MBWdb is a database built as a companion tool for members of the Microbrand Watches Facebook group to check if a watch brand is considered a microbrand according to our posting guidelines.
Other enthusiast groups – on Facebook and elsewhere – are very welcome to also use this database. We ask that you keep in mind that MBWdb is built and maintained by fellow-enthusiasts like you, as a labor of love.
As there is no official definition of what is a microbrand and everyone has their own interpretation, here are are the criteria that a brand has to meet in order to be accepted as a microbrand in this database:
- The brand is typically a small business and may have a small number of full-time employees.
- Most of the production is outsourced (which means the brand does not own its factory).
- The movements used are not produced in-house.
- Sales are done primarily online with limited or no brick and mortar presence.
- The design includes original elements or homage interpretations beyond 1:1 rebranded copies or widely available catalog parts/designs.
INDEPENDENT BRANDS – some smaller watch brands fit most parts of the microbrand definition; the key difference we consider is that while independently owned, they do their own parts/case manufacturing, and/or in-house movements. This makes them an Independent Brand on the database.
These still DO NOT qualify as a microbrand as per the definition or to be posted in the Microbrand Watches facebook group.
Add a brand to our db
If a brand is missing which you believe meets the criteria above, you can send us a message using this form:
Please wait for a successful launch or crowd source campaign before submitting to join the database.
In progress campaigns will not be added if submitted, and may not be remembered later.