Andrew digs into the sudden success of microbrands in sharp competition with the big boys

Russell Sheldrake

It’s no secret that we here at Time+Tide are a fan of microbrands. We have our weekly column that brings you some of the youngest and funnest of the bunch called Micro Mondays, and the recent creative flurry that we’ve seen emerging from these freshly minted micros gave our very own Andrew McUtchen pause for thought. Writing in his new column for trade publication WatchPro, Andrew examines how many of the latest releases appear to pull from the big brands’ archives in an article titled, TOMB RAIDERS: The growing phenomenon of microbrands raiding brands archives to great effect.

The first example that comes to mind when considering this new trend is the impactful release of the Toledano & Chan B/1, a brutalist timepiece with more than a couple similarities to the legendary Rolex King Midas. While the direct inspiration for this watch came from a window on the side of the brutalist Breuer Building, its success is greatly tied to the popularity and current fondness for the esoteric design of the Midas, originally penned by Gérald Genta.

Andrew pulls quotes from his upcoming interview with legendary watch designer of the Royal Oak Offshore and Rolex Cellini, Emmanuel Guiet, who has high praise for many of these micro-brand releases, singling out the B/1 and the Berneron Mirage as extremely strong offerings that bring back rich design codes made famous by much older brands with modern twists. With the ability to be far more agile, reacting to market forces in months rather than years, and complete freedom when it comes to design, supply chain, and nearly all other metrics, microbrands look set to continue this rise as they pull from the history of the big brands.

You can read Andrew’s full column here, with Andrew set to tackle more topics in the near future.