the soaring price of new micro-brand offerings

The allure of the micro-brands use to be offering stylish timepieces, with materials, movements, and price tags that rival the larger manufacturers. Anymore, it seems as though new timepieces are hitting the market, with price tags North of $500, offering simple 3-hand, with date, Citizen or Seiko automatic movements, with Japanese quartz powered timepieces offered at prices North of $350.

I never thought I'd see the day when micro-brand new releases, with Japanese automatic, 3-hand, movements, would be given price points approaching $1,000. There is no doubt that materials, especially high-quality materials cost money. And a brands ability to source, and negotiate material pricing, will ultimately dictate the price of their timepiece at release.

My best advice, if a timepiece you fancy is being offered via a Kickstarter campaign, getting in on the initial campaign can save your some money off the initial release price of the watch, saving upwards of $100, if not more. The micro-brands continue to offer some very nice designs, and the added variety of timepieces are a definite win for all watch collectors. Here's hoping that some of these micro-brands stick around for the long-haul, and are able to offer competitive pricing, and not eventually price themselves out of the market, never to be heard from again.