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Microbrands are breathing new life into watchmaking.

rol_man

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Lorier black dial is a stunner! Glad to see the revival of mechanical watches.
 

Feefo

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My fav microbrand is traska. Check out the new gmt drops in jan29
A gmt for 700 bucks, not bad. I got a feeling we'll see a lot of sub 1k GMTs this year. Would be nice if they also kept those sub 40mm...
 
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rockdaytona

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Yes Unimatic is too big for you. Try a Crafter Blue Hyperion. Same price range , big case but shorter lugs and crown at 4’. Or a Spinnaker ?
Yeah I think too big will return.
49mm lug to lug.
Black bay 58 or Cartier Santos medium may be better
 

Powerfluff

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A gmt for 700 bucks, not bad. I got a feeling we'll see a lot of sub 1k GMTs this year. Would be nice if they also kept those sub 40mm...
Yes it is miyota Jumping hours gmt as well. Not the seiko one.
 

e1phantom

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Loving this triple calendar from Maen.


Brooklyn_Panda.jpg
 

Pix

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Since you ask for an opinion...
- Behrens and Beaubleu too fancy; I favor simplicity and legibility in a watch, would take me ages to understand what time it is.
- Christopher Ward: don't like the logo and hated the models where it was set asymmetrically. Don't mind the Sealander but the seconds hand counterweight bothers me
- Furlan marri : unoriginal, too much copied from classic patek. Seem well done though.
In all cases wouldn't put my money on those watches
My personal opinion. Luckily there's tons of others for all tastes.

Beaubleu have an original design (case and circle hands), are very well manufactured but I find them a tad expensive with their Miyota movement. For the price (especially the latest ones), they could include a Swiss movement (Selitta or Soprod) IMO. Also their strap suck IMO.
I could afford one as a second hand, otherwise I would not have pulled the trigger. Of course changed the strap.
328Zan.jpg


I have a Furlan Marri too, second hand too (same remarks as Beaubleu), they include a quartz VK64, so definitely overpriced. They are blatantly copying Patek, and in this price range you have excellent reps ;)
As they are located in Geneve, they probably thought they could raise the prices... Eventually they are high end chinese watches with marketing and a nice packaging.

Serica. I'm the proud owner of the 5503, love it, and am lucky I have no problem. Indeed the Soprod movements seem to be quite new and they have faced troubles. Paid full bucks. They now issued a GMT with "chronometer certification" and this time I don't follow : at 1800 EUR+, I'd rather go for something else.

And my Baltic MR01, definitely a stunner, although I don't like their choice for an hesalite glas. At least thei are honest on where the components come from.
3AZz8F.jpg
 
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Feefo

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Beaubleu have an original design (case and circle hands), are very well manufactured but I find them a tad expensive with their Miyota movement. For the price (especially the latest ones), they could include a Swiss movement (Selitta or Soprod) IMO. Also their strap suck IMO.
I could afford one as a second hand, otherwise I would not have pulled the trigger. Of course changed the strap.
328Zan.jpg


I have a Furlan Marri too, second hand too (same remarks as Beaubleu), they include a quartz VK64, so definitely overpriced. They are blatantly copying Patek, and in this price range you have excellent reps ;)
As they are located in Geneve, they probably thought they could raise the prices... Eventually they are high end chinese watches with marketing and a nice packaging.

Serica. I'm the proud owner of the 5503, love it, and am lucky I have no problem. Indeed the Soprod movements seem to be quite new and they have faced troubles. Paid full bucks. They now issued a GMT with "chronometer certification" and this time I don't follow : at 1800 EUR+, I'd rather go for something else.

And my Baltic MR01, definitely a stunner, although I don't like their choice for an hesalite glas. At least thei are honest on where the components come from.
3AZz8F.jpg
I don't disagree, and I love the baltic, proud owner of 3 thereof. Serica is on my radar, too, I particularly like the gmt.
The Beaubleu is nice, I admit, it has something, but personally I get bored by fancier designs than by simpler ones, if you know what I mean...
 

Pix

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Sure.
When you collect watches, you eventually end in trying everything... :rolleyes:
In any case, I got rid of my huges watches (except the Hublot tourbillon) to concentrate on more reasonnable diameters.
 

Pix

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This is by no means a comprehensive definition, but I’d say a microbrand is one that:
- is not funded by some kind of venture
- is not a subsidiary of any watch conglomerates like Richemont or Swatch Group
- is a small shop operated by a limited number of showrunners

Can we consider PPF and ZF as microbrands ? :ROFLMAO:
 

Procurator

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Also wanna thank you, did not know Beaubleu, defo will give them a look. Very unique and interesting piece.
 

Pix

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One advice though, I am definitely allergic to reflective glasses, for they spoil the dials. I have almost all my watches double ar'coated, and the Serica, Furlan and Beaubleu were no exception, despite advertized AR coatings. Not knowing your own tolerance, I strongly suggest that you check on videos or in real life, to avoid disappointment. As you know, pictures are mostly altered (including mine), and this led me to surprises sometimes (this include my first Beaubleu with red dial, which I resold)
 

Procurator

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Oh Im not buying anything I have not held in person in my grabby mits. Especially from a brand I've never heard of.
I wouldn't buy a car without test-driving it, Im not buying watches without putting them on. Exactly for the reason you point out - promo pics are anything, but a representation of reality.
 

Frank_NRW

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Yes, I had never heard of Beaubleu. Not my style of watches but interesting to see designers daring to explore new territories. So many brands…how can they all survive?
 

Kcnminus

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Wow, I hadn’t realized my humble post was still alive and kicking!

I had no idea about Beaubleu either, so thank you for bringing that to our attention, guys.



Excited for the new Lorier release 🙂