I’ve been a fan of watches and clocks since I was a young child. My first watch was a Timex time teacher mechanical watch that my parents gave me in the 1980s. I enjoyed winding it up each day. My second watch was a gold Bravingtons watch that I inherited as a child when my great grandfather passed away. I still have the Bravingtons watch, however it is in storage in the UK and I live in Thailand these days. The next time I visit the UK I’ll take a photo of it and post it on this site. As an adult I’ve worked my way through a variety of inexpensive watches such as Seiko Kinetic, G-Shock, Fitbit and Apple Watch. I’m particularly fond of the Seiko Kinetic as that was a gift for my 18th birthday. Every 5 years or so that watch would stop working and I’d send it to Seiko to service. After about 15 years I’d spent more money on servicing the watch than the watch was actually worth. At that point it was put in a box and allowed to enjoy a well earned retirement. In recent years I’ve aspired to buy myself a high-end mechanical watch but budget constraints have been an impediment. This situation changed for the better this year when I discovered the wonder of microbrands. I live fairly close to the Wise HQ in Bangkok, so decided to visit them one afternoon and take a look at their collection. I was so impressed by the quality and finishing of their watches that I made a purchase that day. I love my new watch, wear it everyday, and find myself pausing numerous times throughout my day just to gaze at it and appreciate its charm.