The popularity of microbrands is rapidly spreading as unique mechanical watches are being sold at cutthroat prices. An interesting piece can be had for well under USD 500, but odds are you’ll be getting a Chinese movement and parts that are far removed from Switzerland. That doesn’t mean that many of these watches are bad products, but from both a reliability and collector standpoint, they’re often considered a lower tier. UNDONE is a popular microbrand that specializes in customization to help stand out in the crowd. Colours, cases, dials, hands, straps and even materials can be individually chosen to create a unique timepiece just for you, all for under USD 500. Many of their watches are attractive chronographs but equipped with quartz movements instead of mechanical. Their Aqua series of dive watches, however, have proven Seiko automatics inside and are an excellent value proposition for budding enthusiasts or active divers. Dive watches are among my favourite styles and the level of customization offered by UNDONE is almost overwhelming. Standard editions are also available if you’re happy with their selection of prebuilt models. I have their prebuilt Aqua Silver-Grey unit (with date) that I’ve been wearing for several weeks.
