Watches, Microbrands and Boutique

CavemanGrogg

Just curios if anybody here is into so called microbrand or boutique watches.  These watches aren't always super expensive, yet alone expensive, in fact they can be found for as little as £50.  It's just that they are not mass produced, much like the British watchmaker Zero West - their most expensive watch is quite a bit cheaper than the cheapest Rolex.

bertie

CavemanGrogg said:

 , much like the British watchmaker Zero West - their most expensive watch is quite a bit cheaper than the cheapest Rolex.

hmm and most of em on the first page, look like Casio's and  around £3k  quite a bit more expensive than an Omega

Offset

Oooh no.  Definitely not for me I'm afraid.  And that was before I looked at the price...

Sporky

Hmm. Not keen on those, but I like Minase, Farer, Marloes, and a few smaller brands. Oh, and Fears and Schofield. 

I had an invitation to the Anordain waiting list but they've cranked their prices. 

CavemanGrogg

A neighbour is into microbrand and boutique watches, and collects them, it was him who put me onto Zero West.  From what little research I've done into them, I don't think I'd call them watchmakers, rather watch modders or customisers.  Sure, most of the big established brand of mechanical watches don't use their own in house movements - indeed I struggled to find a single Christopher Ward watch that makes use of their much hyped in house movement, and buy in and make use of a 3rd party's movement, though they tend to heavily customize these movements, if not have them made to standards well beyond brand engraving, from what I've seen of all these microbrand and boutique watchmakers, they all tend to to use mid to lower end mechanical movements, most commonly Seiko - nothing as good or accurate as +/- 2 seconds I thinks the best I've seen is +/- 4 seconds with +/- 40 seconds being the most common accuracy.  Surely these brands would be better classed as ''rehoused ''brand X'' movement'', or ''modded ''movement brand X'', rather than as a fully fledged watchmaker and brand - I know there is a huge market for modded Seiko 5.  Even Swatch design, manufacture and use their own in house movements, their automatic one is actually seriously impressive, especially when the end use cost is taken into account, not just the serious impressive game changing design of it.  

Sporky

Even Swatch?

Swatch Group is the largest watch manufacturer in the world! 

CavemanGrogg

Sporky said:

Even Swatch?

Swatch Group is the largest watch manufacturer in the world! 

I know that the Swatch Group is the largest group of watch brands in the world, but Swatch itself under it's own brand designed a seriously impressive game changing automatic movement - I believe that it is made with 21 parts, and while not as accurate as +/-2 seconds a day - it might be as accurate as +/- 4 seconds a days though don't quote me, it's a shit load more accurate than the most common automatic movement used by microbrands and boutique watch makers witch is a Seiko movement with an accuracy of +/- 40 seconds a day

Kittyfrisk

Sporky said:

Even Swatch?

Swatch Group is the largest watch manufacturer in the world! 

How true  https://www.swatchgroup.com/en/brands-companies
They also supply movements (ETA) for the majority of watches (quartz & automatic) that have Swiss movements.

the_jaffa

CavemanGrogg said:

Sporky said:

Even Swatch?

Swatch Group is the largest watch manufacturer in the world! 

I know that the Swatch Group is the largest group of watch brands in the world, but Swatch itself under it's own brand designed a seriously impressive game changing automatic movement - I believe that it is made with 21 parts, and while not as accurate as +/-2 seconds a day - it might be as accurate as +/- 4 seconds a days though don't quote me, it's a shit load more accurate than the most common automatic movement used by microbrands and boutique watch makers witch is a Seiko movement with an accuracy of +/- 40 seconds a day

Except, isn’t it unserviceable and hence disposable. Not great really

Kittyfrisk

^ I take it this is the Sistem 51 that is being discussed?
https://twobrokewatchsnobs.com/swatch-sistem51-review-quality/

Sporky

Also there were at least a dozen CW watches with the SH21 movement. It wasn't used more because it was very expensive, so it could only go into the upper end of the range. No SH21 watches on sale currently because the second version is in development.

If you want a properly impressive microbrand I'd suggest Habring2. Genuine in-house movements, with complications like dead best seconds, foudroyant dials, and more, from a tiny watchmaker.

Sporky

CavemanGrogg said:

the most common automatic movement used by microbrands and boutique watch makers witch is a Seiko movement with an accuracy of +/- 40 seconds a day

Citation needed.

I'd make a modest wager that more use Selita than Seiko movements now. 

the_jaffa

Seiko movements are used by a lot of modders but I’d say Selita or ETA are more commonly used in microbrands. 

VimFuego

Sporky said:

Also there were at least a dozen CW watches with the SH21 movement. It wasn't used more because it was very expensive, so it could only go into the upper end of the range. No SH21 watches on sale currently because the second version is in development.

If you want a properly impressive microbrand I'd suggest Habring2. Genuine in-house movements, with complications like dead best seconds, foudroyant dials, and more, from a tiny watchmaker.

I have visions of someone from a Hans Christian Anderson tale there, I hope I'm not gonna be disappointed. 

Sporky

How else do you think they get all those teeny-tiny screws and gears into place? 

Penn

Sporky said:

How else do you think they get all those teeny-tiny screws and gears into place? 

They have tiny magic imps that do it. They enslaved them years ago and keep the poor creatures locked in cages. They only let them out to work on the watches, there’s no health and safety in the factories so sometimes one of them gets injured. When that happens they just take them out the back and shoot them. 

Sporky

Makes sense. Nobody likes imps. 

FastEddie

As a watch collector, it's the same as someone building a strat from strat parts.
I like them.
I'm on this mailing list and you do get some really cool ideas. https://microbrandwatchworld.com/

The only downside is follow on service and residuals. They suffer.

These guys do amazing things with Seiko parts; https://www.namokimods.com/en-gb ; I'm tempted myself.

Kittyfrisk

Penn said:

Sporky said:

How else do you think they get all those teeny-tiny screws and gears into place? 

They have tiny magic imps that do it. They enslaved them years ago and keep the poor creatures locked in cages. They only let them out to work on the watches, there’s no elfin safety in the factories so sometimes one of them gets injured. When that happens they just take them out the back and shoot them. 

FTFY 

Penn

Sporky said:

Makes sense. Nobody likes imps. 

Sporky why are you anti-imp? Did you have your heart broken by one once?

Kittyfrisk said:

Penn said:

Sporky said:

How else do you think they get all those teeny-tiny screws and gears into place? 

They have tiny magic imps that do it. They enslaved them years ago and keep the poor creatures locked in cages. They only let them out to work on the watches, there’s no elfin safety in the factories so sometimes one of them gets injured. When that happens they just take them out the back and shoot them. 

FTFY 

Thank goodness you corrected me. Thank you very much. 

Kittyfrisk

Penn said:

Sporky said:

Makes sense. Nobody likes imps. 

Sporky why are you anti-imp? Did you have your heart broken by one once?

Kittyfrisk said:

Penn said:

Sporky said:

How else do you think they get all those teeny-tiny screws and gears into place? 

They have tiny magic imps that do it. They enslaved them years ago and keep the poor creatures locked in cages. They only let them out to work on the watches, there’s no elfin safety in the factories so sometimes one of them gets injured. When that happens they just take them out the back and shoot them. 

FTFY 

Thank goodness you corrected me. Thank you very much. 

You are most welcome. I was just attempting in vain to resuscitate a long dead gag...