Major Microbrand Watch Releases: Vario, Isotope, Monbrey, & More!
- Jilliano Romano
- 7 hours ago
- 8 min read
It may be hyperbole, but sometimes, it feels as if there’s a new release every single day - and that’s just for mainstream brands. If you include microbrands and independents, it may actually be the case. As watch enthusiasts, it’s great to stay updated, but realistically, there’s only so many watches we can track. So, I have made the ultimate sacrifice… and taken it upon myself to research some truly awesome brands, and condense it into one article. I know, I’m a saint!
All jokes aside, it was great to put together this list, and I enjoyed talking with over a dozen brand owners, but I couldn’t put every single brand into one article, unfortunately, so if I’ve missed anything, let me know in the comments, and depending on the reception, I might write one of these articles every month.
Vario Navi: Living in the Moment with a Single Hand
Vario is one of my favorite brands of all time, and I’ve made no secret of that in my many articles and videos about the brand. However, their latest release is what inspired me to write this article to begin with, because of how unique, how niche, and most importantly, how cool it is. The Singaporean microbrand has released the nautical themed collection known as the Navi, and unlike their other watches, the first priority of this is to not tell time; instead, its main purpose is calm and living in the moment. This is why there are no indices or hour markers, and instead of a minute track, the dial is ringed with borders in 15 minute increments, and in each border is the word for each numeral from 1 to 12. To take it one step further, these words are unique for each variant, as each variant is modeled after a different country.
The blue, red, and white Navi Voyage France, for example, uses Un, Deux, Trois, all the way up to Douze at the 12. I know, my French teacher would be so proud of me. The black, yellow, and red Navi Voyage Germany uses German, and this is the same for Spain (Spanish), United Kingdom (English), and Italy (Italian). There is a small-seconds sub-dial placed asymetrically above the 4 o’clock, and as a nod to its nautical theme, the hand for this looks like the hand of a compass with its half-red and half-white colors (which can also be seen as a reference to Vario’s Singaporean roots).
Powered by a Miyota 82s5 with decent proportions at a 38mm case diameter, this collection is as niche as they come, and Ivan and Judy, the founders of Vario, know full well that the Navi may not be for everyone. However, they were driven to create something new and different from all their other watches, and they also did so with the knowledge that somewhere out there, there are passionate people who want a good looking watch that reminds them to take a breath and live in the moment.
Learn more about Vario’s newest collection at the following link!
Isotope: Sharks and Jump Hours
Who said that brutalist design couldn’t be beautiful? It almost seems as if the talented people behind Isotope heard that, and decided to prove that there is great beauty that can be found in these tough, sharp angles, and darker colors, such as their upcoming Hydrium Grey Reef Shark. As the name suggests, it was inspired by the endangered Grey Reef Shark, and you can really see that in its dark grey microblasted stainless steel case with 300M of water resistance. This shade of grey seems to defy reflections, and in my opinion, it even stands out more than something more colorful.
The bezel is made in a darker shade of grey from the rest of the watch, resembling an old school scuba helmet (no, not the Patek or AP kind!), and as can be expected from Isotope, the dial is minimal with powerful lumed indices, handset, and a specially lumed Isotope pip at the top of the bezel in green to contrast with the blue lume from the rest of the watch. Powering this watch is the Swiss Landeron movement. Speaking of unique movements, Isotope is also releasing their new Ovni Jumping Disc watches with The Martian and the Neptunian.
Both of these watches look completely out of this world… no, I mean that literally. This is reinforced by their inspiration - Mars as Earth’s closest neighbor, and Neptune as our farthest neighbor. If our solar system of inhabitable planets was a neighborhood, then Neptune would be the house that’s on the border between the suburbs and the city. Featuring the premium La-Joux Perret G101 movement, the watches also have Isotope’s proprietary jumping disc module, which means that this watch works like a jump-hour, yet looks completely different from any other.
Learn more about these upcoming releases from Isotope at the following link!
Seconds Society: Creative Freedom
This will be a bit different from the previous two brands, as it is not exactly a brand - instead, it is an independent design studio founded by Ray, Ash, and Wahhaj, with the goal of creating new, exciting watches designed by collectors for collectors.
Seconds Society has created truly distinct pieces such as their collaboration with Fears on a jump hour watch last year, but more recently, we have an exciting collaboration between Seconds Society and Isotope (sound familiar?), and E.C. Andersson.
The Mercury Seconds Society x Isotope features the iconic Isotope logo at the 12 o'clock, but the rest of the dial is all Seconds Society with its mixture of cream, burgundy red hour markers, and lightly textured grey. Beneath the dial is the Caliber I-7, which is a modified ETA Peseux 7001, which you can see through the exhibition caseback. The only downside of this watch is that it's limited to just 10 pieces worldwide.
On the other wrist (pun intended), the E.C.A. x Seconds Society combines the original Nordic design language with inspiration from the Lahbab Desert in the United Arab Emirates.
Sunrex Watches: A New Pilot's Watch is Coming
Some of you may have seen my recent Between 2 Lugs podcast episode with Ray and Chi from Sunrex Watches, and if you did, you may have heard them mention some new and exciting releases coming soon.
I am very excited that I get to share these sneak peek renders for their upcoming Pilot's Watch, which will once again feature their proprietary solar quartz movement.
Sunrex Watches have had a distinct design language since the very beginning, but I already know that I will be annoying their founders (sorry in advance, Ray & Chi) for more pictures as they continue through the production process.
Walker & Crown: Coming Soon
If you are friends with me, then I am sorry, because it must mean this is my 20th time talking about English microbrand Walker & Crown, but I simply can't help myself. The 80s-inspired Revival collection will be available for sale very soon, and unlike the majority of microbrands, it is completely self-funded, so no one has to worry about any Kickstarter snafus. Sign up for the Revival at the following link, or read my recent article discussing Jonny and Colette's brand.
Houtman Watches: Proudly Australian
I first discovered Houtman Watches through my good friend Jay of Dang Horology. Jay has handled every brand from Rolex and Vacheron Constantin all the way to Christopher Ward and Nomos, yet one of his three favorite brands was the Western Australian microbrand Houtman Watches.
After getting the chance to review the Houtman Murchison, I realized it was because every single watch is designed with passion and a drive for excellence, and it did so with a great deal of personality and verve.
Their upcoming release, the Pilbara Mark II, is genuinely going to be one of the best divers at its price point, and it will surely blow many of its competition out of the water. With incredible lume, vibrantly colorful dials, and a comfortable bracelet, the upcoming release from Houtman will definitely gain some loyal collectors.
Yuen Watches: Y-01
Ong Joo Yuen, who founded Malaysian microbrand Yuen Watches, combined his years as a collector, and his own eye for design to create truly original watches.
With their debut collection - the Y-01 Nascence - I believe that Ong JY succeeded at exactly that. Using individually cut abalone shells, each dial has a radiant, fumé design that literally catches your attention, especially when it's under the right lighting. Each watch also has a modular case with drilled lugs (20mm, thankfully).
The 39mm case size paired with a Miyota 9039 movement means that they are able to offer DDP shipping worldwide at exactly 1188 USD, and you get the feeling that if it was remotely possible, Yuen Watches would've priced it even lower.
Speaking as someone who works for a microbrand, I know all too well how expensive DDP shipping can be, especially to countries like Brazil, Indonesia, and Hungary (I'm looking at you, Gyuri!). But, it shows you how Ong JY is prioritizing each enthusiast because he is taking that risk on his shoulders in an effort to remove any obstacles from his customers' path.
Monbrey Watches: A Triple Threat
The Hong Kong-based brand, Monbrey Watches, has unveiled their third collection - the Trinova. This collection embraces natural materials with their stone dials ranging from Onyx, Tiger Eye, Sodalite, and more, although my favorite has to be the Natural Bloodstone dial, which has a textured, turquoise dial encircled by its bejeweled triangular hour markers.
There isn't much for me to say about this as I have yet to see it in person, but the first time I saw a picture of it on Robbie's wrist (Robbie & Watches), I immediately followed the brand. It has that next level premium and luxury look at a fraction of the price.
Axon: Success is Earned
One of the very first microbrands I discovered when I started The Watch Brief last year was the Italian brand, Axon. At the time, the brand was quite new, and they had yet to even launch on Kickstarter, but their plan of offering grand complications at affordable prices spoke to me, and I got the chance to interview one of the founders, Tommaso.
Since that interview, they achieved their Kickstarter goal (and then some!), and even as I write this article, they are hard at work in fulfilling their promises. They will also soon accept orders on their website, so I highly recommend you check them out when you can.
Wancher Watch: The World's First Urushi Watch Case
I have a confession. When my good friend, Adriel Rahisana of Makiya Watches, first told me that he had sent one of our Dream Watch cases to our artisans in Aizu, Japan for them to coat it with Aka Tamenuri Urushi, I literally thought he was insane. Who would put Urushi on a watch case?
Well, I got my answer when it arrived after a full year of work. You can learn more about this project at the video below!
Microbrand Watches: The Future is Bright
Although the entire purpose of this article was to sum up recent or upcoming releases from our favorite microbrands, I realized the irony in the fact that I'm unable to include all of my favorite releases, or dedicate a section to each one. However, you can expect to see something very exciting from my favorite enamel dial-specialty brand O&HoraPictor, so I recommend you follow them on all their socials. I also love the recent Brew Watch release; then again, I love all releases from Brew Watches, so that's not really surprising. I also can't forget the recent Nectere Eclipse release, which is rapidly selling out, by the way!
If I have missed a notable brand, however, feel free to leave a comment, and call me names, and then I can make sure to mention it in the next edition of this article. Thank you to Vario, Axon Origo, Yuen, Seconds Society, Isotope, Houtman Watches, Monbrey, and Sunrex for all the information you shared with me!
Excellent article and filled with interesting insights on many watch brands.
So many good watches