21 Affordable Watch Microbrands Ranked: The 2024 Tier List!

[@WatchEnclave]

0:30 -Christoper Ward 1:13 - Baltany 1:45 - Maen 2:11- Direnzo 2:38- Avi-8 3:18- San Martin 3:51- Spinnaker 4:21- Vaer 5:00-Tuseno 5:47- Baltic 6:37- Henry Archer 7:36- Beaucroft 8:14- Traska 8:58- Lorier 9:33- Wise 10:19- Trafford Watch Co. 11:02- Kuoe Kyoto 11:45- Farer 12:20- Venezianico 13:06- Sternglas 14:00- Cincinnati Watch Co.

[@redlinedrandometer]

Boldr? Lum-tec?

[@WatchEnclave]

@@redlinedrandometer personally I love the wearability of Boldr watches and the case shape. overall good value watches (Would buy) , but not a fan of Lum-tec. Other than the lume the dials more like Avi-8 for me. but better movements inside, but for the given prices I personally think Lum-tec doesn't worth when compared to other brands in my list

[@Tourtiere34]

This ranking earned my subscription - nice work; I really enjoyed the rationale you gave for every ranking without going into lengthy reasoning. The "shut up and take my money" with the Indian accent is hilarious!!

[@WatchEnclave]

😂 thanks. Glad you enjoyed! I’m a Sri Lankan btw. And Happy new year 🫡✌🏽

[@Tourtiere34]

@@WatchEnclave oh my bad! I hope I still get points to be close enough ;)

[@TheFinalBoss23]

One of those rare occasions that I agree with every ranking. Good video with a nice amount of detail on every brand and your ranking. Would love to see a lot more brands covered by you.

[@WatchEnclave]

Thanks. 😊 A video dropping soon on some new micro-brands. And Will do another part 2 of this after some research.

[@bartblommerde550]

Nice list and well paced video editing! I'm happy to see Direnzo getting included here: an incredible microbrand, that's too often overlooked by other KZbinrs.

[@WatchEnclave]

Thanks. And agreed, such a cool brand !

[@smartcar8]

Really enjoyed this video!

[@WatchEnclave]

Awesome, thank you!

[@paultomaszewski1964]

You might want to look at a brand set up in Dallas TX, Jack Mason. They are making some nice watches these days. Some are regulated in house and some are now Swiss made.

[@WatchEnclave]

Yep, I'm thinking of including them in an upcoming video. I missed several good brands this time, because the list was too long..

[@eram1004]

I bought their Stat-o-Timer. Not the cheapest at ~$900 but the movement and feel are great.

[@jerrytan6215]

Surprised you didn’t mention Zelos

[@WatchEnclave]

Yup, I missed some great brands in the hunt for new ones, lol. Definitely gotta do another video in the future to cover them!

[@RodrigoPizarro-n5h]

My favorite 2024 is the Prospex Limited Edition 1965 Recreation European Exclusive in Gradation Island Blue. The dial is stunning and the contrast when on a white strap is to die for. I will get my hands on one from MAMACOO

[@Bkesal14]

Great video. Man, I've been so close to pulling the trigger on the Maen Manhattan 37...

[@WatchEnclave]

You should!

[@BoboSiebenschlaefer108]

Very nice overview... I didn't even know a few microbrands yet. Thank you.

[@WatchEnclave]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SallaLaurila]

I've recently began my obsession as a watch collector. And i must say- out of all the luxury brands I've been researching, for me the MAMACOO's watches are the most intriguing.

[@mrtunga]

I have Wise. Excellent value definitely. My next watch would be Direnzo or Wise Damascus AD7.

[@WatchEnclave]

Good choice!

[@maenwatches]

Thanks for the feature!

[@WatchEnclave]

You’re welcome !

[@RobinzineCurley]

MAMACOO's always amazes me how much beauty and precision are added to the parts of watch 99% of people will never see.

[@EdmundPorter-ju8kd]

Very enjoyable video!!

[@WatchEnclave]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ronaldchampagne3625]

Great video! Totally recognize that you’re limited with the vast number of micro brands to review/rate. I would have been interested in your opinion of Monta Watches. Thanks!

[@WatchEnclave]

Yes, looks like I’ve got to make a couple more videos, haha. Great question, I didn’t include Monta here because I was focusing on an affordable list. That said, Monta is an amazing brand probably the best microbrand out there. At Monta’s price point, you also have options like Oris, Sinn, Longines, Junghans, Mido etc... The only area Monta falls behind is heritage, but if that doesn’t bother you, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Monta!

[@unbiasedreviews5978]

Good list! There were brands I saw for the first time. Still, you could've mentioned a few more... like Zelos and HELM, for instance, or Magrette. There's a wait list for HELM, and it takes quite a while to get one. As far as TRASKA, you're right that the brand name is kinda weird. I just got the newest gen. Freediver and the quality is really good. The steel used has a hardness rating of 1200HV, which makes it very tough to scratch. Their customer service is great, and the brand offers a 3-year international warranty. That's something to consider.

[@WatchEnclave]

glad you liked. And you are right about Traska. Besides the branding It’s totally worth the price. Enjoy!

[@6213explorer1]

Great video! I’m looking to purchase a Maen Manhattan, Wise Adamascus, Lorier Hydra and possibly Christopher Ward The Twelve. We shall see.

[@WatchEnclave]

Glad you liked the video. And I should say you got a good taste

[@SlimDonni]

Two Brands I would have rated a tier above where you placed them, that's Beaucroft & Traska. So many Great Brands, it's really difficult to rank them, but you've done an excellent Job., my friend. ✌️

[@WatchEnclave]

Good call and glad you enjoyed. !🫡

[@arinascimentorosa505]

What do you think about the RZE watches/quality ?

[@richardlocke7264]

Also, they're also on my interest list

[@WatchEnclave]

I don’t personally own one, but based on what I’ve read and researched, it’s certainly a step above Traska, though not quite at the level of Vaer.

[@prettek]

I bought the Echo Neutra Averau and am loving it.

[@WatchEnclave]

underrated microbrand

[@Tourtiere34]

I really like Echo Neutra. I just find them very esthetically pleasing. Also their upcoming Rivanera seems pretty cool.

[@IdeoFutura]

Nice video to see microbrands. Just a heads up, since you made your video 11 days ago, Trafford Crossroads watches are all sold out at $650. Microbrands are nice but producing small quantities and no longer following a model that works in the catalog means losing customers. And for $650 there are brands that produce. For example, I bought a CITIZEN Super Titanium Ref. NJ0180-80X - €334.00 with a discount from my watchmaker. Maen Manhattan Mean 37 with the Selita movement is 1399 euros without VAT. With 1000 euro VAT inc. I take a Mido Big Date Powermatic 80 movement. Christopher Ward makes beautiful watches but at 2500-3500 euros I buy without problem a Logines Flagship Heritage Moonphase. That's what is beautiful with watches is that there is something for everyone, all tastes and all budgets.

[@WatchEnclave]

Thanks for the comment! You’re absolutely right microbrands’ small production runs can be both a strength and a drawback. Tuseno got the same issue. The Citizen Super Titanium is a great value, and at $1000 price point, brands like Mido , Certina, even affordable swiss beands like Glycine offer fantastic options too. Like you said, the beauty of watches is that there’s something for everyone!

[@ripudamanpandey1378]

Thoughts on Brew watches?

[@WatchEnclave]

it’s a touch overpriced for the build quality ig. And most of the times out of stock. But if you like the retro designs of them go for it. After all it’s your choice.

[@SimoneDaDalt]

What about Yema?

[@jazzman5598]

No Zelos?

[@WatchEnclave]

It’s a great microbrand. Since many people already know Zelos and its excellent quality-to-price ratio, I decided to give some newer faces a chance. Plus, the list was already quite long to choose from. I might have to make another video in the future!

[@eblank04]

No Formex?

[@WatchEnclave]

I mostly considered watches under $1000. Indeed Formex is one of my favs.

[@snapfitness1]

Can't believe no monta or nodus or swcusa. Agree with most choices, but that's life.

[@WatchEnclave]

Yup I Love Nodus and Swiss watch company when it comes to originallity. And there were so many brands to chose from. I couldn't include all of them. But I agree with you. Mostly considered watches around $1000 and below. But Monta it's indeed a great highend microbrand.

[@towinglau3349]

Thank you for your information. Very informative!

[@WatchEnclave]

My pleasure!

[@EluviaPurifoy]

I believe no man can say no to MAMACOO's watches

[@WatchEnclave]

agreed!

[@grotius912]

Very informative, thank you.

[@WatchEnclave]

Glad to hear... 😇

[@Ben-bs4od]

Traska offers a hardening on their watch which makes it scratch resistant. Unlike Wise. If you take a scratcher to Wise and Rolex, they will scratch. Not Traska. So I'm not sure why Traska wouldn't be the equal. Or the superior of Wise watches. The designs may be more simple, but this type of DLC-like diamond coating is normally only found on Swiss watches, or Grand Seikos. I would rather have a scratch resistant watch for the long-haul, than a watch with 903L steel. I prefer French companies like Herbelin, Charlie Paris that do all the assembly in house and also have some truly unique designs. The vast majority of these microbrands below are made in China, making them nothing but Chinese watches with outside branding. One winds up with a Chinese Corniche for $799 with a Chinese replica available the "Specht and Sonne" for $100, telling you everything you need to know about microbrands. The Chinese version is defined as "Woodpecker and Sons"- who would buy a name like that? The type of steel used is overrated. The type of hardening agent is a more rare and valuable feature. I myself will buy something like Herbelin and Charlie Paris that is designed and assembled outside of China, regardless of any of the above.

[@WatchEnclave]

You are correct. But I'm a dial guy. So I put more focus on that. Besides that It's an amazing value for money microbrand.

[@tadejkokalj5170]

CW is not a microbrand. Independent? Yes. Micro? No!

[@tonydilucente2342]

Please define affordable. The BelCanto is highend.

[@WatchEnclave]

You’re right, the Bel Canto is high-end, and Christopher Ward does seem to be moving more toward premium territory with their recent releases. That said, they haven’t completely abandoned their affordable models-there are still solid options under $1,000, like the C60 Trident or the Twelve. It does feel like they’re shifting away from their microbrand roots and heading toward something more mainstream luxury. Appreciate you pointing this out!

[@richardlocke7264]

Damasko, Stówa

[@WatchEnclave]

Oh I love Stówa ! Affordable, Specially their small pilot watches. But can they be considered as a microbrand? 🤔

[@richardlocke7264]

@@WatchEnclave Enjoyed your video, I have a Farer, a San Martin, and a Tuseno- agree with your rankings. Damasko is on my short list

[@richardlocke7264]

@@WatchEnclave Maybe you need to make a video on small brands: Stowa, Epos, etc

[@WatchEnclave]

@@richardlocke7264 Glad you enjoyed, I will try to make a video about those smaller brands

[@D3ZG1978]

Decent video but some of these are not microbrands

[@WatchEnclave]

Yeah, I included a couple of brands from AliExpress to compare them against the rest, as many people order from AliExpress and there are lots of stores on the platform.

[@D3ZG1978]

@WatchEnclave fair enough 🫡

[@mishapikin-b8c]

i had avi 8 once,what a garbage

[@jamar959]

I seem to be in the minority here...but my Christopher Ward is junk! Never again!

[@WatchEnclave]

Nope I've seen some concerns lately on threads regarding their poor customer service and QC. It's really sad

[@SimoneDaDalt]

What about Yema?

[@WatchEnclave]

Terrible customer service and not worth the price tag.