Micro but mighty: our favourite microbrand watches of 2025

Tom Austin

Without sounding too cliché, 2025 was a bumper year for microbrands. Having visited a couple of events throughout the year, I saw with my own eyes not only the demand and enthusiasm from enthusiasts, but also the incredible passion and effort that goes into designing and producing these watches. It’s something, in my opinion, that the bigger “blue-chip” watch brands need to be very aware of, because in this day and age, that passion, love and enduring drive is what captures the attention, hearts, and importantly, the wallets of collectors most, and is reshaping the industry before our very eyes.

So, out of all the microbrand watches that released this year, which ones stand out as the best (or, at least, our favourites)? Grab a coffee and take a seat, as it’s a long list…

Anoma A1 Optical

As a creative person, I’d argue that pretty much all wristwatches qualify as art forms; however, some watches pursue that ambition more persistently than others. Anoma introduced its A1 in 2024 to quite the fanfare, and by August this year, the second model, the A1 Optical, was on the horizon.

This tri-sided anomaly had gained a dial that first appeared in the TimeforArt auction last year, but this time came in the form of two copper and silver dials, featuring a wavy, engraved design inspired by the Optical art movement. The first 300 pieces not only came individually numbered, but also arrived with a numbered print created by Adam Fuhrer, a renowned optical artist.

Studio Underd0g 01 Homage Series

Upon finding out one’s life’s work had been plagiarised and ripped off all of a sudden, most people would be horrified and not know what on earth to do, spiralling into a world of panic and lawyers’ letters. But Richard Benc from Studio Underd0g is not most people. After having had enough of seeing his 01Series Chronograph being faked and copied, he took matters into his own hands with the “Homage Series”. Starting with a brilliant teaser video of popular watch influencers’ faces deepfaked onto his body, he prepared to pull the ultimate uno reverse card: creating homage colourways of the fake Underd0g watches he’d discovered on sale.

The result was the Av0cado & Guacam0le, a limited-edition release that went down a storm. This approach was not only hilariously funny but also a testament to Studio Underd0g’s nature of not taking itself too seriously, and it created another storyline in the brand’s short but successful story so far.

echo/neutra Rivanera Piccolo

Small, rectangular watches have gathered a ton of momentum in 2025; however, if your tastes or your wallet don’t stretch to gold Tanks or Reversos, what other options are out there? Well, echo/neutra’s Rivanera is a choice that’s top of the list. That watch was one of the standout microbrand releases of 2024, and in late 2025, echo/neutra released a sequel, the Rivanera Piccolo, which makes it onto this year’s list.

The Piccolo carries over the dark, grade 5 titanium case, albeit in a much squarer form, and brand-new guilloché dial options, too. It’s a dressy yet sporty small watch with bags of character and attitude, and the sharp, angular case stands out against the classical crowd in this category.

Kollokium Projekt 02

I first discovered Kollokium in early 2024 when I wrote a piece about exciting microbrands to watch out for, and since then, they’ve released some stunning watches. The Kollokium Projekt 02 is the brand’s second release, following a successful first outing that explored insane 3-dimensional lume plots which made up the dial.

The 02 model iterates upon the 01, refining its case shape and swapping columns for a topographical layout for the dial, made up of 67 different plates which are similarly topped with lume. The stainless steel case is die-cast rather than machined, giving it a unique, technical appearance, and it also features a large, box-shaped crystal up top that stretches over the sides. So far, the 02 has only been available as a friends and family release: I hope 2026 sees a wider release.

Selten Métiers d’Art Grand Feu Enamel

Born from founder Leonardo Tsai’s family tradition of dial making, Selten has been around since 2017, and this year, the brand released the Métiers d’Art Grand Feu Enamel, a collection that showcased some incredible, painstakingly finished enamel dials. There are five colours, each with two distinct styles. The first is the “Flare”, with radial brushing emanating from the centre, and the second is the “Spiral”, with around 700 brushed lines winding out from the centre.

Each dial takes about 4-5 hours to complete, and the vibrant enamel colours add contemporary flair to what is essentially a classic-looking watch. Also, for an extra $100, you can add a fully hand-engraved rotor, which looks exquisite and is a must-have addition.

Paulin Zapata Modul

Another watch that proves my point about watches being an art form is the Paulin Zapata Modul. Released in March, the watch came about as a collaboration between Paulin and Chicago-based artist and designer, Crystal Zapata. Founded by a trio of sisters, Paulin is a Scottish brand that launched in 2013, and the Modul is its flagship model. The Zapata found its dial to be a blank canvas for Crystal’s creative design work, transforming the typefaces of the 12, 3, 6, and 9 numerals into a complete dial design in her own distinct style.

The watch comes in two dial configurations, Day & Night, and both feature an engraved case back depicting Zapata’s own star constellation design. The ‘70s tonneau style is nicely finished off with a mesh bracelet, too.

Arcanaut ARC II D’Arc Roast

The microbrand world is awash with some of the most creative designs and material uses you can find; it’s one of the reasons why the microbrand space is so important, because it serves as a vehicle for some of the most ingenious creators to really let their hair down. Arcanaut is one brand that likes to push things one step further, and this year, they launched the ARC II D’Arc Roast, a watch with a rather interesting dial that not only looks cool but also pays homage to Danish coffee-drinking culture.

That textured brown dial is, in fact, made from coffee grounds. Each dial is unique and is produced by forming coffee grounds into a millable composite block under intense pressure. The result is captivating, especially against the bronze dial furniture and the brown FKM rubber strap. Amazingly, it’s not the first time we’ve seen a coffee-inspired watch design, but the D’Arc Roast is easily one of the best efforts we’ve seen so far.

Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9

From a small workshop in Tokyo, Japan, we’re seeing a new movement appear, in both senses of the word. Ōtsuka Lōtec is a brand that’s currently taking the watch world by storm, with its models proving extraordinarily hard to get hold of. The latest in a line of extraordinary pieces is the No. 9, a watch that pushes the complexity of Ōtsuka Lōtec to levels we’ve not seen before.

Hand-built by master watchmaker Jiro Katayama, the No. 9 features a rectangular design for the first time, and inside the minimal case, the manually-wound movement features a tourbillon, a sonnerie au passage and an instantaneous jumping hour with retrograde minute disc system. All this is done while retaining that industrial, workshop-finished yet intensely beautiful look that the brand is renowned for. It’s significantly more expensive and complicated than typical microbrand releases, but it had to make this list!

Earthen Co. Summit

I love the look of ceramic watches; however, it’s clear that ceramic-cased watches often lean towards the higher end of the scale when it comes to price. Earthen set out to change that this year, with the Summit collection. Intending to democratise ceramic watches, the brand released a trio of ceramic-cased Pilot-style field watches that turn the notion of premium-priced ceramic watches on its head.

The trio comprises two white cases and a black case, with one case sporting an icy white dial and the others a contrasting black dial. At 38mm in diameter and 9.9mm thick, they make a solid case as a usable and functional watch, with all the style and ceramic substance of a watch sitting at a price point multiples above it.

Dennison ALD Dual Time

As I’ve mentioned several times, the growing interest in smaller, dressier watches for casual, everyday wear is very real. We’re seeing a resurgence in dress-watch style, and brands are pushing forward along with it. One such brand is Dennison. It’s a revived brand that originally made watch cases for the likes of Rolex and Omega in the early 20th century, but now, it focuses on its ALD model, designed by the brilliant, legendary designer Emmanuel Gueit.

2025 saw the launch of the Dual Time, an ALD with a difference, featuring not one but two Ronda 1062 quartz movements powering two dials up front. Taking a leaf out of Piaget’s style guide, the ALD dual time took Dennison’s penchant for stone dials and doubled down, offering dials with two different stones, for that added twist. One of the best of the bunch is the tiger’s eye and black marble dial, among several others. The best part? The price. Dennison is offering a watch with a truly unique style, neatly finished, at an astounding price point that’s hard to ignore.

Serica 1174 Parade

If there’s one thing the French can do, it’s make nice dress watches. Serica is a brand that broke out while attempting to upend the tool watch market, but this year, another watch in its roster stood out significantly. The Parade is their Parisian take on a dress watch, featuring a minimalist dial and a carefully crafted, unique ellipse-shaped case. As far as dress watches go, it’s slightly on the chunkier side, but the case design leans into that well, and it feels intentional rather than a side-effect. Serica managed to squeeze an automatic Soprod M100 movement in there, too, meaning it has tool-watch levels of reliability, which is always a bonus.

Four dials are available for the Parade: two linen dials in brown and blue, or two sunburst dials in black or bright brass, of which the latter is the best pick, in my opinion.

Beaubleu Seconde Française

The beauty of microbrand watches is that you really get to see the quirky side of watchmaking, where brands can afford to be unorthodox and apply a little more whimsy to their designs. The Beaubleu Seconde Française is one such watch that, at its core, is a traditional-looking piece, but has details that make you stop and do a double-take. The case takes on a slight disco-volante style, with unusual protruding lugs, but the real attention-grabber here is the dial. The hands form a series of loops that, over time, loop around each other, sort of like how magicians’ rings might seamlessly flow around a central point with a bit of sleight of hand.

It’s a little bewildering to try to tell the time by looking at the Seconde Française, but that’s entirely the point; it’s supposed to make you stop and take it in. It’s a tiny sprinkle of magic and character that we love to see from microbrands.

Awake Sơn Mài Fragments

Awake is a brand that takes its dials extremely seriously, and it’s easy to see why. Since 2019, they’ve been perfecting their Sơn Mái dials using Vietnamese enamelling techniques, and with each release, they seem to get better and better. The 2025 Sơn Mái Fragments release saw the introduction of mother‑of‑pearl fragments set into Vietnamese sơn mài lacquer, resulting in dials that shifted colour and intensity, and of course, were all completely unique.

Set into a contemporary stainless steel dress watch case, against luminescent hour markers and hands, the watches are pretty captivating to look at. Each dial takes about 15 hours to complete, and they come in pink, green, or blue finishes.

Toledano & Chan B/1.2 Mother Of Pearl

One of the unique and stand-out pieces of the year has to be the B/1.2 from Toledano & Chan. The brand launched in 2024 to immediate critical acclaim with the original B/1, the brainchild of all-round, stand-up geezer Phil Toledano and designer Alfred Chan. The watch sold out, and its brutalist cult-status was immediate. We knew from that point that whatever was going to come next was going to be a smash hit. So a few months later, the B/1.2 arrived, with the same brutal, asymmetric slab design, but featuring a gorgeous mother-of-pearl dial.

Technically a destro, it gives off Rolex Cellini King Midas vibes, but with a hint of Blade Runner-come-Star Wars, and has a certain refinement thanks to that dial, which simply cannot be ignored. We can’t wait to see what comes next…