Microbrands vs. Independent Watchmakers: The Rise of (Relatively Affordable) Microbrands

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In recent years, several factors have come together resulting in the exponential rise of microbrand watches. This new microbrand wave is one of the biggest developments in the broader watch market. I would mention here that not all microbrands are equal. There are many watches out there that, to be honest, are not worth your time. However, some microbrands are getting it right as Raman Kalra highlights here.

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Why I Bought It: Spaceone Watches Jumping Hour by Joshua Munchow – it Doesn’t Cost the Earth!

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The Spaceone Jumping Hour is a watch that began as an idea between friends which morphed into a plucky little Kickstarter project and ended up with a new brand that has already released two watches that have redefined what a small brand can create for truly reasonable amounts of money.

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Ball Watch Engineer II Moon Phase Chronometer: Lume on the Moon and Strong Enough to Survive a Train Wreck!

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The Ball Watch Engineer II collection scores big when it comes to combining utilitarian features (like its tritium gas-filled tubes) with elevated, wholly luxurious finishes, and the Moon Phase Chronometer watch is a perfect example of this.

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Why I Bought It: A Bulova Like Mobster Bugsy Siegel

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Watch collector Quentin R. Bufogle was determined to add a piece to his collection harking back to those dust-strewn days of early Las Vegas, a time when the occasional tumbleweed still ambled along what would one day become the famous Las Vegas Strip. And he found it in a 1946 Bulova Aviator B. Here’s how and why.

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How Swatch Saved the Swiss Watch Industry

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Swatch stands as a testament to innovation, resilience, and creativity within the watch industry. Born out of the ashes of the Quartz Crisis, Swatch both saved the Swiss watch industry from obsolescence and revolutionized it through its groundbreaking approach to design, manufacturing, and marketing.

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10 Watches Under $500 – and Some Under $200 – That I Love

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While we tend to focus on the upper end of the watch market on Quill & Pad, the vast majority of collectors have much more limited disposable income to satiate their desires. However, as American college student and founder of the Campus Watch Chronicle blog, Sam Loiterstein explains here, there are a plethora of great options available for less than $250. Here are 10 of his favorites.

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Dial view, Timex Marlin re-edition, 2017

Why I Bought It: Timex Marlin Re-Edition

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GaryG has said it many times: there are great watches to be had at every price point! Enter the Timex Marlin Re-edition of 2017, a watch that he owns, wears, and loves.

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Own a Piece of Watch History for Under $200: The Swatch Sistem51

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The Swatch Sistem51 has been around since Baselworld 2013, and since then has received a lot of positive and negative coverage. However, removing the noise, the Sistem51 remains a great technical achievement and will go down as a defining historical model. It’s not perfect, but for any watch lover, it is still worth considering.

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The Grail of Attic Finds: Reunited with the First Watch I Ever Owned, A West End Watch Co Sowar Prima

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Colin Alexander Smith is reunited with his first watch and discovers an intriguing watch manufacturer that has been producing mechanical watches in Switzerland continuously since 1886.

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M.A.D.Editions ✕ Jean Charles de Castelbajac ‘Time to Love’

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With the M.A.D.Editions ✕ Jean Charles de Castelbajac ‘Time to Love’, not for the first time, nor I expect the last time, Max Büsser has surprised me. This time by making all previous editions of the hitherto bonkers looking M.A.D.1 look boring.

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