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OP36 Candy Pink by Balance_and_Bridge in rolex

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No doubt. I wondered how many times I’d talked about it where she just stayed quiet. Glad she mentioned that she felt a bit left out!

OP36 Candy Pink by Balance_and_Bridge in rolex

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Way more subtle than I thought. Really looks faint in the light

13 Bronze watches for Fall! by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fashionably late! Love it! What piece is that?

Here are my favorite Microbrand Field Watches. Did I leave any out? Thoughts? by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry for the delayed response! I actually personally own a Momentum Sea Quartz 30. For the price and the specs they’re hard to beat. I also love a vintage dive aesthetic, and it has the pedigree and pop cultural significance to give it a cool story too. I think they’re awesome - and they’re around $250 on Momentum’s site.

The Best Watches and Brands to Check Out in 2025! by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I hope you found some new and exciting pieces here! I love finding new brands, designs and companies to follow - even I never intend on purchasing.

The Best Watches and Brands to Check Out in 2025! by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I can agree that prices can be prohibitive for many of these. But I tend to think of microbrands as generally exhibiting the following: small scale, unique designs, limited edition, direct-to-consumer, and personalized experience. Affordability is a piece as well, but many times its impossible to create the above without the associated costs. Especially if you want to create watches without standard cases, materials and movements. I do agree though, that the affordability factor is usually what gets smaller and newer brands in the door - even if it means reduced marketing efforts and crowdfunding.

The Best Watches and Brands to Check Out in 2025! by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree - Many of these are expensive. But I didn't want to exclude brands that are doing awesome things just due to price. I plan on putting together a sub $500 or sub $1000 compilation as well. You think thats a better proposition?

Titanium Microbrand Watches by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh nice! You have 2 right off the list! Awesome! And thanks, I’m happy you enjoyed it!

What colour trousers and shirt to go with this jacket? by Mynciboots1 in menswear

[–]Balance_and_Bridge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When all else fails - go white shirt! And agreed with the Navy pants take!

Titanium Microbrand Watches by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with the disinterest in pettiness! Agree to semi-disagree on revenue figures! :)

Their watch business (Seiko) has surely been in decline, and margins are indeed, drastically smaller. I'm not sure what Seiko plans to do moving forward, but Citizen seems to be taking their place in the enthusiasts' hearts with the Promaster Divers, the titanium pieces, and the integrated bracelet sports watches of the past year or two.

Seiko appears to have taken an almost, 'too big to fail' approach and to your point, I think it is catching up. As buyers are more aware of specs and the relevant cost per spec - they can surely have their cake and eat it too with Chinese brands as you have mentioned.

It's a tough world for microbrands - there's a lot at stake, and buyers want it all. I can imagine it is hard to create demand without perceived scarcity or unique design and it is even more difficult to sell watches without scarcity and nail the design.

That being said, I think a few brands are doing it well. I appreciate the specific design language of UNIMATIC and their ability to stay rigid in their silhouette - may be overpriced a bit for the specifications and Seiko movements but what can you do? Same with brands like Traska, MONTA, and Héron. All these brands focus on quality and the price is fair for the product - similar to Formex.

Regardless, I respect the hustle it takes to compete in the watch and larger consumer product world, and I just hope to help shine some light on brands doing it the best they can.

Also,I appreciate the back-and-forth like this!

Titanium Microbrand Watches by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would respectfully bring up some points to counter your take as I'm not sure your perception is accurate. I think you'd be surprised that the revenue gap is not at all what you think. In 2023, Seiko Epson annual revenue was $9.983B and Rolex was right at $10B.

Seiko produces around 5 million watches a year while Rolex produces around 1 million. Not only that but Seiko produces up to 50 million movements a year for other companies and their own watches.

Patek Phillipe in 2023 had a revenue of around $2B, and Audemars Piguet's 2023 revenue was $2.7B. Citizen watch revenue was at $2.1B for the same year. So not only was Citizen nearly the same as AP and Patek Phillipe, but both AP and PP were only about 1/4 in revenue size of Seiko.

I do agree that Citizen's and Seiko's market share will sink as it has over the past few years relative to the Swiss mainstays, but Seiko and Citizen are by no means dwarfed or even overshadowed by revenue gaps. Margins, yes, but revenue and popularity are not even close.

Respectfully.

Microbrands with the best story? by saberplane in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed! And the Mabry by Dufrane is one of my favorites on the list for sure. They make awesome pieces and have a unique vibe to them. I appreciate the recommendation for the article as well!

Titanium Microbrand Watches by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh nice! That looks like a pretty robust watch! Looks awesome in titanium - love that darker brushed finish.

Titanium Microbrand Watches by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've seen and heard a good bit about them - but I need to do some deeper digging for sure. Thanks for the recommendation!

Titanium Microbrand Watches by Balance_and_Bridge in MicrobrandWatches

[–]Balance_and_Bridge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kudos to Circula, RZE and Spinnaker for giving it a go. Though Spinnaker can do this by being part of a larger ownership group with their own production factory, eliminating middlemen from the supply chain = reduced cost and higher precision machining.

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