Compiling a book about microbrand watches is no small task. How many exist? Who do you include? What criteria do you apply? It’s daunting, and yet, MrWatch93 has made a valiant effort, publishing the Microbrands Book this past June. According to the author, he applied a loose definition of “microbrand” that focused on production scale and which also covered smaller independents.
The book is paperback, 200 pages, and features 46 brands with photos, background, and highlights of their key releases. A great many of these brands are based in Singapore, which is no surprise given that it has become the Geneva of the microbrand watch world. Print quality is good, even if is not the glossy stock you might find in Watch annuals from more established publishers. While MrWatch93 is Italian, his book is written in fluent English. He has included a brief introduction in which he explains the microbrand phenomenon and his passion for these unique watches and he shared his own opinions on what makes each brand noteworthy in his “Why Buy” sections.
My initial thought upon skimming the book was that it just wasn’t enough. There were some curious omissions. You won’t find some notable microbrand pioneers like Bernhardt or Lum-Tec in here, but you will see others like Towson Watch Company and Formex. Time Bum favorites like Vario, Gavox, and Havaan Tuvali got spots but not Tsao Baltimore or Seals. MrWatch93 selected brands that piqued his interest, answered his emails, and could provide quality photographs. He did not charge brands for inclusion. [Correction. The brands were charged. I misunderstood the author’s response to my question.] It’s hard to argue with that process. You couldn’t possibly include them all, and besides, 46 watch brands is not bad at all.
I consider myself a microbrand expert, but I still learned about a number of unfamiliar brands in those pages. For those that I did know, it was nice to see their products and the owner’s faces and perhaps learn a bit about their outlook. My biggest criticism is that I wanted more.
It says “2022” on the book’s spine, leading me to hope that this was just the first of many volumes. MrWatch93 confirmed that he is planning a second edition in April 2023 that is expected to be 300 pages and cover 70 brands.
The Microbrands Book is available on Amazon for $39.99 (or less if you catch it on sale), and it is the only watch book I know of that has such a focus on these smaller brands, which should make its purchase an easy call for the average Time Bum reader. I consider the Microbrands Book to be a fine addition to my collection, I highly recommend it, and I’m looking forward to the next edition.
