As a small business owner, I deeply appreciate the passion, innovation, and craftsmanship that go into building

something unique. Micr brand watches represent the epitome of this ethos in our space, unlike mass-market timepieces.

Micr brands often prioritize quality over quantity, storytelling over mere branding, and genuine customer connection over big-budget marketing. With that in

mind, today's video is also sponsored by another small business, which I'll cover a little later in this video. Watch

Design Academy. Today, I'm highlighting three micr brands that exemplify this spirit through their watches: the Main

Brooklyn 36, the Vansan Niko, and the MB&F MB2. Each of these watches

has a story to be told of bold ambition and remarkable execution, delivering exceptional timepieces that reflect their creators' dedication. That being

said, I'll still highlight some of the negatives and positives about each watch, and I have chapters down below for each

of them as we go through. Now, this is the Main Brooklyn 36 triple calendar, which is something you don't see very often.

It's very well-proportioned for a timepiece from that era. Now, the 36, given the name,

channels this elegance of vintage timepieces with its compact 36 mm case. It caters to those who really want a

discreet refinement, and the dimensions are ideal for those who have small wrists or for anyone who's looking

for a watch that doesn't scream for attention, or likes a smaller package. I do find the smaller a dial is, the more

you notice those little refinements, and they tend to stand out a little more than on a really large watch case. So why

does this watch stand out? Now, first, it's the classic aesthetic, right? So you get a triple calendar watch in a micr brand at

a reasonable price, which is a complication you don't see that often, and obviously in a wide range of subdued

colors that's reminiscent of mid-century dress watches with a modern twist. You actually have a pusher on the side, as

well as the crown, to set each of the days of the month. And as it switches over, you can obviously adjust the day

and date separately. And then the date is what actually coincides with the month of the year, but you can track what day of

the year you are, entirely on this watch, just missing the year itself. Now, in the back here, you're powered by the Miyota

9122, which has this included complication, and it comes here on this beautiful Jubilee-style bracelet that's

very well manufactured, ending here in an asymmetric butterfly clasp, which you can obviously have different thoughts on.

Asymmetric clasp, but I like the little 'M' here rather than doing the whole name; it's just a nice little touch. Now, with this

watch, it's very obvious that Maine knows exactly who their target audience is for this watch. They use these applied

indices, the subtly domed sapphire crystal, and this finely brushed case showcases that their manufacturer did a

very nice job. But to call a spade a spade, the watch does feel very much like an Oyster case design with the curved

side here, the relatively flat bottom, even the Rolex-style case back. The bezel here looks very much like what you'd see

on an Explorer; it just happens to have a brushed finish versus a polished finish. With the raised sapphire crystal on the top,

it looks like, honestly, an Explorer in many ways, with a few small caveats, which I'll get into in the negatives. But

the dial has been replaced with an annual calendar with this nice, in my case, beige interpretation. The big benefit on this watch has to be the

Wearability: it disappears on the wrist, which is kind of expected for a 36 mm watch. Also, the symmetry, the font of the

logo that's chosen—which I think a lot of people get wrong—is just simply font questions. And then also, even the little

texture that you have in these recessed sub-dials. The date window was a nice choice. The exterior looks almost like

more of a beige or an off-white or cream than an actual white surround with each of the minute tracks. And then my

favorite part has to be the fact that these loom plots also come in this patina. Now, I'm not a huge fan of patina,

but these little loom plots look exactly like what you'd have—or I used to have—on my vintage Tudor Oyster Prince. It's

just like very classic vintage Rolex in many ways, just with a modern interpretation and a triple calendar layout. And that is, honestly, I think what

they're going for here. You have the Jubilee-style bracelet. Yeah, it's a butterfly clasp, that's a little

different, but it is kind of what you would expect out of a Rolex, or vintage Rolex, with this sort of complication, but

designed with a few extra twists. But it does have, I would say, two main downsides to this watch outside of it not being

everyone's cup of tea in terms of sizing. One is going to be that this bracelet is a bit on the sharp end on these backside

links. That is something you typically see on Jubilees. On a watch under $1,000, is that you just end up with a little

bit less of—like they're not going to go in and knock each of these edges down to feel a little nicer—unless it's

a huge brand like a Seiko, where they might actually do that on some of theirs, but they are hit or miss as well. And the

other one has to be the fact that it has this very long lug-to-lug for 36 mm.

A lug-to-lug of 46 mm is actually quite high, and it's noticeable that they're longer than the case head.

Probably ought to be—I think if they reduced that, it would look more proportional and it would look better.

But again, that's my preference. When it's on the bracelet, you don't notice those longer lugs very much, but when it's on a

strap, you certainly will notice it more often. And so that's kind of the only two big negatives I would say on this Main.

Otherwise, fantastic watch; good price point, I would say, at about 700–800, roughly, depending on where you're

purchasing it from. And I think a lot of the elements a lot of people like in vintage Rolex and vintage Tudor, and I

don't see why you can't get that but with a cool complication added in. Before we get to watch number two, I want to

highlight today's sponsor. Now, it's Watch Design Academy. If you've ever considered making your own watch or watch company,

or you're just curious about the process, this is absolutely awesome. As someone who has learned 3D modeling and multiple

CAD softwares for my business, or my small business, these skills are not only useful for watches but in

general, very widely helpful. Now, I love that there's a small business out there led by Dominic who has been doing

freelance work in the space for a while, but now is making his own brand to help design as well as teach others how to

design watches with 3D renders and all the detailed CAD work that you would need to make your own. I think it's an awesome

concept for a business; definitely something I'll be looking into as something I might toy around with, including 3D printing a watch case, maybe

at some point. But I just think it's it's really interesting, really unique, and really helps people that don't have that

skill set to get off the ground if they're interested in potentially pursuing it. Check out Watch Design

Academy link down below and use the code Harrison for 10% off when you check out.

The second watch here is the Velsa Niko Bantoro, which is a Venetian design, and

that's immediately apparent when you open up the watch. This draws from Venetian history; the Bantoro is a

ceremonial barge, and you see the watch screams Italy, I think, as soon as you

honestly look at the watch box. From the details on the box itself to the logo, to the strap choice and the dial design, I

think all of it just really feels Italian. It's powered by the dependable Seiko NE88A, which is what something

I'll focus on a little later, which is a column-wheel activated chronograph, vertical clutch movement, which is

starting to make waves, I think, in the micro-brand space, and for the price point it typically sells at, is something I

think is great in a mechanical chronograph. As someone who loves mechanical chronographs, now, as you even

open up the box, they'll have a map where you can see each of the elements of Venice where they're pulling their names

for their different model lines, and that's where they have the picture of the barge, and it's just—it's unique. It's

like, uh, tying a story into the unboxing experience. These details, I think, are what really create this feeling of

connection to the brand, which is what you're looking for when you go for a micro-brand. You know, this watch does

tell a story, and it's a story that I think many people are going to connect to, especially if they have an Italian

Background. Now, the big thing here is they didn't outright copy anyone, which is what I want to highlight more than

anything. In these micro-brands, each pulls inspiration from somewhere else but isn't a direct homage. Now, they could

have done what many brands did and just taken a design and then used it as their own, but this watch didn't do that. It is

very clean, it's very well-finished. It is still a panda-style design, but it isn't ripping off anyone. I think the applied

indices are a nice touch, the applied logo at the top, the name, even the 'Bin Toro' written underneath in red script. I

think everything's proportioned really well. It takes that 42 mm and makes it feel a lot smaller, just because the dial

itself is relatively small, especially when you include the tachymeter being on the interior of the watch. It makes the

entire thing wear a lot more compact, but still robust because it has so much exposed steel that's showing. You know, I

love that they did this different pusher design. I like the crown; I like the detailing of the logo etched onto the

crown. I like even the fact that they have the branding on the back, etched into the back of the watch. The case is also

really well-designed and well-finished, where you have the lugs actually have an angle in them before they come all the

way down, and then a high-polish chamfer that runs the entire length. Clearly, they're working with some very good

manufacturers to be able to build this watch. Now, in the back here is something I really want to highlight, and that is

the Seiko movement. Now, this is an NE88A; this is a column-wheel-activated, vertical-clutch chronograph movement

that's in a watch that's at a relatively affordable price range, especially for mechanical chronographs. And I remember a

Time frame where you really couldn't get any vertical clutch column wheel activated chronograph under about $5,000, and this is a different landscape.

Now, especially led by this movement by Seiko, what it gives you is an activation that just is really tactile, and that's

what you really want on a chronograph is a feeling of solidity when you start it and when you stop it and reset it. It

just feels right in a robust movement because, obviously, chronographs are more expensive to service, and then you add on

top of that the fact that this is a vertical clutch, which means you could leave it running and it isn't going to

cause any harm to the watch because it operates like a car clutch. Now, instead of the old version of a horizontal

clutch, and I think that's a great value-add to have in these mechanical chronographs these days. You're not just

getting a Seagull movement; you're getting a fantastic, well-built, robust Seiko movement in this watch. Now, on to

the negatives for the watch. I think the bezel is a little too big. It looks almost like there should have been an

external bezel applied here instead of the tachymeter on the interior of the watch dial design. So, having something on

Triple Unboxing: Three Great Watches From Smaller Brands You May Not Know

Triple Unboxing: Three Great Watches From Smaller Brands You May Not Know

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