Microbrands.... why is everyone avoiding them here?!

HorsePower

Well-known member
hi dudes,
every time I look for some information about microbrand watches, I can hardly find anything about them. No one doesn't really talk about them anywhere, especially in the forums. And I thought of opening this topic to understand what is wrong with them.
Personally, I love small brands. But, from what I see in this forum, and in others as well, very little attention is paid to them. And I keep asking myself why? Maybe because the world doesn't really know about them, and is more focused on more popular brands, which are probably more reliable. Respectively, I thought that it would be welcome to share the reasons WHY I love and prefer the small brands' watches in disfavor of the big ones.

Honestly, I'm very introverted and I would never dare to influence the opinion of others regarding watches. respectively, this thread is not about education and about trying to convince you that microbrand timepieces are better. This thread is exclusively about informing some aspects, about which you probably do not know. In the rest, it's up to you which watches you choose. It's purely your choice, which I respect.

=reason 1=
Micros literally offer what I need. nothing extra and nothing minus
For example, the last watch I bought is a Redwood Tactical V2 Diver's Watch. It has an excellent Lume and a resistance of 200 meters for around $250. I can't express how comfortable the watch sits on the wrist and how legible and clear its dial is.

=reason 2=
with little investment, you can confirm or deny the suitability of a watch
More than once I bought expensive watches that I disliked from the first week. I ordered them online, they came and they didn't fit my style or didn't look good on my wrist. Despite the high prices, they're still sitting forgotten somewhere in the closet..... with the small brands, I can afford to test a certain watch for a minimal price. I have a passion for divers and I think I would have spent a fortune on one Tudor or Omega or Submersible Panerai to understand if the watches resonate or not with me. Now I'm waiting for a Redwood v2 Mil-spec diver and I won't feel any frustration to get rid of it if in the end, if it doesn't suit me in something, regardless of whether it's about style or functionality;

=reason 3=
like it or not, some big brands have somewhat reduced their passion, courage, and ambition. All that is left of them is only the name, which still works in favor of the brand. Let's not go too far, Hamilton used to produce the most popular and best field timepieces. today, something has been lost in the quality of these watches. look at the lume layer in the Hamilton watches, they barely last a few hours, not to mention how sensitive they are in humid conditions. Sorry to say that, but Hamilton is a good example of "brand glow" loss over time...

On the other hand, small brands never stop being ambitious... It seems that they are always thirsty for more in order to prove again and again that they deserve to rise to the level of the big brands, and they cannot afford mistakes.
a good example of this idea is the Bertucci micro brand and its A-4t model that I have. I don't know of any other watch that combines so well the ample functionality for only $400. Of course, the watch is not the ultimate horological masterpiece, being a quartz watch from a "poor" brand in its history of only 20 years. But how much ambition and value is in this watch?! it only lacks a strong echo marketing to capture all the attention on it.

These are the 3 basic reasons. There are also some tiny ones, but they are more subjective and I keep them to myself. I always wonder why it's so hard to give the way to beginners; they all started somewhere...
 

Moderatto

Well-known member
I have nothing against them. so far, no watch has appealed to me enough to buy one. if I come across one, I don't think I'd give up) wear whatever makes you physically and psychologically comfortable ;)
 

Ocean BLUE

Active member
I agree; for their lower prices of 1k, you find functions and capacities similar to what the major brands propose for 10k.... their design is very well thought out and does not yield to many major brand alternatives in the industry.
my personal problem is that what I like about microbrands is over 1k, and in such conditions I already opt for something more sophisticated from the luxury series that I can find for about the same price.
Microbrands also have their own research behind them done by their marketers. they know very well that the world is ready to pay big money for watches and they increase, sometimes artificially, the value of their watches. Thus, I can't avoid not taking a Tudor or a Longines into considerstion, in the context where the price is very close, and you also have a resonating brand on the wrist. I agree that you can also test watches under $500. My luck is that I didn't have such cases to not fit my watch so i dont need to actuslly test anything.
However, I do not rule out that if I find something that speaks to me in a unique way, I will take it without thinking
 
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DBP

Well-known member
why do you find it strange?
as big brands bombard with advertising, microbrands have very little chance of existence....
if they made campaigns as loud, more people would know about them and buy from them... tasg heuer, for example: not that they have very good watches, but it promotes them more aggressively than rolex does. respectively, it is highly popular, it is also sold...
either way, i keep an eye on them... Batavi GMT is what has piqued my interest lately πŸ§πŸ§πŸ§πŸ€“πŸ€“
 

Myryopod

Well-known member
I'm interested in the price and the quality.... if it's a logical and reasonable proportion, I'm all for it
 

YupyLuk

Well-known member
thank you for the information. you are right in some respects. however, I love to wear a watch that is internationally recognized. I feel good with them...
 

Minimalist

Well-known member
I never actually avoided them. I agree with that for a very affordable price, they are also formidable in terms of quality of components and wonderful in functionality, regardless of how complicated the watch is
 

$BarHat$

Active member
no microbrand can offer me the comfort and confidence that a luxury brand gives me. sorry for this, but it's the way i see it and feel it. I know I don't give credit to small brands, but if I can afford it, why not take what has been proven for centuries that the brand is reliable and a master in horology?!
 

DomPerignon

Active member
I had the opportunity to talk with a watch collector last year. and we touched on the subject of microbrsnds. I was sure until then that collectors only buy Rolexes and Pateks in their collections. however, it turns out that mirobrands are very attractive for collectors.

Many collectors run after aesthetics, in addition to functionality. And the big brands, aiming to appeal to as large a number of the public as possible, want to make the watches relatively universal and in a fairly conservative design. Microbresnds have absolute freedom in terms of design, and you will find with them what you will never find with a reputable brand.

In addition, traditional brands charge like hell for their watches. the same materials, and the same technical specifications are three times cheaper.
and another reason that piqued my curiosity, some collectors buy microbrand watches and make bets with each other which of them will become famous in a couple of years 😁😁. it's a kind of game in the community just for fun, in which they compete with their horological knowledge and, respectively, their intuition towards the industry πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ‘€πŸ‘€πŸ‘€

it's not me saying this, it's a collector's words 😁😁😁😁😁😁
 

dancerINTHEdark

Well-known member
as such, you are right in what you say and your arguments have value..... but it seems to me that you are mistaken, and the percentage of people who opt for microbrands is much higher than you imagine.... it is even higher than the % of those who take a luxury watch.

Simply, this category of people is not too involved in discussions on forums. they got their watch, they wear it every day and look for it when they need it, without sitting and chatting on social networks...

luxury watches are much more discussed because people pay a fortune for them... and somehow it's relevant to discuss if it's worth what you paid for...after all, I think each of us has at least one watch from microbrands. these usually perform their primary function of indicating the time, and we don't really draw much attention to them... unfortunately for microbrands...
 

Encantadore59935

Well-known member
not avoiding on purpose πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ it's just that reps watches are available πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
I have nothing against small brands, I agree that they could do beautiful things. but considering that the replica industry makes very good watches (not all of course) why not wear a piece of luxury on the wrist? πŸ˜‚πŸ˜ especially since the prices are about the same)

on the whole though, I support the small brands. if I come across a watch that catches my attention, I don't think I would go out of my way to get one
 

Wassert

New member
personally, i can say that I'm against some microbrands but I'm not that attracted somehow..


lets face the reality, usually when you go for a watch you want to go for one that has a name and looks good. Unfortunately, it is always about appearance and reputation, at least this is what I usually see. This explains why people choose to go for replicas instead of microbrands. When you have a replica watch, that says that it is a Rolex or maybe an Omega or some other really popular name, you just know what it is, and you know that people around you know about it.
Instead, go for a microbrand even is it is genuine, you just know that no one knows about this brand.. you know that actually, the name of the brand means nothing.

The name or the company and the reputation matter, this has been proven for a very very long time now. I have some microbrands watches, but I can't say that I'm that into them. The only thing that I can assure you is that I would be waaaay more sad about broking or losing one of my replica watches than one of the microbrands watches that i have.
 

Evering

Member
I have some microbrands watches that i really really love and care about. Some microbrands I don't care..
It all matters if you like the watch that you have.
Some microbrands mean even more to me than other serious genuine watches from really popular brands that I have.
This is because they are linked with some people that I love or events.
So, I can't say that I would avoid them, it depends of how important is the watch for me and what is the link that connects me with it.
 

Watermint

Member
Can't say that this is something that I will avoid, but maybe just because the biggest part of the models that I used to go for are from brands that everybody knows about. I guess I just never got the interest in others and I don't even know what to go search for. I know about some micro brands just because I have randomly seen some watches that I dont even know about and wanted to know more. it is all about the looks for me. First of all this is all i care about.
Probably if there is going to be a model that I will really like and fall for, for sure im going to search it.

Judging by all I've seen since this day, all the best models are from the best brands. No offense.
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Evering

Member
Can't say that this is something that I will avoid, but maybe just because the biggest part of the models that I used to go for are from brands that everybody knows about. I guess I just never got the interest in others and I don't even know what to go search for. I know about some micro brands just because I have randomly seen some watches that I dont even know about and wanted to know more. it is all about the looks for me. First of all this is all i care about.
Probably if there is going to be a model that I will really like and fall for, for sure im going to search it.

Judging by all I've seen since this day, all the best models are from the best brands. No offense.
View attachment 379
it is really weird for you to say that all the good models are from good brands?
Oh really? How many models from micro brands do you have?
You said that you don't have that much knowledge about microbrands as you have never been interested in them. so also you added that you just know some because the model attracted you.

Pretty interesting but a dumb approach? Don't you think?
 

BenStone

Well-known member
personally, I don't really know much about them, tbh. it's probably about poor advertising. if I knew more about them, I wouldn't rule out giving it a try. but it's the microbrand's responsibility to find me, not me fiding it)))
 

Michelangelo

Well-known member
totally agree with u @HorsePower
microbrands create fabulous things and many of them will become macro in some time

I also noticed that people look at me a bit reluctantly when I talk about microbrands of watches... and I don't understand why,,,, I feel so sorry that the world is blinded by prestigious brands and they will give their last money just to have a rolex or omega and to be on par with the trends....

but microbrands need support. so I encourage everyone to take a closer look at humble manufacturers such as AnOrdain, Astor & Banks, Baltic, Brew, Eza, Formex, Lorier, Reservoir. in each of them you can find wonderful alternatives for submariners, pelagos, speedmasters, etc., which cost several times more
 

Grigio

Well-known member
I don't think that people ignore these microbrands, I simply think that this forum is not the right one for them. I think there must be dedicated forums specifically for them. after all, I strongly DONT believe that people buy either luxury gen watches or only their replicas πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ actually, I think that microbrand watches are the most sought-after in the entire watch industry. just think: luxury ones are way too expensive; reps are not reliable for many people as many still think these are not viable enough. still, all wear watches.... what kind of watches are these for the between class? )))) for sure they are microbrands) so, it;s just not the right forum) but people sure appreciate them
 
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