Watch Dandy

In news first reported by the New York Times, Richemont chairman Johann Rupert has announced a new foundation in direct support of traditional master craft. Called the Michelangelo Foundation, the Geneva-based non-profit will serve as a digital platform for young, independent, and upcoming artisans on which the South African billionaire hopes they will be discovered and supported. In the revealing and candid interview in the New York Times, Rupert makes it clear that he is fed up of the status quo in luxury and that this foundation will help change that.

In the current bleak climate of the watch world, with almost every news story full of doom and gloom, there glows a bright spot – that of the so-called “micro” or “boutique” brands that have come of age in the past decade. These small, often one-person companies have taken advantage of the increasingly egalitarian playing field of internet watch forums, crowdfunding, and contract manufacturing that has emerged to challenge huge marketing budgets and giant workshops full of watchmakers. Of course, among these, quality is hit or miss, many designs are downright derivative, and a lot of these small marques have folded as quickly as they appeared. But to the die-hard watch enthusiast crowd, some have offered fresh alternatives to the big brands and affordable watches that, when done well, remind us that sometimes strapping on a watch can be just plain fun instead of a statement or an investment. Unimatic and its Modello Uno (U1-B) are a perfect example.