Oracle Recommends: Microbrand Watches for June 2025

Beaucroft Seeker Black Ice

Hands On Horology is this month and, if you don’t have your ticket by now, you may well be missing out. But just to rub that fact in a little, there’s the HoH exclusive, Seeker Black Ice. This 10-piece limited edition by Cambridge-based Beaucroft combines a fittingly pale blue dial with a blacked-out case, transforming the usually dressy Seeker into something completely different. High contrast doesn’t even come into it; this is about as punchy as a 37mm watch can get, and yet another reason to love the British brand.

More details at Beaucroft.

Monceau Model 01

Another revival of a watch name lost too soon to the quartz crisis, the modern incarnation of Monceau eschews the brand’s vintage chronographs in favour of a less complicated – but by no means simple – three-hander, the Model 01. The wavy dial is more gentle seabed than rugged sand dunes and the red and grey versions get a smoky gradient towards the edge. The white and black on the other hand get baby blue highlights.

Either way, it’s wrapped up in a sleek integrated sports bracelet and backed by a classic Sellita number. It’s not the Monceau you’ll see at your local vintage dealer, but there’s a lot to love – and worth a look on Kickstarter, where it’s running until 15th June.

More details at Monceau.

Anemoic Versailles

Given their rep in the microbrand world, an endorsement from Studio Underd0g’s enough to make you sit up and take notice, but honestly, the debut design from Anemoic doesn’t need the fanfare. Created by Magnus Swann, who also had a stint at Underd0g, the Versailles aims to recapture 1970s French couture – specifically the legendary fashion showdown that was the Battle of Versailles – and does so with a jewellery-adjacent rectangular case and dramatic faceted, aquamarine crystal.

At 28mm x 39mm of stainless steel, it’s not nearly as small as you’d expect and should have some serious wrist presence. But, despite it having a solid specs sheet and a price tag of £1,900, the Versailles (and the Anemoic brand) is Magnus’ student design project, with no plans for production. Yet. We’ll need to wait and see what the reception among collectors is like, but I’d be surprised if this watch doesn’t go any further. At the very least, Magnus is killing his coursework.

More details at Magnus Swann.

Nuun Official Origen N1837

Rounded, porthole bezel? Check. Big, muscular shoulders? Check. Hype-infused Tiffany blue dial? Check. Far from being one of the most expensive watches ever sold, Nuun Official’s Nautilus-riffing Origen offers all the hotness of a grail watch at a fraction of a fraction of the price.

It puts its own spin on things with Eastern Arabic numerals and a blacked out case. Even if you don’t buy into the Patek hype, it offers a solid, summer-ready watch with 100m water resistance and a lightweight, durable carbon case.

More details at Nuun Official Watches.

Paulin John Nicol Neo Hands On Horology Edition

When they’re not building super fun, super accessible beaters, Paulin have an artistic streak. Case in point, their reprised collaboration with John Nicol. The last run back in 2023 sold out quick, with each unique, hand-painted dial offering a different personality. Now, the partnership is back with a 10-piece run of funky pop art dials, exclusively for Hands On Horology. If you’ve not got your ticket yet, you might want to. ASAP.

More details at Paulin Watches.

Palmos One

The debut from London-based Palmos, aptly named the Palmos ONE, distils that quintessentially 1970s flair for industrial, integrated bracelet sports watches down to a minimalist beauty. With its round, flat-planed bezel, there’s more than a hint of the IWC Ingenieur here, but without the visible screws or guilloche dial, it’s a much sleeker, calmer experience. That carries through to the dials in black, olive green, blue and a monochrome grey version (in my opinion the highlight). Backed by a workhorse Soprod movement, it’s everything you love about this sub-genre of watches in a more accessible format.

More details at Palmos Watches.

​Oracle Time 

Read More