Fratello’s Seven Reasons To Buy A Microbrand Watch

Here at Fratello, we’re fans of microbrand watches. There’s something about these watches, often from younger, smaller brands, that the heritage brands can’t offer. We write about many of them. Thomas even started a microbrand of his own, and even RJ occasionally admits to appreciating them from time to time. But what makes these microbrand watches so different from those offered by more mainstream brands? Why would you choose to buy a microbrand watch instead of one from a possibly more trustworthy and better-known brand? That’s exactly what we’re going to address below.

I know the word “microbrand” can be a bit confusing. Everybody seems to have a different definition. Gerard has already gone over the various types of microbrands that exist. He also stressed that it’s hard to come up with a clear definition. However, for the sake of this article, I’d like to take Thomas’s simplified definition. Like him, I talk about small, often young, and independent watch brands. Most outsource their production. Microbrands that do more production themselves are often labeled “independents.” But those latter ones are not what we’re talking about today. All right, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at why you would/should buy a microbrand watch.

Reason #1: More value for money

Let’s be honest: the watch hobby is expensive. It takes quite a bit of capital to buy various watches, let alone build a substantial collection. Often, the watches from the bigger heritage brands are also more expensive. Those watches are classics for a reason, so they can command a higher price. In addition, these watches tend to keep their value quite well because so many people see them as classics. Watches from microbrands still have something to prove, and the brands often use a lower price point to convince people to buy them. In many cases, this leads to wonderful quality for a price that larger heritage brands have no incentive to offer.

Reason #2: More original designs

Dave already touched on this topic in his Collector’s Week article. In it, he explains that microbrands allow him to experiment a bit to find his particular style of watch. The designs from microbrands are typically a bit more experimental than the ones from the heritage brands. The latter makers often rely on their classics and forget how to experiment. Microbrands, on the other hand, are still finding their niche and personality within the world of watches. That’s something you as a collector can also use to experiment and explore.

Reason #3: You can get more personal with a brand

Of course, some heritage brands are very approachable. In general, though, they’ve grown into corporations that seem too big to fail and feel very impersonal. The nice thing about microbrands is that they are still quite small, and the founders are often still very active and heavily involved. They might even be the ones answering the emails from customers. But what’s almost certain is that they love to talk about their ventures with other enthusiasts.

So go to a watch fair near you if you can, and try to talk to as many brand founders as possible. In some cases, doing so might completely change your view of a watch brand. Sometimes, that means you’ll love the brand’s watches even more than before, and sometimes, it’s the other way around. In any case, it will enrich your view of the brand. And if you feel there’s a connection between you and the brand and/or its founder, what better way to show your appreciation and support than buying one of its watches?

Reason #4: Microbrand watches are readily available (online)

Related to this approachability is the fact that many microbrand watches are easy to get without much of a threshold. To step into a heritage brand’s boutique can be quite daunting, especially when they tell you they’ll put you on the waiting list but you never hear from them ever again. Microbrands, on the other hand, want to sell their watches to whoever is interested. That’s why they’re often readily available to purchase online. On the other hand, it might sometimes be difficult to get a hands-on experience with the watch before you buy it. However, many brands are quite flexible when it comes to returning a watch if it doesn’t meet your expectations.

Reason #5: Microbrands are the watch aficionados’ brands

Since the bigger brands have to earn big money to stay alive, they sometimes lose sight of true watch aficionados. They simply have to produce very commercial pieces to make sure they make enough money. Microbrands, on the other hand, don’t need to please such a big audience and can still focus on what true watch enthusiasts want. For example, in the past decade, smaller vintage-inspired dive watches were what the watch community wanted. Well, we’ve gotten enough of those now, and even the bigger brands started to introduce them. But without the push from the smaller brands, I’m almost certain they wouldn’t have taken the risk.

Reason #6: Your chance to get haute horlogerie features at prêt-à-porter prices

As Thomas already pointed out, some microbrands enable you to get a few haute horlogerie features at a quite affordable price. Think, for example, of the beautiful enamel dials from anOrdain, Frederique Constant’s complex perpetual calendar movement, and Christopher Ward’s chiming C1 Bel Canto. These watches are indeed not cheap in the land of microbrand watches, and FC and CW are probably not microbrands anymore. However, they do offer features at a much more approachable level than the higher-end brands would.

Reason #7: Microbrands are the keepers of the flame

All right, I’ll admit that I took that line from Lex’s article about the state of microbrands 20 years from now. In it, he looks at whether today’s heroes will turn into the legends of tomorrow or if they’ll eventually fade away. Whatever happens to them, he says, “The love for watches is what makes microbrands valuable. This sector is where true horological love blossoms. And talking to other watch lovers on forums is contagious. It’s the enthusiastic, educational interaction between microbrands and watch fans that helps keep the archaic world of mechanical watches alive.”

Amen.

Let me know what you think about microbrands in the comments below.