Favorite micro brand?

[seffrican]

Hi Mark. Yes still lurking my friend lol.

Going through a bit of a transitional phase regarding my watches. Have been leaving the autos behind & buying a lot of high-end G-Shocks the last while back.

Don't worry about the correspondence as anytime I want to hear from you I just visit your 2nd home..the bear pit!

I didn't used to spend so much time in the bear pit but these days it's like a place of peace and quiet to take refuge from Watch Talk....

Are your G-Shocks getting posted in the Show Your G-Shocks thread?

And on topic, I need to dig out one of my most unusual pieces for this thread. It's like a micro-microbrand

[misterzero]

The Tempest Commodore looks nice and a friend has a scurfa bell diver which is very well made and great value for money

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[Mr Curta]

This thread needs picks.

[seabiscuit]

Agree with Rajen that Crepas have produced some excellent watches during the last five or six years. I bought a Tektite four or five years and found it to be excellent quality and good value for money. Those who managed to buy one of their El Buzo GMT watches won't have any cause for complaint, either.

The long discontinued Halios Puck also goes for silly money these days.

Anyone here owned a Korsbek watch? I have. That brand was a darling of WUS not that long ago. The brand has disappeared, though. Inability to obtain movements, delays and defects with cases and bracelets didn't exactly help.

[RAJEN]

Agree with Rajen that Crepas have produced some excellent watches during the last five or six years. I bought a Tektite four or five years and found it to be excellent quality and good value for money. Those who managed to buy one of their El Buzo GMT watches won't have any cause for complaint, either.

The long discontinued Halios Puck also goes for silly money these days.

Anyone here owned a Korsbek watch? I have. That brand was a darling of WUS not that long ago. The brand has disappeared, though. Inability to obtain movements, delays and defects with cases and bracelets didn't exactly help.

Crepas El Buzo and Tektite?
Halios Puck?
Korsbek watches?
Yes,yes and yes- all good examples of perfectly fine micro brand watches

[JP Chestnut]

Halios anything is a good choice. They make a nice micro.

[Jpshell]

I have a Marloe panda chrono on pre order. Pics certainly look the part so looking forward to getting hold of it around Dec time hopefully

[Ian_O]

Maybe I was too harsh. you're right it's very consistent. Just not elaborate with sharp edges and alternating brushed/polishing you see with other brands. Though that may come down to design choice rather than their capabilities.

I think it possibly is design choice, especially for the flieger design, but you're absolutely right and it's a good point you make about the polished/brushed finish. I'd never noticed (or rather never thought about it before) that Stowa watches are either brushed or polished. I have a Flieger (brushed), Marine Original (polished), Marine Auto with handwound movement (brushed) and Antea 390 (polished). None of them has a combination of finishes. Interesting.

[BernardF]

I've been looking at an Ophion 786 for a while now: http://www.ophion-watches.com

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[titusdelossantos]

My Borealis Estoril is very nice and the same people do Prometheus too. Fact I was holding my Estoril side by side with my 104 the other day and they could easily be compared.

Timefactors is sort of a micro brand but more of a micro "man'

Roland Kemmner makes most of the watches if I am not mistaken, along with his own. Arguments about sources for blank cases and movements abound and it's no matter to me either way. I like my TF watches and think my '82 is better/appeals more than my CWC diver. Mineral crystal just does not let the light through the same way.

And micro or not they all take a hit on resale unless you buy a great one used and baby it.

What will a new Datejust be worth in 10 years as a percent of the new price?

Don't forget the Borealis Sea Storm

[flareslove]

This thread has inspired me to pick up a Halios Seaforth and I'm finding they're going for more than their retail price now days, same with the puck.

[pbj204]

Difficult to beat Halios

[stefmcd]

Up and comers..... maybe.....

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[Big Jim Slade]

Did someone say Farer?

[Guido-K]

Difficult to beat Halios

Really like that.

[HenPecked]

Really impressed with this. Designed by a guy local to me, he's open about it being made in the Far East, but decent titanium, Seiko movement, sapphire, titanium screwed bracelet and rubber strap options etc. all for around £200.

[Kidsteruk]

Archimede for me.

I loved my pilot, even though it needed some repair towards the end of its time with me due to a lack of oil in the movement which caused it to literally grind itself up.

I suspect they are trying to step away from being micro brand now considering the variants in their range, but they remain great value.

[Shounen]

I really liked my Halios Bluering and Helson Buccaneer GMT.
Both long gone but still in my memories.

[Mr Curta]

They don't come much more micro than this .

[HenPecked]

They don't come much more micro than this .

I do love those. Had one on my want list for a while but worried about getting spares in the UK should I need them.

[Mr Curta]

I do love those. Had one on my want list for a while but worried about getting spares in the UK should I need them.

I did buy a spare tube from David Forbes, just in case.




Turned out to have been made in England!

[paulpsz008]

Another vote for Timefactors.

[Frankie169]

I've just put my name to one of these , fairly new micro brand but the helmsman 2 really appeals to me.

[crazyp]

Timefactors have been the only micro brand I've bought - indeed I have the PRS-12 on my wrist right now. The balance between quality and some difference in design stands out and sets it apart. And lets be real here - Eddie and the Dreadnaught really started the whole diver micro brand craze. That was truly an exceptional watch.

[switch107]

UTS - I'm looking at these for almost 10 years. Nicely built (means chunky and full metal milled) divers. I would consider buying one at the the end but haven't seen for couple of year anything poping up on the sales corner

http://www.uts-muenchen.de/

[Tooks]

I've tried a few boutique/micro brands over the years including TF, Helson, Boschett, Borealis Kemmner, Straton Watch Company and Hexa.

Most had their good and bad points, a couple of them all good, but the only one I still own is the Hexa Osprey. It's got a bit of an Oris Aquis look about it, has a miyota auto movement, but with a nice signed rotor, display back, quality matt ceramic lumed bezel and an excellent bracelet with ratchet adjustment. A great watch for the money.

There are some good ones out there, amongst the mediocre or short lived.

You can get through some money finding them though, but it's another enjoyable side of the hobby I guess.

[TaketheCannoli]

Bookmarked :)

[Gruntfuttock]

Does Dan Henry count as micro-brand? I have a lovely 70s diver of theirs. He has blogged about the difficulty in getting the Chinese factories to deliver on quality, but seems to have achieved it for very reasonable prices.

https://danhenrywatches.com

https://danhenrywatches.com/products...ic-diver-watch

[wits]

Group games do some great pieces

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[wits]

Gamma ffs

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[Fraz01]

The Scurfa Bell Diver One, which is currently out of stock, and the Dan Henry 1970 40mm are definitely on my 'think I might want to own one day list!!!'


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[quietly]

Love the Speedbird3 - and...

[Jardine32]

Another shout for Scurfa. I have a Diver 1 and a Bell Diver. The latter especially hits well above its price point. The service from Paul and Alison is always spot on. Great little company.
J

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[Neilw3030]

Up and comers..... maybe.....

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Stunning blue colour on these, but I feel it just wore a bit small for me, shame really.

[stefmcd]

Stunning blue colour on these, but I feel it just wore a bit small for me, shame really.

I no longer have mine. If anything slightly too big for me but a stunner nonetheless.

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[mycroft]

Unless you count Steinhart as a microbrand (which I don’t), the only microbrand I own is my brass Maranez Layan. Great watch and a keeper for me...

Simon

[Spike]

Another shout for Scurfa. I have a Diver 1 and a Bell Diver. The latter especially hits well above its price point. The service from Paul and Alison is always spot on. Great little company.
J

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Have to agree, the Bell Diver is excellent value

Hopefully a bracelet will be forthcoming

[Griswold]

My favourite micro brand is Timefactors. I have 7 soo far

PRS-1 Speedbird
PRS-2 Dreadnought
PRS-9 CAF
PRS-12 Speedbird 1903
PRS-17c Precista 89
PRS-50
PRS-53 Fat Arrow

[mycroft]

My favourite micro brand is Timefactors. I have 7 soo far

PRS-1 Speedbird
PRS-2 Dreadnought
PRS-9 CAF
PRS-12 Speedbird 1903
PRS-17c Precista 89
PRS-50
PRS-53 Fat Arrow

Teachers pet

Simon


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[Griswold]

Teachers pet

Simon


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Ha ha, no mate, just angling for Staff Discount on my next one.

[TaketheCannoli]

Ha ha, no mate, just angling for Staff Discount on my next one.

Haha, chances of that are slimmer than a hen’s face.

[LorneG]

They don't come much more micro than this .

That is now my 2nd favourite micro-brand. You can't beat good old valves!

1st favourite micro, or indeed any other type, of brand is:



I might be a little biased, but to me it's the difference between 'design' and 'engineering'.

[sunnyp]

Another shout for Scurfa. I have a Diver 1 and a Bell Diver. The latter especially hits well above its price point. The service from Paul and Alison is always spot on. Great little company.
J

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This for me too. The diver one is the only quartz diver in my collection. Great VFM.


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[Liner33]

Does Dan Henry count as micro-brand? I have a lovely 70s diver of theirs. He has blogged about the difficulty in getting the Chinese factories to deliver on quality, but seems to have achieved it for very reasonable prices.

https://danhenrywatches.com

https://danhenrywatches.com/products...ic-diver-watch

Yep I have one as well, went for the larger one which may have been a mistake but great looking watch and fantastic value for money

Bought a load of different straps for it as I dont like cheap rubber straps but even that is excellent so its stayed on it



Might get a Chris Ward in the winter but saving hard for a Speedmaster at the moment

[mycroft]

Ha ha, no mate, just angling for Staff Discount on my next one.

Good luck with that, Peter...!

Simon

[mart broad]

http://helmwatches.com/vanuatu.html

Really like this watch ticks all the boxes in its price bracket and then some i have both bezels and changing them is easy ( takes me back to my Stowa Seatime day’s) a variety of zulu straps means you can spice up the look which is great for holidays and it has a nice heft to it.

Also always found this guys work interesting
http://www.pita.es/store_v2/collecto...-titanium.html

[wombleh]

Marloe, although they seem to have discontinued my favourite (the Lomond Chrono): https://www.marloewatchcompany.com/


Some of the Ferro ones look nice too:
https://www.ferrowatches.com/

[Yokel]

If Stowa counts as a micro-brand, then 30% of my small collection is from microbrands.

But, my favourite, making many fewer watches than Stowa, is this little group of people . . . .



Micro, they are. Kick-start they are not.

And their quality is as good as you could wish for the money . . .

[TaketheCannoli]

http://helmwatches.com/vanuatu.html

Really like this watch ticks all the boxes in its price bracket and then some i have both bezels and changing them is easy ( takes me back to my Stowa Seatime day’s) a variety of zulu straps means you can spice up the look which is great for holidays and it has a nice heft to it.

I really like the Helm stuff.

[forpetesake]

That's easy, Precista and Smiths.