Made in Japan: A Spotlight on Japanese Microbrands

In recent years, Seiko has triumphantly clawed its way out of its budget-brand image. Citizen and Casio have followed. All of these major Japanese brands have increasingly leaned into upmarket product families with the likes of exotic crafts, impressive engineering and luxury pricing. Just as each of them shows that the country is more than capable of high refinement and worthy of commensurate prices on par with their prestigious Swiss counterparts, so do many of Japan’s independent watchmakers (discussed here).

But Seiko, Citizen and Casio’s modern empires are largely built on value. And no matter what kind of watch fan or collector you are, you’ve still got to love fun, down-to-earth, good-old affordable watches sometimes. What collector of Kodo tourbillons, Credor or Campanola doesn’t also hold a place in their heart for a humble Seiko SKX or G-Shock? So what about the kind of small companies that have emerged in other markets to serve the budget end of the enthusiast spectrum? Where are the microbrands making watches on that level?

Japan indeed has a small microbrand scene of its own. We’re talking about the kind of watch startups that have proliferated in, say, the United States, France, the UK and other countries — the kind that’ll often work with suppliers and sell directly to customers to offer highly competitive value propositions. One big advantage for Japanese brands in this (loosely defined) category: Readily available Japanese movements allow for a more credibly holistic “Made-in-Japan” product.

The microbrand scene in Japan, however, remains comparatively nascent as of 2025 and requires some digging to even learn about what’s out there. We’ve done some of that work for you. For many enthusiasts, even fans of Japanese watchmaking, the following brands might not be familiar. They represent a range of price points and approaches, as well as interpretations of Japanese watchmaking. If you appreciate the likes of a Prospex, Presage, Seiko 5 Sports, Promaster or even Casio’s Vintage collection, these brands offer more Japanese watchmaking variety and some fun discovery.

KUOE —

Solid specs, quality materials and reliable automatic movements in vintage and/or military-inspired styles for a few hundred bucks: Sound familiar? It’s a model many microbrands have employed, and Kyoto-based Kuoe offers its own Japanese take with a number of models and variants. Kuoe watches are strictly classic in size and design with the most immediately visible Japanese element being “Kyoto” beneath their wordmark. Nevertheless, the watches are powered by Japanese movements (Miyota) and assembled by the brand. Unlike many microbrands, Kuoe lists a number of stockists around the world and operates a flagship store in Kyoto.

NAMICA —

Do you like purple? Namica does. It’s a recurring hue among the brand’s watches that seems to reference the color in an interpretation of Japanese urban and retro-futuristic themes — a neon vision of Tokyo nightlife or cyberpunk anime style. Charting a familiar microbrand path, young Namica got off the ground with Kickstarter funding. Automatic movements power a couple of collections that each offer a fun, colorful and accessible take on Japanese watchmaking. The brand started with a dive watch and followed it with a contemporary take on the TV-dial style in titanium.

FUKUSHIMA WATCH CO. —

Fukushima watches offer another example of Japanese watchmaking in a recognizable microbrand mold. Each current collection puts a colorful spin on otherwise classic or generally vintage looks and is further characterized by the kind of “unisex” or “vintage sizing” that’s been popular in the 2020s — with diameters around 35 mm or 36 mm. For the JPY equivalent of a few hundred bucks, basic specs such as mineral crystal and Miyota’s entry-level automatic movements make for an affordable entry to the Japanese microbrand world.

MIRCO —

Mirco is brought to you by the same people behind Fukushima Watch Co. but is branded separately to focus on a higher-end product. If Fukushima watches are generally small and affordable, Mirco watches are sportier and more substantially sized and priced. They also feature some of the specs that you’d expect at higher price tiers such as sapphire crystal, increased water resistance and comparatively premium Seiko and Miyota automatic movements.

ANDOANDOANDO —

AndoAndoAndo doesn’t perfectly fit the mold of a Japanese microbrand. Its watches’ casebacks say “Designed in Finland” where Japanese creator Yu Ando is based. But, we needn’t split hairs and, for our purposes, we’ll consider them Japanese enough — at least until we do a "Made in Finland" feature. With a fun, minimalist, design-first disposition, AndoAndoAndo uses basic Seiko and Miyota movements as well as offering a fun twist: It also sells individual parts such as cases and dials so you can thoroughly modify your AndoAndoAndo.

SHINICHI WATCH —

Shinichi Watch is a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Shinichi Hidaka is the man behind it and his Instagram profile describes him not as a watchmaker or entrepreneur, but a comedian. One of his watches features the poo emoji as indices. But this is a no-joke brand, and in fact, Shinichi Hidaka might be considered an artisan that fits among indie watchmakers more than a microbrand, or somewhere in between. Each model seems to be a concept and project unto itself, which incorporates a mix of sourced and handmade elements such as dials and hands.

KNOT —

Founded in 2014, Knot offers a wide range of models and collections — almost too wide. With quartz, solar, basic mechanical and premium mechanical, many of the brand’s designs might feel derivative. But they stand out for a range they call Japan Concept. It features lacquer dials with treatments such as gold dust and mother-of-pearl executed in a marquetry-like style by a local craftsman. With automatic movements such as the Miyota 9015 and Seiko NE88 chronograph, and even cases they say feature the renowned Sallaz polishing, the value proposition of these models seems noteworthy.

FUTURE FUNK —

Who doesn’t have a soft spot for calculator watches or Casio’s delightfully funky and ridiculously affordable Vintage collection of digital ’80s nostalgia? Future Funk taps into that vibe. Offering quirky quartz watches for prices topping out at $135 (at time of writing), the brand embodies a retro-futuristic concept featuring LED, roller and retrograde displays. These are the kinds of watches you could casually pick up as a souvenir from a trip to Tokyo. Though inexpensive, Future Funk represents a passionate watch enthusiast’s design vision as well as a wonderfully fun Japanese personality.

This article was first published in the March / April 2025 Issue. To subscribe to the print edition of WatchTime Magazine, click here.