Micro Watch Brands

The new world order is a caliber of entrepreneurs, unbounded by traditional business methods, this generation has taken good note of what Amazon, and its kinds have achieved so far. They took this learning and have replicated the methodology in a very curated manner. Keeping in mind a set of clients within niche of niche and in the curious world of Horology, the ones who cater to this clientele are named “Micro Brands.” Michal Porter famously calls this “Positioning” and finding the right “FIT.”

?With time the clients have evolved, kudos to Instagram which has revolutionized the way message is shared, seen, and produced. Story telling gravitates heavily on imaginary, when you are reading a book, especially a work of fiction, a compelling writer makes you envision and embeds a unique mental image into your mind which might or might not exist. Harry Poter is the best example. Going back to social media and imaginary, the point is, a part of audience which was once indifferent to the world of watches, came to see watches as not old fashioned but something they can relate with, wearing a wristwatch become part of their persona.

Now, not everyone who dwells on Instagram or social media are blessed with unlimited supply of green bills, not everyone can afford the luxury Swiss timepiece, this is where Micro Watch brands step in, the position is between $500 to $2000

It’s also agreed that in today’s world, commerce has become quite manageable, a creative and ambitious person sitting on his/her desk can create a brand, unlike days of past when mobility was limited to emails, you had to travel and meet the suppliers, no teams/ zoom calls etc.? Also, earlier it was difficult to find the suppliers as they were on the back seat, as Andy Warhol said “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes “, well it arrived with a bang. Today it is easy to launch a website, have a social media account, meet suppliers virtually, and in time launch the business once wants and find clients online. Here we don’t talk about the success or failure rates, it’s an iceberg, major of sunken trails are not visible as we don’t celebrate failures, but occasionally from this blackhole of hollow dream arise victors who fight against the odds, they get their strategy right, listen to clients, and run a successful brand.

Say about 2 decades ago and earlier there we Commercial brands, family-owned businesses, and independent watch makers, who also went by the acronym of AHCI “Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants”, and they all lived in harmony. The launch of Facebook was testing ground, arrived Instagram and the world truly became walkable for new business aspirant and from these contenders rose new breed of watch brands, catering to clients from all over the world. Earlier it was though that entry price in watches, something? in range of USD 500 till 1000 was meant for fashion brands and fell into the mass market category where brands did number churning, now if you look deeper there are subcategories within categories and these were not defined, among this subcategories are INDIVIDUALS , who are opinioned , what they wear, endorse, is a part of what they believe in, as Socrates said “ Know Thyself.” Now this niche client is not necessarily high-ticket clients but want customization, and this is where the micro brands come in. This brings us to three brands each from different countries Malaysia, England, and France.

MING -When I first saw MING watches I was startled by its depth, quality of case and dials, the brand is from Malaysia, was formed by a group of watches aficionados and collectors and is helmed by Ming Thien, a modern-day thinker, writer, ace photographer, and ex corporate executive from non-watches background. Ming managed to create a respectable fan following with watches being sold-out immediately online, it made industry introspect the way business was being conducted. It’s great for clients, being able to purchase watches at reasonable prices and have their own identity. Ming was a non-designer, a real watch with mechanical movement. Certainly, lots of work goes behind the brand to make it work, tons of idea crunching, finding the right case, dial. The brand became a must have for all watch lovers, now Ming have upped their game and even moved to produce high end watches.

Baltic – You might feel that Retro is being overdone, wait till you get your hands on Baltic watch. Etienne Malec have nailed the definition of a “Man” through brand positioning, if you watch the videos of Baltic watches, it does revolve around a man. Alone, in his being, thinking, reflecting, absorbing. The subject in Baltic videos is an iconoclast, part rebel, part civilized, he’s the man who looks deep into your eyes and never flinches. It’s a powerful representation of a man in today’s world, with an old school charm, rugged, masculine, and timeless. The collection of Baltic is inspired by heritage tool watches, the watches are well crafted and inspired from past diving, tool, field watches, and they look good on wrist, without breaking the bank.

Studio underdog- This is a fun brand, young, cool, colorful, and mechanical, the founder Richard Benc, have watches background, and when the opportunity came, the man rose to live his dreams. The chronograph series, with almost eatable dials and with mechanical movements in 500-600 $ category came out as winners. The brand is catchy and has won over the imagination of select audience, they have individuality and want a watch in budget, that too mechanical, Studio underdog have made its own fan following, which is only growing.

What future holds for this new generation of entrepreneurs, where their destinies will take them, what will be NEXT, we don’t know. What we know is that the online spot of Micro Brand is getting bit too busy, with brands being launched every year, what will be the after sales support of many brands in future is not certain, will they deliver their promise in next five or ten years. Well, time will tell.

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