How a $695 GMT Watch Changed the Watchmaking Conversation In 2015, if you wanted a genuine GMT wristwatch with the finishing quality to rival a luxury brand, you had exactly two realistic options: a $5,000 Tudor Black Bay GMT or a $10,000+ Rolex GMT-Master II. These weren’t just expensive watches. They were statements of arrival—purchases […]
The Campaign That Proved Vintage Never Dies In April 2017, a 24-year-old French entrepreneur named Etienne Malec did something the watch industry considered reckless. With no manufacturing facility, no retail network, and no heritage brand backing him, he launched a Kickstarter campaign for two watch designs that looked like they belonged in a 1940s time
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From Hong Kong to London: The Remarkable Birth of MINIM Watches In the bustling world of independent watchmaking, where thousands of microbrands compete for attention with flashy marketing and viral campaigns, one British brand has quietly captured the imagination of serious collectors with something far more valuable: an authentic story. MINIM Watches, the brainchild of
From a London Antique Shop to Kyoto’s Workshop: The Extraordinary Story of KUOE Watches In the heart of Kyoto, Japan—a city renowned for its preservation of ancient traditions and artisanal craftsmanship—a remarkable story of modern watchmaking unfolds in an unassuming workshop. This is the story of KUOE, a relatively young but increasingly celebrated independent watch
Watch Industry News: Latest Headlines & Summaries . KURONO TOKYO LAUNCHES FIRST METEORITE DIAL WATCH :Kurono Tokyo Introduces 37mm Inseki with Hand-Picked Muonionalusta Meteorite Dial Hajime Asaoka’s accessible brand releases its first meteorite-dial timepiece with every disc personally curated by the watchmaker himself. The 37mm Inseki features a Muonionalusta meteorite dial, Calligra numerals, and Miyota
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How a Product Designer Became Japan’s Most Influential Independent Watchmaker – In 1978, a junior high school student in Kanagawa Prefecture opened a gift from his father—a mechanical Citizen chronograph. The watch wasn’t particularly rare or expensive. But something about the complexity of its mechanism, the engineering elegance hidden behind the dial, sparked an obsession
How a British-French Watchmaker Ended Up Creating Ultra-Luxury Handmade Watches in Rural Japan The story of Alan Birchall doesn’t begin with luxury or ambition. It begins with a child watching his father work—the sound of machines, the precision of hands, the quiet satisfaction of creating something that lasts. At age 36, after a 16-year journey
Japanese Independent Watchmakers Under USD 3,000: Founder-Led Luxury That Actually Appreciates You’ve scrolled through endless watch Instagram feeds. You’ve read the Reddit threads. You know about Lorier, Undone, and Christopher Ward. But here’s what most watch enthusiasts miss: Japan’s independent watchmaking scene operates on a completely different level. While European microbrands chase accessibility through volume production,
The Unlikely Watchmaker In 2018, a 53-year-old Japanese watch salesman named Naoya Hida did something the industry considered professional suicide. After three decades representing Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, F.P. Journe, and Ralph Lauren—after building relationships with collectors who spent millions on Swiss timepieces—Naoya Hida walked away from the security of established maisons to start his
Naoya Hida & Co.: The Salesman Who Became a Master Watchmaker Read More »
The Watch That Shouldn’t Have Existed In November 2024, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève announced its Challenge Prize winner—the award for watches under CHF 3,000 that demonstrate exceptional creativity. The room expected Kurono Tokyo, or perhaps Studio Underd0g, brands with established followings and proven track records. Instead, the jury awarded it to a watch
