Micro Mondays Archives - Time and Tide Watches

The MKII Stingray II Keroman is a true military diver, recreated

19.06.23

9018

The MKII Stingray II Keroman is a true military diver, recreated

We don’t need more dive watches. According to some anecdotal data, divers are the most popular type of watches because they are robust, versatile, and…

Micro Mondays

12.06.23

4600

MICRO MONDAYS: The Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch delivers vintage vibes for a bargain price

Vario are one of the most beloved microbrands, and despite the fact that they may not receive as much hype as others, they still hold…

Micro Mondays

05.06.23

6027

MICRO MONDAYS: The Stella Breslin revives the linen dial for the here and now

There’s certainly no shortage of creativity in the world of microbrands, but that energy doesn’t always get funnelled into watches that actually look good. Stella,…

Micro Mondays

29.05.23

3990

MICRO MONDAYS: Second Hour’s Mandala Burst offers a fresh take on the everyday watch

Owing to the likes of the Rolex Explorer and Omega Aqua Terra, robust everyday watches have become their own thing. Because what we need is…

Micro Mondays

22.05.23

5250

MICRO MONDAYS: Marin Instruments create a skin diver for the 21st century

For those who were into scuba diving in the 1960s/70s and did not care for the professional-grade dive watches from Rolex and Blancpain, skin divers…

Micro Mondays

15.05.23

4899

My favourite Micro Mondays from the last 12 months

Shining a light on some lesser-known brands is one of my favourite things to do here at Time+Tide, and the weekly Micro Mondays segment helps…

Micro Mondays

08.05.23

1048

MICRO MONDAYS: Jack Mason develops a new collection comprising a GMT and a diver

Some of the most iconic models in the history of horology became so because they offered something unique. A new case design or a new…

Micro Mondays

01.05.23

577

MICRO MONDAYS: The Atmoss SR-01 may have set the benchmark for budget pilot’s watches

Editor’s note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Warrick’s Atmoss project will have to be put on hold for the moment to ensure the products can be…

Micro Mondays

24.04.23

631

MICRO MONDAYS: Wolf Creek’s North Star is a daily wearer that’s ready for adventure

You know how action movies sometimes include sleeper agents that nobody noticed and that can wreak havoc should they wish to? Well, we can also…

Micro Mondays

17.04.23

520

MICRO MONDAYS: Charlie Paris introduces the Alliance 68H and Phase de Lune

Over the past 10 years, French brands have been making real waves in the horological world. The country has seen a resurgence of fine watchmaking…

Micro Mondays

10.04.23

3913

MICRO MONDAYS: Fleux Watches revives the 1960s with two vintage-throwback divers for less than $500 each

There’s no shortage of vintage-inspired divers in the independent and microbrand market. While many brands have got this formula wrong and wheeled out bland homages,…

Sherpa recreates the original EPSA Super Compressor case

Micro Mondays

03.04.23

6553

Sherpa recreates the original EPSA Super Compressor case

Dive watches are more popular than ever, especially compressor divers. These ubiquitous watches herald from a time when horological engineering was at its peak, and…

Micro Mondays

20.03.23

5662

MICRO MONDAYS: The Stella Ellis is a stunning GMT with traditional sensibilities and contemporary looks

Collaboration often leads to the best results, and Stella is a brand born of collaboration. With the name formed out of the founders Stephen and…

Micro Mondays

13.03.23

7956

MICRO MONDAYS: Blok Watches make a tough watch specially designed for kids

This may be the first time that I’m recommending a watch that you will never wear yourself, but the target demographic for Blok Watches don’t…

Micro Mondays

06.03.23

6833

MICRO MONDAYS: The Horizon Pilgrim is a diver inspired by drama on the high seas

Jules Verne is one of the most influential authors of all time for one main reason — adventure. At the time, nobody else had captured…

Micro Mondays

27.02.23

22867

MICRO MONDAYS: The Circula AquaSport GMT is a funky diver with ’70s swagger

Calling Circula a microbrand feels like a bit of a disservice considering their history, but their approach to unique design and modern brand identity really…

Micro Mondays

20.02.23

6799

MICRO MONDAYS: The MALM Air Wolf Viggen is a modern pilot’s watch with a Swedish twist

Aviation has a longstanding history with timekeeping and wristwatches, but that doesn’t mean you need to have decades of heritage behind you to make an…

Micro Mondays

13.02.23

8648

MICRO MONDAYS: The triumphant story of the Fears Brunswick

Some extinct brands that get revived for the modern mechanical boom are often raised in mystery, bought out by private companies who heap glory on…

Micro Mondays

06.02.23

5635

MICRO MONDAYS: The William Wood Fearless is the brand’s first field watch

There’s a romanticisation that surrounds firefighting that’s been around since the profession’s inception. Firemen are mentioned by wide-eyed children in the same breath as astronauts…

Micro Mondays

30.01.23

6792

MICRO MONDAYS: The Baltic Aquascaphe Classic is a modern diver that oozes vintage style for a startlingly good price

It’s probably fair to say that Baltic owe their current status as an overachieving microbrand to the release of the Aquascaphe in 2018. Blending different…

Micro Mondays

23.01.23

7054

MICRO MONDAYS: The Artel Rotec Sky Series combines ’70s bravado with Art Deco chic

In our review of Artel Rotec’s previous V watch, Borna touched on how the high-tech exotic sports watch wasn’t a niche that every collector was…

Micro Mondays

16.01.23

7965

MICRO MONDAYS: The Le Jour Delmare delivers a 1970s-inspired dive watch for a great price

Le Jour aren’t what you would typically consider a microbrand. They weren’t funded through a Kickstarter campaign, nor were they founded by a young visionary…

Micro Mondays

09.01.23

8124

MICRO MONDAYS: The Canopy Wake One is an affordable luxury diver with Goldilocks dimensions

As business ventures, microbrands can sometimes seem a little bit soulless. All it takes is one person with some starting capital and a catalogue of…

Our favourite Micro Mondays from 2022: Part 2

Lists

02.01.23

11480

Our favourite Micro Mondays from 2022: Part 2

We’ve already counted down our top 5 from our Micro-Mondays series in 2022, but the independent goodness just keeps on coming. Each passing year sees these…

Our favourite Micro Mondays from 2022: Part 1

Lists

26.12.22

18496

Our favourite Micro Mondays from 2022: Part 1

It’s that time of year where we can look back and be astounded at the sheer quality and quantity of microbrand releases yet again, with…

Micro Mondays

19.12.22

6810

MICRO MONDAYS: The Peren Nera Rogue BW is a keenly priced dive watch with a stealth-driven look

Peren can be a confusing brand for people who are new to their concept, but despite a rather baffling backstory including a ransomed prototype, the…

Micro Mondays

12.12.22

9071

MICRO MONDAYS: The RZE Ascentus GMT delivers serious bang-for-buck in a titanium case

RZE cemented themselves in my mind as one of the best value microbrands when they released their Valour 38 field watch for under US$300, and…

Micro Mondays

05.12.22

8070

MICRO MONDAYS: The Funder Måne delivers a modular moonphase collection in a single watch

What is great about the independent watch market is that there is more room to do things differently. By offering more value for less money or…

Micro Mondays

28.11.22

7411

MICRO MONDAYS: The Vario Versa is two-faced in the best possible way

Let’s not beat around the bush. If you’ve spent any time lusting over releases from Jaeger-LeCoultre, chances are that you’ve fallen in love with a…

Micro Mondays

21.11.22

6660

MICRO MONDAYS: The Trafford Watch Co. Crossroads

Trafford are shaping up to be a brand who are impossible to pin down, but if their releases continue the trend of happy surprises then…

Micro Mondays

14.11.22

9058

MICRO MONDAYS: The Varon Chiri Blazer is a dressy everyday watch for a remarkable price

It’s no secret that microbrands can often provide incredible watches for the money, but that doesn’t mean that they can get away with putting no…

Micro Mondays

07.11.22

5984

MICRO MONDAYS: With a design that’s clean and serene, the Wolter Classic lets every detail breathe

For the last few years, watchmaking has really been throwing off the shackles of stylistic repression across independent and large-scale manufacturers, leading to some of…

Micro Mondays

31.10.22

10958

MICRO MONDAYS: Our favourite watches from the past 6 months

Starting Micro Mondays was originally about shining a light on some of the great independent watchmakers who have been able to be supported through the…

Micro Mondays

24.10.22

8503

MICRO MONDAYS: The GANE Type D is deceptively simple yet utterly distinctive

Designing a new watch from the ground up is always going to be a difficult task, given that there’s over a century’s worth of designs…

Micro Mondays

17.10.22

9945

MICRO MONDAYS: The Maen Hudson 38 GMT shows the value of gradual evolution

The concept of evolution over revolution is more than a catchy phrase, it also shows the dedication that a company has to perfecting a concept.…

Micro Mondays

10.10.22

7807

MICRO MONDAYS: The Dumoreau DM02 is designed by an award-winning architect and it shows

The watch microbrand game has become incredibly alluring over the last few years, with some examples rising from humble Kickstarter origins to sky-high profits and…

Micro Mondays

03.10.22

7612

MICRO MONDAYS: The Manime La F is a watch dedicated to the theme of friendship

The most popular watches at the moment are often surrounded by a contextual suffering. Military watches have quite a dark theme, and you could make…

Micro Mondays

26.09.22

10586

MICRO-MONDAYS: The Circula ProTrail is a high-tech field watch combining toughness and style

There’s little that can beat a field watch when it comes to day-to-day wear. Divers are often too chunky, and dress watches too delicate, but…

Micro Mondays

19.09.22

8940

MICRO MONDAYS: The Hemel HFT20 Series delivers affordable pilot’s watches with a real attention to detail

As a microbrand, Hemel have very much found their niche and stuck to it. Regarding military watches as the forefront of horological development throughout history,…

Micro Mondays

12.09.22

8840

MICRO MONDAYS: The Orator Sportsman Diver is the resurrection of a forgotten ’60s gem

With a name like Orator, you would expect this brand to have a good story behind it. Thankfully it delivers, as one of watchmaking’s forgotten…

Micro Mondays

05.09.22

12255

MICRO MONDAYS: The Olto-8 Infinity II is a high-octane extravaganza of a watch

For those who buy watches to wear in different situations, what context best suits the Olto-8 Infinity II? It could be in the seat of…

Micro Mondays

29.08.22

8000

MICRO MONDAYS: Julian Michaels’ new releases show the value of breathing space and balance

It’s getting harder and harder to stand out as a microbrand as dozens seem to pop up every week, but the most distinctive examples are…

MICRO MONDAYS: The CIGA Design Blue Planet won a GPHG award, yet is still surprisingly affordable

Hands On

15.08.22

11567

MICRO MONDAYS: The CIGA Design Blue Planet won a GPHG award, yet is still surprisingly affordable

During my time at Time+Tide, the flow of curious timekeepers coming across my desk has been constant, yet, the CIGA Design Blue Planet stands out…

Micro Mondays

08.08.22

13821

MICRO MONDAYS: The RZE Valour 38 delivers a titanium field watch for under $300 USD

It’s hard to believe RZE have only been around for two years, but they are one of the ultimate microbrand success stories. Having released their…

Micro Mondays

01.08.22

7991

MICRO MONDAYS: The Retter 22 channels the style of Vacheron’s iconic 222

It’s quite common for microbrand watches to become a competing list of specifications trying to undercut each other on price, with buzzwords thrown around that…

Micro Mondays

25.07.22

14154

MICRO MONDAYS: The Monchard Skytrain Telemeter Chronograph

Vintage military-inspired watches can sometimes seem like an easy path for microbrands to go down, but there are plenty of pitfalls and traps along the…

Micro Mondays

18.07.22

11653

MICRO MONDAYS: Bold and experimental, the Angles Chain of Time is a truly maverick watch

While historically popular watch brands have proven over decades if not centuries that they’re capable of greatness, there’s one edge that microbrands will always have.…

Micro Mondays

11.07.22

6847

MICRO MONDAYS: The Circula Supersport delivers a reimagined Super Compressor diver at a great price

There are plenty of watch brands that have been resurrected from the past. But Circula set themselves apart with their authentic German heritage and the…

Micro Mondays

04.07.22

10595

MICRO MONDAYS: Put your zest foot forward with the new Vaer A3 Atlas Orange

It’s the middle of the year and already a ton of watches have been released. So much so that we decided to look back for…

Micro Mondays

27.06.22

9133

MICRO MONDAYS: The timeless design and affordability of the Waldan Heritage Collection

Upon entering this crazy hobby of ours, one tends to immediately be pulled by the allure of timeless design. Watches from the ’60s and ’70s…

Micro Mondays

20.06.22

9600

MICRO-MONDAYS: The Wolkov W22 shapes up with a truly innovative design

You’ve heard of square watches and rectangular watches. Even octagonal watches are essentially common these days. With around a century of experimentation since wristwatches were…

Micro Mondays

13.06.22

7655

MICRO MONDAYS: The Genesis collection from Adam Benedict can actively help you to feel less stressed

What is the main purpose of a watch? Many would say it’s to simply tell us the time. But I think there are too many…

Micro Mondays

06.06.22

7464

MICRO MONDAYS: The York & Front Burrard combines military vintage with contemporary style

Eschewing the influence of diving or sports, the pure military inspiration behind the new York & Front Burrard is pretty close to being the perfect…

MICRO MONDAYS: Our 7 favourite microbrand watches from the last 6 months

Lists

30.05.22

10781

MICRO MONDAYS: Our 7 favourite microbrand watches from the last 6 months

Since the 2020 introduction of our Micro Mondays coverage, we’ve seen plenty of innovation, ingenious engineering solutions and, more often than not, great value for…

Micro Mondays

23.05.22

8722

MICRO-MONDAYS: The Biotic Formicidae delivers an original field watch inspired by (wait for it…) ants!

Microbrand releases can often be just an eclectic mix of design trends thrown together, or a wild attempt at doing something different without considering what…

Micro Mondays

16.05.22

10709

MICRO MONDAYS: The Sovrygn Calendar delivers multiple complications and a super-fresh look

Few watches can claim to be truly unique designs, except for those within the wild west that is Kickstarter. Instead of massive brands guessing at…

Micro Mondays

09.05.22

10479

MICRO-MONDAYS: The AERONOM AeroOne is a street-tough brute of a watch

The AERONOM AeroOne is born from concrete jungles, hardened beneath derelict overpasses and finessed in underground clubs. The brand’s origin, after all, is credited to…

Micro Mondays

02.05.22

9439

MICRO MONDAYS: The Artel Rotec V2 offers futuristic watchmaking at an accessible price

You’re already familiar with the formula. Exotic material for the tonneau case, openworked dial with a complication or two, a rubber strap and a price…

Micro Mondays

25.04.22

9654

MICRO MONDAYS: The Makina Gabriel delivers singular looks at a bargain price

The popularity of microbrands is predominantly down to two main reasons. Firstly, there is the fact that they’re often far more affordable than established watch…

Micro Mondays

18.04.22

11397

MICRO-MONDAYS: The Audric Strider is a stylish diver with hefty wrist presence for under $600 (if you’re quick)

Audric launched their first watch in 2020, deep in the throes of the global pandemic. The SeaBorne stood out from the crowd of Kickstarter-funded dive…

Micro Mondays

11.04.22

8261

MICRO MONDAYS: ROYTER expands its custom offerings with the DR-02 Chrono Sport

What differentiates a high-end watch from an entry-level watch? Is it the movement that’s used? Is it the inclusion of precious metals? Or could it…

Micro Mondays

04.04.22

23105

MICRO MONDAYS: The Maen Manhattan 37 delivers an integrated-bracelet watch at a bafflingly great price

In case you haven’t received the memo, stainless-steel, integrated-bracelet watches are white-hot. Scratch that: more like a Texas-sized asteroid flying straight into the centre of…

Micro Mondays

28.03.22

12855

MICRO MONDAYS: The Galvin Watch Company Loimu is a funky-dialled sporty watch at a great price

Galvin Watch Company, a notable Kickstarter success, present their newest creation: the Loimu collection. Affordably priced and with a high-beat Japanese automatic movement, the release…