3 Microbrand Watches With Amazing Dials
The amount of smaller independents and microbrands have certainly increased over the last few years. And with that, the quality coming out of some of these brands has increased as well. The days of plain black, white and blue dials are over and even the smaller guys are stepping out of their comfort zone to try new and daring techniques with dial options, and it’s certainly paying off. Today, we’re going to take a look at 3 brands that have been killing it with their dials lately.
anOrdain Model 2
anOrdain, a Scotland based brand, launched their first watch the Model 1 in 2018 and have since gained quick popularity in the watch community for their enamel dials. Written on the dial is “Vitreous Enamel” which is the art of fusing glass to metal. anOrdain now has 3 expert enamel dial makers and boy are they hard at work. The rigorous techniques the watchmakers perform daily have produced the most outstanding and beautiful dials that one could find at this price point. The model we’re showcasing today is the Model 2 with its fumé enamel dial, a first for not only the brand, but the world of watchmaking. The fumé dial in the Model 2 was originally a mistake and the brands watchmakers worked for months to replicate its effect constantly before using it. The result is absolutely stunning.
MONTA Noble
Dégradé, a french word, means to fade. In watchmaking we use Dégradé to describe dials that fade normally from black to a feature color or from one color fading from light to dark. Second on our list is the MONTA Noble Blue. The Noble features a radial fade from dark blue on the outside markers to a lighter blue on the inside. This style of dial is a first for MONTA and certainly faced its challenges. Justin Kraudel, President of MONTA Watch, stated it took them many iterations and over 18 months to get this dial just right.
They wanted it to represent the depths of the sea. We think they nailed it! While this is something different for the brand, the dial still features a wonderful sunburst texture that MONTA does so well.
Click here to check out our Everest Team’s thoughts on the new MONTA Noble. Want to put your MONTA on leather or rubber? Check out our Everest Bands that fit MONTA cases perfectly here.
MING 17.06 Copper
Founded in 2017, Ming Thein began MING Watches as a passion project. The Cosmology scholar and photographer began his Malaysian based but Swiss made brand as a way to bring the kind of watches people wanted but couldn’t afford to them. They do not shy away from trying new and innovative techniques and the 17.06 Copper dial showcases that. In fact, this watch won the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève ‘Horological Revelation’ Prize.
With this piece, MING used an actual copper dial and used acid-etching to make the multi level guilloche pattern you see. On top of that, the numerals and ring around the dial is completely lumed which makes our hearts happy. The copper dial tends to change color in certain lights giving the dial a whole new color. It will be interesting to see how this one patina’s. A watch like this deserves to be carried around in style. Check out our Everest Leather Watch Pouches here, to always protect your watches from the everyday wear of traveling.
Written by K.T. Morales
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