There is no official definition of a microbrand watch.
The term is generally used for small, independent watch brands operating outside the traditional large watch groups. Beyond that, the definition gets blurry surprisingly quickly.
A microbrand does not necessarily manufacture every component itself. Very few small watch companies could. Cases, automatic movements, sapphire crystals, dials and hands are commonly sourced from specialist manufacturers around the world.
That alone does not tell you much about the brand.
For me, the more interesting question is this:
How close are the people behind the brand to the actual watch?
- Who designed it?
- Who selected the components?
- Who approved the prototypes?
- Who checks the finished watches?
- And who answers when something goes wrong?
There is no magic production number where a microbrand suddenly stops being a microbrand either. A small independent watch brand can grow considerably without necessarily losing what made it independent in the first place.
Jugbitten is currently about as literal a microbrand as the word allows.
I design the watches and work directly with the manufacturers behind the cases, dials, hands and other components. Jugbitten watches use established NH-series automatic movements, including the NH35 and NH38 depending on the model. The final watches are assembled, regulated and inspected individually in Kainuu, Finland.
I usually answer the emails too.
That will inevitably change to some extent if the company grows. A one-man operation cannot remain exactly the same forever.
What I do not want to change is the distance between the person making the decisions and the product itself.
Being a Finnish microbrand watch company is not simply about producing a small number of watches.
Being close to the watch is the more important part.
Explore °363 Kuro