MICRO MONDAYS: The Trafford Watch Co. Crossroads
Trafford are shaping up to be a brand who are impossible to pin down, but if their releases continue the trend of happy surprises then we can only hope that never stops. Their first watch was a chronograph dedicated to 20th Century racing drivers-turned-spies, and their second watch is this new Crossroads. Despite a British … Continued
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It’s no secret that microbrands can often provide incredible watches for the money, but that doesn’t mean that they can get away with putting no effort in. Slapping together a list of specifications at a low price point might seem like the key to Kickstarter success, but it takes a lot of planning, intuition, and … 
For the last few years, watchmaking has really been throwing off the shackles of stylistic repression across independent and large-scale manufacturers, leading to some of the most outlandish designs ever seen. Although an ever-increasing will to experiment can only be a good thing for the industry, the trend towards more eccentric shapes and “fun” colours … 
Starting Micro Mondays was originally about shining a light on some of the great independent watchmakers who have been able to be supported through the miracle of crowdfunding and other means. These brands were unbound by design restrictions or the necessity to please established fanbases. Instead they had the freedom to revive a stagnant watch … 
Designing a new watch from the ground up is always going to be a difficult task, given that there’s over a century’s worth of designs with which to compete. One way of approaching this challenge is to draw inspiration from an external source, whether that’s from nature, history, industry, or whatever really. For Ray Pee, … 
The concept of evolution over revolution is more than a catchy phrase, it also shows the dedication that a company has to perfecting a concept. Between the Manhattan, the Skymaster and the Hudson, Maen are a brand of structure and refinement. No detail goes unconsidered, and the result is something both charming and holistic. The … 
The watch microbrand game has become incredibly alluring over the last few years, with some examples rising from humble Kickstarter origins to sky-high profits and unmeetable demand. It’s such an attractive market that Carlo Aiello — an award-winning architect, designer and author — entered the fray in 2020 with his own brand called Dumoreau. The brand’s … 
The most popular watches at the moment are often surrounded by a contextual suffering. Military watches have quite a dark theme, and you could make the argument that dive watches are also the embodiment of surviving harsh conditions. In practice, most watch fans use their watches as extensions of their own tastes instead of life-or-death … 
There’s little that can beat a field watch when it comes to day-to-day wear. Divers are often too chunky, and dress watches too delicate, but the mix of practicality and aesthetics on offer with a field watch remains versatile and comfortable. Circula already impressed me with their Supersport, but now they’re back with the ProTrail … 
As a microbrand, Hemel have very much found their niche and stuck to it. Regarding military watches as the forefront of horological development throughout history, Hemel have chosen to evoke some of the most important field, diver, and pilot’s watches, particularly from the WWII era. Today we put a spotlight on the expansive Hemel HFT20 …