The Microbrands Thread

[vixen1700]

Another on my want list now.

The Atlas looks fantastic, and if the reviews of Monta are anything to go by it's looking like a must have.

https://montawatch.com/products/atlas

[Lorne]

Ikemi said:

There are a few brands popping up on this thread that are definitely not microbrands e.g. Roger W Smith, Mühle-Glashütte, Steinhart etc.

However one of my favourite microbrands is Balticus - Excellent build quality for little cash. Their 'Star Dust' model is very popular due to the aventurine quartz dial, which glimmers under ambient light, like stars in the night sky. The prototype damacus steel case/bezel variant with meteorite (or aventurine) dial looks simply stunning!

https://www.balticus-watches.com/en/

I had a pair of driving gloves like those - brilliant things and make it tricky to text, so brilliant on both counts. My wife used to call them my strangler gloves.

Damascus steel is also quite brilliant when done properly. GOS watches in Sweden use it. A micro-brand, but towards the other end of the price spectrum.

[vixen1700]

Second watch purchsse this week and luckily found out the last black/mint Freediver was still available.

Edited by vixen1700 on Saturday 6th April 19:31

[Jakeztx]

Anyone got any experience with WT Author watches? Had a chat with them at NEC Autosport and have been keeping an eye.

https://wtauthor.com/watch-store/aviation-watch-gr...

[Snubs]

I've decided I want a Reservoir watch. Badly:

https://www.reservoir-watch.com/en/

Worth looking at the home page just for 'start engine' animation.

I've never seen them mentioned on these forums. To get a watch with retrograde minutes, jumping hours and power reserve for around £3,500 seems like decent value to me. It's a modified ETA 2824-2 underneath.

[Doofus]

Snubs said:

I've decided I want a Reservoir watch. Badly:

https://www.reservoir-watch.com/en/

Worth looking at the home page just for 'start engine' animation.

I've never seen them mentioned on these forums. To get a watch with retrograde minutes, jumping hours and power reserve for around £3,500 seems like decent value to me. It's a modified ETA 2824-2 underneath.

The movements are fun, but several people do watches that look like car gauges and they all make me cringe.

[Hoofy]

Doofus said:

Snubs said:

I've decided I want a Reservoir watch. Badly:

https://www.reservoir-watch.com/en/

Worth looking at the home page just for 'start engine' animation.

I've never seen them mentioned on these forums. To get a watch with retrograde minutes, jumping hours and power reserve for around £3,500 seems like decent value to me. It's a modified ETA 2824-2 underneath.

The movements are fun, but several people do watches that look like car gauges and they all make me cringe.

It's clever and cringey at the same time, especially having the higher numbers red or the lower numbers red when it means absolutely nothing for the information the watch is delivering.

[Barchettaman]

I see Reservoir do a ‘Longbridge’ model.

Insert joke about it going on strike every 3 days here ->

[Snubs]

Doofus said:

The movements are fun, but several people do watches that look like car gauges and they all make me cringe.

I know what you mean and if you take the Bremont ones for example:

https://www.bremont.com/collections/watches-mens-j...

I've never been interested in those because you're superimposing a dashbord layout on a watch that still tells time in the traditional way.

What i like about the Reservoir watch is it does the job properly, for the want of a better term. Plus i like the fact that that it makes it more of a challenge to actually tell the time, or at least it would take some getting used to. I know for plenty of people that a watch must, first and foremost, be instantly clear and readable. But I like watches where telling the time takes a moment as it's both more interesting and increases interaction.

[Hoofy]

Snubs said:

Doofus said:

The movements are fun, but several people do watches that look like car gauges and they all make me cringe.

I know what you mean and if you take the Bremont ones for example:

https://www.bremont.com/collections/watches-mens-j...

I've never been interested in those because you're superimposing a dashbord layout on a watch that still tells time in the traditional way.

What i like about the Reservoir watch is it does the job properly, for the want of a better term. Plus i like the fact that that it makes it more of a challenge to actually tell the time, or at least it would take some getting used to. I know for plenty of people that a watch must, first and foremost, be instantly clear and readable. But I like watches where telling the time takes a moment as it's both more interesting and increases interaction.

I used to have an Aeromatic that took a while to work out the time, then realised people probably thought I was a bit "special" because I took so long to read the time.

[vixen1700]

https://www.watchgecko.com/geckota-g-01-dive-watch...

Feeling myself getting more and more drawn to one of these.

[anonymous-user]

Does anyone have any experience of Gruppo Gamma?

[TheAngryDog]

A watch group I am part of on FB is having this made



I believe it is around £600. It looks nice and looks to be well built. I am sure there are people in this forum who have seen the watch as well? Once the initial run has been done then the watch will be increased in price upto 4 times I think. Worth getting one of these over say a Magrette?

[51mes]

Jakeztx said:

Anyone got any experience with WT Author watches? Had a chat with them at NEC Autosport and have been keeping an eye.

https://wtauthor.com/watch-store/aviation-watch-gr...

I have a 1934 Blue Automatic from them, with a blue leather strap, lovely piece, so impressed with it I've just pre-ordered a 1968 as well.






The 1968 series is based on the colours of the f1 world championship teams of that year, has a bit of a Rolex look about them..

As for the firm, great bunch of people to deal with so far...

S.

[Doofus]

TheAngryDog said:

Once the initial run has been done then the watch will be increased in price upto 4 times I think.

On what grounds?

Magrette has some history (it's not a brand new name, crowd funded on FB), so I know where my money would go, but that watch you posted is a very pretty thing.

[TheAngryDog]

Doofus said:

On what grounds?

Magrette has some history (it's not a brand new name, crowd funded on FB), so I know where my money would go, but that watch you posted is a very pretty thing.

No idea. Actually it will be £3800 when it is in stores. It is very Breitlingesque, and for Breitling money I would rather have the Breitling.

[TheAngryDog]

Here is the spec of the watch. It is 600 euros, not £600.

LEGATUM 2018 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: Subject to enhancement.

CASE:

• Reinforced 316L-NT ™ Stainless Steel (Patent Pending) case incorporating brushed and polished finish highly resistable against scratches.
• Front Sapphire crystal with double AR internal coating.
• Solid steel caseback with Dragon Motif
• Screwed-down crown with K.Grün & Söhne logo.
• Screwed polished ID plate applied between lugs.
• Width: 41.00 mm without crown.
• 50.00 mm lug to lug distance.
• Lug width: 20 mm.

DIAL:

• Blue Sunray lacquered dial.
• Central Seconds.
• 3D rosegold numbers printed with deep layer Superluminova BGW9.
• Rosegold hands filled with Superluminova BGW9
STRAP:
• Blue Calf leather with Croco Style and blue stitching.
• Thickness: 3.00mm.
• Length: 120.00 mm (long side), 80.00 mm (short side)
• 316L stainless steel buckle with K.Grün & Sohne logo

WATER RESISTANCE:
• 200 meters, 20ATM

MOVEMENT:
• Swiss made ETA2824-2 base with date indication at 6 o'clock

FEATURES:
• Self winding automatic movement.
• Vibrations per hour: 28.800
• Frequency: 4Hz
• Power reserve> ~38 hours

[lostkiwi]

TheAngryDog said:

A watch group I am part of on FB is having this made



I believe it is around £600. It looks nice and looks to be well built. I am sure there are people in this forum who have seen the watch as well? Once the initial run has been done then the watch will be increased in price upto 4 times I think. Worth getting one of these over say a Magrette?

Very nice and at €600 pretty good value. At €3800 it's firmly above Mühle Glasshütte territory. My money would go elsewhere.

Edited by lostkiwi on Tuesday 30th April 06:14

[vixen1700]

£3800! Come on!

[Hoofy]

vixen1700 said:

£3800! Come on!

I'm thinking £200. Am I missing something?