Microbrands sell dreams of individuality, craft, and defiance of the mass market. Though take a look through their open casebacks and the rebellion may appear far less radical. Many of these expressive dials and cases tick to the same mechanical heartbeat as their neighbours. It is great paradox that microbrand collectors embrace: aesthetic originality paired with mechanical conformity. However, microbrands don’t use a common selection of third party movements without reason. Fighting constraints of tight budgets, lean teams and little to no infrastructure, the microbrands can only function aided by accessible movements and digital platforms. Suppliers like Seiko, Miyota and Sellita fill the gap with proven calibres, becoming the bedrock of a creative renaissance. Let’s examine six of the most common microbrand watch movements to see what makes them favourites of designers the world over.
Sellita SW200-1
The Sellita SW200-1 has become the original by being the copy. As ETA retreated into Swatch Group’s embrace, this near-clone of the ETA 2824-2, with parts interchangeable by design or indifference, emerged as the default heartbeat of countless microbrands. A self-winding movement, it features hours, minutes, sweep seconds, a quick-set date, and 26 jewels, beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) with a 41-hour power reserve and a ball-bearing rotor for efficient winding. It offers Swiss legitimacy without the burden of in-house development, occupying a sweet spot of cost and credibility. Up and coming Italian brand Venezianico has built much of its identity on Sellita bases, elevating the ordinary with meticulous finishing and vibrant dials.
Miyota 9039
Not all shared pulses come from the Alps. The Miyota 9039, proudly un-Swiss, speaks with Japanese clarity: form follows function with quiet rigor. A Japanese-made, ultra-thin automatic movement at just 3.9mm thick, it features 24 jewels, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), and offers both hacking seconds and manual winding with a 42-hour power reserve, making it the go-to for slim, contemporary no-date automatics. British brand Marloe uses it in their Solent Timer dual crown series, which is made possible by the movement’s efficient dimensions. Its thinness is praised as a virtue, enabling compact elegance, even as its ubiquity remains an open secret among enthusiasts.
Seiko NH35
While Miyota offers Japanese refinement, the Seiko NH35 represents horological democracy incarnate, the AK-47 of movements. Reliable and nearly indestructible, though admittedly also imprecise by many standard, it powers entry-level automatics across the globe. This unassuming calibre has established itself as the universal foundation upon which mechanical timekeeping stands, its economics approaching something like horological socialism through production scales that render it accessible to even the most modestly funded creator. It features hours, minutes, central seconds, and a quick-set date at 3 o’clock. Equipped with 24 jewels, it beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), offers hacking and manual winding, and provides a power reserve of about 41 hours. Its bi-directional rotor uses Seiko’s Magic Lever system for efficient winding.
Seagull ST19
The Asian mainland has a lot of work to do to overcome manufacturing stereotypes but movements like the Seagull ST19 are up to the task. It carries history in its bridges – a hand-wound, column-wheel chronograph rooted in the Swiss Venus 175, it features a bi-compax layout with small seconds at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock. Operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), it houses 21 jewels and provides a power reserve of about 50 hours (45 hours when the chronograph is active). It has cultivated its own devoted following among those who pursue the aesthetic and mechanical poetry of bygone chronographs, offering the ritualistic intimacy of manual winding at a price point that doesn’t demand inheritance or institutional investment. Yet its relative scarcity remains assured through production constraints and rising procurement thresholds that render it something of an insider’s secret, accessible only to those brands with sufficient capital or connections. British micromaker Studio Underd0g initially used it in their 01 Series, embracing its mechanical legitimacy while navigating geographic prejudices.
La Joux-Perret G100
For microbrands seeking to rise above commodity calibres, the La Joux-Perret G100 offers an adopted prestige. A Swiss-made automatic movement, it provides hours, minutes, and central seconds, with 24 jewels and a hacking function. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and delivers an impressive 68-hour power reserve. Compatible with ETA 2824 dimensions, the G100 is a refined alternative for brands seeking extended autonomy and Swiss craftsmanship. Founded in the 1980s and acquired by Citizen in 2012, One observes it most frequently beneath the sapphire casebacks of those microbrands cultivating a more premium position, those who find narrative value in extended power reserves and the distinctive sculptural qualities that provide conversational capital among collectors. Swiss microbrand Furlan Marri uses it to reinforce their meticulous identity, proving that movement selection can shape brand narrative.
Horage K3
The Horage K3 is admittedly an anomaly in this article as it is not yet in wide usage, having only been launched earlier this year. However, it perhaps offers an insight into where microbrand and independent movement design could be moving in future. Built on the technological foundations of the K1 but conceived as a complete reinvention, the K3 is a COSC-certified Swiss automatic calibre featuring a full silicon escapement, including the hairspring, anchor, and escape wheel. It beats at 25,200 vibrations per hour (3.5 Hz), delivers an extended 96-hour power reserve, and houses 28 jewels. Its innovative architecture integrates advanced anti-magnetic properties alongside a bi-directional tungsten rotor.
The K3 is already poised to extend its reach beyond Horage’s own collection, it will soon be made available to third-party brands, offering independent makers access to cutting-edge technology typically reserved for major manufacturers. The K3 represents a rare convergence of micro-engineering and microbrand ideals: unconcerned with tradition, it is engineered around a modern movement platform that accommodates multiple complications while maintaining a case height under 10mm. This is a calibre that doesn’t merely whisper Swiss credentials, it speaks them fluently in the language of innovation. Remarkably, the K3 is Horage’s fifth in-house developed and manufactured movement, an achievement made all the more striking given the brand’s youth, having only just passed its 15th year.
Oracle Time