field watch. It retails at £249/$299.
I thought I would get it and wear it in rotation with no bother but this thing…..there’s something about it. It’s the cheapest watch in my collection but I find myself reaching for it again and again, and finding excuses to wear it out of its normal place in the rotation. It disappears on the wrist but has such a cool case shape, perfect hand length, a tiny splash of orange colour, I just love it.
Cons are that the lume could be more enduring and the NH35 is a little ‘scratchy’ on a hand wind but at this price I just don’t care.
It's that good??? Never heard of Boldr before...
It's that good??? Never heard of Boldr before...
I can’t put my finger on it but it’s just so beater-y and comfortable to me. It’s clearly been made to meet a low price point but I love it.
How is it??
Oh I love it! Design, accuracy, build quality and my favorite attribute is the lume execution. 😃
It’s definitely easy to get carried away and blow all your watch savings on micros just to have something right now, rather than patiently build money for a bigger purchase down the way.
A trap 🪤 into which I fell like a damned fool.
Worth the price tags?
Here’s my AW. I’ve had it for a couple of months now and it’s been getting a lot of wrist time.
Lorier and VAER