microbrand Archives - Watchisthis

14Mar 2024 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Interview Gage Knopf – Co-Founder of Knopf Watches

Interview

Last October, I had some time to kill so I was scrolling through Instagram, and I came across a young watch brand straight from New York City: Knopf Watches. I quickly became interested in this brand because I am a fan of the city that never sleeps. Luckily, I was able to meet the founders of the brand, and try their pieces, in November 2023, on Minutes & Hours Austin. They had their stand opposite mine (where I represented Cimier), and so it was easy for me to interact with them and understand their path. So for more details I decided to interview one of the founders - Gage Knopf. So here we go, I'll let you discover Knopf Watches. Gage and Larry Knopf Could you tell us a bit…

07Nov 2023 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Interview Rich Park – Founder of Minutes + Hours Watch Event

Interview

I have been participating in MicroLux events (now Minutes + Hours) for some time now, and a few days before the next one in Austin Texas, I wanted to know more about Rich Park - founder of this show. Could you tell us a bit about you and about your story with watches? Well, I grew up in a family that owned a jewelry store that carried luxury brands such as AP and Omega as well as the more approachably priced watches. You could say that I was born with the love of watches. When the idea to create a watch event came to you? We started a smaller watch event in 2018 and that was enormously popular. In fact, we sold out of that event very quickly. That experience…

27Juil 2022 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Interview Julien Caradant – Founder of Atelier Caradant

Interview

In recent days I had the chance to chat with Julien Caradant, founder of the watch brand Atelier Caradant. Today I'm happy to share this interview with you and to introduce you to his watches. The watches coming out of this workshop are very special, and that's why I wanted to know more about them. The dials are made of paper… Yes you read that right, they are made of paper.Julien, a young Frenchman from Saumur (a city in Maine-et-Loire, western France) explains his original concept to us in this interview. Here we go ! Could you tell us a bit about you and about your story with watches? I have always been passionate about mechanics and how things work (I dismantled a lot of things when I was young!).…

26Jan 2022 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Hands-on – The Powerfull Feynman Fjord

Review

It's no secret I'm a fan of Feynman Timekeepers. You can read or reread my article of the One Eclipse, the Cove, and of course my interview with the creator of the brand right here. In 2021, I can't remember exactly when, Yong Keong Lim told me he was going to release a new collection. I'm honest with you, I was directly excited to be able to try this new creation. I was able to spend several weeks with the Fjord Magma and obviously this piece is a great success. The Case For the Feynman Fjord collection, the brand decided to use again the unique aesthetic of the Feynman Cove. This is a compressor styled case that honestly I really like. In terms of size, I think that every kind…

12Jan 2022 by Jonathan Kopp 2 Comments

Interview Pierre Bernheim – Founder of 26 Spirits of Switzerland

Interview

A few weeks ago we had the chance to sit down and speak with Pierre Bernheim, Founder of 26 Spirits of Switzerland. Now, let's jump into the story of this young brand... Could you tell us a bit about you and about your story with watches? I’m 38 years old, married to a beautiful woman and father of 3 wonderful kids. Besides, I’m the grandson of Mr Raymond Weil who transmitted me his passion for watches and flying. After working in the family brand for 6 years, I launched my own watch brand 88 RUE DU RHONE in 2012. 10 years later, with 36 national markets opened, and more than 150’000 watches sold worldwide, the brand was acquired by a leading Chinese business group. Being a born entrepreneur, I could…

05Jan 2022 by Jonathan Kopp 1 Comment

Interview Mael Oberkampf – Founder of Timeless Swiss Watch

Interview

These last days I had the chance to speak with Mael Oberkampf, Founder of Timeless Swiss Watch. You know that I really really like his job so I wanted to know more about him and about his brand. Oh yes I already reviewed the HMS Collection early this year …. So click to read. Let’s go ;-) Could you tell us a bit about you and about your story with watches? I grew up in Switzerland not far from Geneva and have always had an interest in industrial design and architecture. After training as a graphic designer, I set up on my own to embark on 3D architectural illustration, and ended up also working for some watchmakers like Richard Mille or Ladoire. It's the founder of this last brand who transmitted me the watchmaking…

08Fév 2021 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

The Sacred Crafts – The luxury of sustainability

Review

Making watches using only recycled materials: this is the mission of The Sacred Crafts. Let's discover their new model. The Grand Mer is born from the recovery of boat propellers. The mission of The Sacred Crafts is to make watches using recycled materials and with the aim of having a strong impact on coral reefs and coastal protection.An ambitious project born from a great passion for nature and the sea. A watch made from bronze recovered from the propellers of abandoned boats and countless meters of fishing nets no longer used.All the components of this timepiece make one perceive a real research that goes beyond the concept of recycling.In fact, the most striking thing was the realization of SeaGlass, a material made using a special biological resin to transform the…

01Fév 2021 by Jonathan Kopp 1 Comment

Review – Timeless Swiss Watches

Review

Several weeks ago I discovered on the social networks a new Swiss microbrand named Timeless. I’ve been directly captivated by the design of the piece and so I decided to contact Mael Oberkampf, the founder and designer of the brand (an interview will come in the next weeks). After some weeks of conversation he decided to send me the two watches that are part of his first collection. Let’s welcome home the HMS watches :-) I was honestly happy that he accepted my proposal because I was quite intrigued by these pieces. It is quite rare to find a new brand, or micro brand, which has a more or less affordable price, and which has a totally different design than what is already on the market. So yes, for those who…

06Jan 2021 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Isotope Goutte d’Eau Compressor Diver Watch

Review

We start the year with a new contributor and here is his first article…. Oh yes, welcome Giuseppe ;-) We already talked about their really cool Rider Jumping Hours, but here we will present something different ! Today I would like to present you a really cool Diver watch from Isotope, The Goutte d'Eau! This watch has a nice concept history and a design approach that is quite timeless. In fact, The Goutte d’Eau shape takes inspiration from the design of the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Coupé, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever built. This watch has also another interesting feature, a bespoke and exclusive stainless steel bracelet with a discreet extension clasp mechanism that allows you to quickly change the bracelet size to wear over a…

31Déc 2020 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Last of 2020 – Rogue Horology Type 1 Diver

Review

Finally we arrive at the end of this very bizarre year ... We must admit that the Covid has turned everything upside down and for us watch journalists the year was really strange ... No trade fairs, no real contact with people, difficulties in trying on watches, and so on. Well, it was the same thing for everyone and even if 2021 arrives I'm not sure there will be any real improvements. It does not matter, Watchisthis will continue to disseminate information about watches under $ 2500, microbrands, but not just that ... And yes it is an announcement, we will also evolve in 2021. And to end this year I wanted to highlight to a project that I really like. This is Rogue Horology from Singapore. Well I’m honest…

Étiquette : microbrand