One recent trend that has come about in the last couple years thanks to crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter is the rise of microbrand watches. Big brands such as Omega, Rolex and Seiko, still dominate the market, but the allure of smaller brands that produce high quality, custom-made watches, is gaining appeal globally. This trend was brought to my attention by my friend, Bill McDowell, who recently saw his Kickstarter for his McDowell Time DelRay Auto-Quartz Watch get fully funded. He has a passion for watches and told me about how microbrand watches are gaining in popularity thanks primarily to Kickstarter. He also enlightened me to the fact that crowdfunding isn’t the only way that the internet has played a part in his own journey of creating and marketing a microbrand watch. It has also made it easier to find suppliers and other resources. However, finding and vetting the best suppliers to work with poses its own set of challenges. McDowell has also used social media to reach out to potential backers and do valuable market research. A recent article in Bluenotes analyzed this growing trend and offered up some promising statistics. In 2012, there were two successful watch projects on Kickstarter in which 316 backers raised a total of $USD101,252 for the two projects. These numbers jumped to 87 projects in 2015 and more than $US7.4 million raised.
In the Bluenotes piece, Nick Warner, a South African now living in Auckland who in 2015 launched his own brand, Uhuru, had this to say about the difference between big brand watches and microbrands: Now you might be thinking, what about the growing popularity of smart watches? What will this do to the interest in conventional watches? Well, realistically there’s no way to tell. As smart watches become even more advanced, many people might prefer them over mechanical watches, but it could also increase interest in watches and help microbrand watches to grow. And there will always be those who just love the look of classic watches.
