A guide to microbrand watches with big-box quality under $6000
How to define microbrand watches is a conversation topic that has worn out many watch journalists’ tongues. With proposed criteria ranging from price to retail model and everything in between, there isn’t much consistency in how this new phenomenon is received or perceived. Perhaps one thing that can unite the explosion of newcomers that the industry has seen since the advent of crowdfunding platforms is independence. You don’t find micros in a group. They may band together with other micros to pool event resources and widen their audience reach, but they are generally the ones in control of the purse strings and, most crucially, design decisions. Group ownership does funny things to a brand. It can bend them all out of shape and into new shapes that fit the group’s overarching narrative but not the brand itself. Microbrands are not beholden to such nonsense and, so, along with independence, you should expect to find a clean narrative that translates well into identifiable, high-value products trying to offer a lot of bang for your buck. And the best way to do that is to not go too crazy. Depart the beaten path, sure, but don’t beat it to death. Stick close…
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Nothing says flex like a solid gold timepiece. Doesn’t matter what sort of gold it is either — yellow, white, pink … if it’s 18k, then chances are you’ve obtained a level of wrist-worn one-upmanship that few can ever hope to own. And 2019 was not shy at all about giving birth to some very, very hot examples of precious metal marvels from a number of different watchmakers. We’d love to mention all of them, but as the title of this story would suggest, the need for summation means that we must choose our five favourites … so here they are: H. MOSER & CIE. ENDEAVOUR BLUE LAGOON It is rare to see one of the industry’s most mercurial brands tapping into the current mass-market trends, but in the case of the H. Moser & Cie. Blue Lagoon that is exactly what’s happening. It seems the wealthiest watch collectors in the world are not, in fact, immune to the industry’s current obsession with teal. Achingly beautiful is the only way we can begin to describe it. Ref No: 1200-0206 / Case size: 40mm / Case material: White Gold / Movement: HMC 200 / Price: $34,850 PIAGET ALTIPLANO The Piaget Altiplano collection…
The importance of advertising in the world of luxury watchmaking can hardly be overstated. How a brand is perceived is everything. An effective campaign cannot just establish a model as a classic of the future, but position a brand so effectively that not even decades of half-hearted follow-ups or PR missteps seem capable of affecting its standing. Ambassadorships often go hand-in-hand with advertisements – a trend arguably started by Hans Wilsdorf’s decision to strap a Rolex Oyster to Channel swimmer Mercedes Gleitze and then featuring her image in the write-up of her endeavours. But that is ancient history. Let’s focus instead on the five best watch ads from the last 50 years. Rolex We’ll get this one out of the way early. You can’t ignore the power of The Crown, and so omitting it from a list of this nature would be for nothing but effect. Credit where credit is due, no brand has the visibility of Rolex, and that position has been helped by astute, if somewhat conservative campaigns, throughout its history. Here we see the classic Day-Date model pitched as the watch of presidents. You don’t get much better than that. Patek Philippe If you’ve not seen Patek…
Today is a first in our home state of Victoria. It is the first day ever that a state of disaster has been declared by our Premier, Daniel Andrews, ahead of an “unprecedented” fire threat over the coming days. I mentioned this in my Editor’s Letter. Since then, it’s gotten worse. In our state alone (and it’s an even more dire situation in NSW), 800,000 hectares have been burned by more than 50 active fires, four people have died and 28 are missing. And this is not to mention the number of Australian native animals that have been lost. In response, a small thing we’d like to do to help is offer a DOXA SUB 200 with orange dial for sale at auction (no reserve), with all proceeds donated to the Bushfire Disaster Appeal, which has been set up to help fire-threatened regions in Victoria and New South Wales. Included with the watch will be a Time+Tide lapel pin in sterling silver (an item that is not for sale) as well as a Tuscan leather travel pouch in our famous burnt orange. ABOUT THE WATCH Released at Baselworld 2019, this SUB 200 diver’s watch, which is based on a DOXA…