TimeTexas

An incredibly detailed and interactive look at how a mechanical watch works. https://ciechanow.ski/

and I just added @bespokenlounge as well.

As someone who despises social media (and didn't even use Instagram until this past January), I think its worth plugging Vero.co here. It is a social media feed, very similar to Instagram. The biggest difference is there is not auto-generated content feed. No algorithms trying to figure out how to best put marketing materials and sponsored materials in front of your face. There's also no promoting "Reels" so it can be more like TikTok. It's simply a feed of the posts made by the people you follow. No interruptions, no blaring Reel from the latest hype-machine, no sponsored content suggestions. It seems to be a platform that is perfect for photography and for hobbies like watches that are much more geared toward still photography rather than videos/reels. I don't know that it will ever be all that popular, but it should be. And I believe they will probably end up charging some monthly fee since they don't have advertising revenue. But if you sign up early, you'll be exempt from any fees in the future. So even if you don't want to use it now, its worth signing up just for that in the event it does become more popular. I'm @timetexas on Vero. I'll be starting an account for BSL as well and hopefully include a feed from members posts. If you're on Vero, I'd be interested in hearing your experience and also post your handle. There are some growing pains. I'm using it on Android and its a little laggy at times. Sometimes it hangs up when trying to look at certain feeds or Requests. My biggest gripe has been that when posting, it doesn't show my "favorites" as an option which makes it more difficult to locate the correct photo I want to post. That said, I've made a suggestion for that to be added and they were very responsive - so hopefully they are listening to user feedback and will make improvements once they move out of beta.

I've been doing some thinking on this and I really think its a blurred line and there are no set rules. And I think where it ultimately matters is potential price point for the timepieces. In no way do I intend to disparage microbrands...I love the creativity and value they bring to the market as alternatives in the more affordable space, especially compared to large luxury brands. However, microbrands, even larger and well known micros, are still viewed within the watch world as "kickstarter" projects. Even if that isn't necessarily the case. Certainly Kickstarter has been fuel on the fire as watches have seen an increase in popularity over the last several years. But that's far from actual reality as many microbrands either never used Kickstarter or have stopped using it as their brand has grown in popularity. But "microbrands" probably have a limiting upper limit on the amount they can charge for a timepiece. And I think that discussion warrants another thread. "Independent brands" and "watchmakers" are seen as much more as having elements of craftsmanship that go beyond just design and outsourcing production. As a result, the value of that craftsmanship can vary greatly and lead to pieces easily going into the 10's and 100's of thousands of dollars. Microbrands, generally, do not provide any specific craftsmanship that is provided by an in-house "watchmaker" per se. And I think you see that some of the upper tier "microbrands" are now making significant efforts to move into the higher tier "independent" category. Brands like Formex offer unique and patented design elements that are a large step above a typical microbrand. Orion watches recently released a new model the "Tesseract" which has a much more intricate hand-finished dial and case finishing than the standard finishes you would find on a microbrand. But Orion straddles the line and also offers timepieces in the $700-$800 range which can be seen as more of the microbrand territory. I think a company like anOrdain comfortably fits in the independent category as they provide a very specialized dial making process that is performed in-house. That in-house craftsmanship is well beyond a typical microbrand even at relatively affordable price points. Horage is another great example of a company that started completely with outsourced components and over the years has added signficant in-house capabilities and is now clearly an exciting independent brand. So while there are no hard and fast rules, I do think that one of the biggest differentiators is the element of in-house craftsmanship. Whether that is as simple as finishing, all the way up to creation of in-house movements. And while there are varying degrees, there is certainly a growing number of smaller microbrands that appear to be taking steps to move up to independent status. And that's exciting news for watch lovers (especially those on a budget). What other companies are straddling the micro/indie line?