In a world where a few major watch brands dominate the market, more and more people have started to look at other, perhaps more interesting alternatives. This has resulted in more and more people looking at – and discovering micro watch brands. According to Wikipedia’s definition, Microbrand watches are ”wristwatches produced by independent watch companies that have an output of about 300–2000 watches per year.”.
Micro watch brands are appreciated for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they tend to offer great value for money as you are not paying a substantial premium solely for the brand, as you do with other luxury watch brands. Second of all, since micro watch brands have relatively small production numbers, it means that you will have a truly unique watch and will likely never meet anyone else wearing the same watch.
Second of all, micro watch brands tend to put great emphasis on quality and craftsmanship, meaning you get a great watch at a relatively reasonable price.
The good news is that as the interest in micro watch brands has increased, so has the number of brands on the market. Whilst Switzerland is known as the capital of watches, there are tens of micro watch brands around the world in many different countries outside of Switzerland.
In this article, we are taking a look at the best micro watch brands in Sweden. And we will primarily focus on mid-tier and luxury watch brands, not the super affordable and cheap options.
Best micro watch brands in Sweden
Halda Watch Co
Halda watch co was founded in 1887 by Henning Hammarlund. As such, it is the oldest watch brand in Sweden, still alive today. Halda never forgets its history when making timepieces today, which is why they, to this very day, adhere to the same principles as original founder, Henning Hammarlund – never to compromise but always to use the most progressive thinking and most highly-skilled artisans to realize our creations.
In modern times, Halda has based its watches on a time platform with interchangeable time modules, meaning you can alternate between a digital module and a mechanical module. Not only is this an innovative piece of technology, but it is also a wonderful combination of fine mechanical watchmaking and craftsmanship, and the functionality of a digital tool.
The Halda module concept brings a great combination of the principles of fine watchmaking with 21st century modern technology that truly makes a difference for the wearer. Halda develops its timepieces for specific fields, such as the Race Pilot module that is built for racing, and its Space Discover model that is built for space and was worn by astronaut Christer Fuglesang in space.
Halda is responsible for having made timepieces for Formula 1 drivers, athletes, astronauts, and other demanding individuals who satisfy with nothing but perfection.
Whilst Halda is a micro brand, it is a brand that focuses on the luxury and premium segment by putting the utmost focus on craftsmanship and watchmaking. Their watches start at around €8.000, and for that, you are getting a high-quality mechanical timepiece hand-made in Sweden and powered by Zenith’s praised caliber 685. It is therefore a suitable brand for those who are looking for craftsmanship, quality, and fine watchmaking, and performance, and want something truly unique and special.
In Halda’s own words ”we adhere to the same principles as original founder, Henning Hammarlund – never to compromise but always to use the most progressive thinking and most highly-skilled artisans to realize our creations. ”
EPOCH Stockholm
Christer Sjöö and Mikael Sandström eventually sold Sjöö Sandström and decided to embark on a new adventure which became EPOCH Stockholm.
Sjöö Sandström and Epoch Stockholm have some similarities (for obvious reasons), but EPOCH focuses on a more affordable segment, even though their watches are also assembled just outside of Stockholm in their own workshop, and with a great level of quality and attention to detail. EPOCH focuses on the price segment of around €1000 to €3000 which is a sweet spot for those who want to buy their first ”real”, qualitative watch. This is opposite to most other watch brands that solely create the design and then have the production completely outsourced. EPOCH’s dedication to quality and their in-house workshop ensures greater control over the manufacturing process and quality controls.
Sjöö Sandström
Sjöö Sandström was founded in 1986 by the two engineers and watch aficionados Christer Sjöö and Mikael Sandström. Sjöö Sandström is a mid-tier/luxury watch brand that – unlike many other micro watch brands, make and assemble all of their watches in their workshop in Stockholm, Sweden. Sjöö Sandström is one of the most well-known Swedish watch brands and is known for making stylish, timeless, and Scandinavian-Inspired watches. Sjöö Sandström is actually responsible for the first wristwatch ever made in Sweden.
Sjöö Sandström has succeeded extremely well with coming out with unique and iconic designs, and combining that with fine craftsmanship, finishing, and attention to detail.
Bravur watches
Bravur focuses primarily on automatic watches and it is a small independent watch brand that builds all its watches on customer order with a lead time of approximately 2 weeks.
In 2017, the company made its first mechanical watch which marked a milestone for the company as it was its first mechanical watch, but also the start of their Swedish-built watches. All of the company’s mechanical watches are built by hand in their workshop in Båstad which is a small coastal town on the Swedish west coast. Bravur handles each step of the manufacturing in-house, meaning assembling, inspecting, testing, and quality controls.
Bravur strives to use as many locally produced parts as possible, and all of the design work is made in-house. Due to the small-scale production, it uses outsourced movements, but all of the other parts are made exclusively for Bravur. For the mechanical movements, Bravur Swiss-made calibers.
Bravur describes itself as a Swedish luxury watch brand and their watches are priced in the region of €1000 to €2000. The designs of the watches are classic, sometimes vintage-inspired, and with a certain level of inspiration from Scandinavian design.
Tusenö watches
Tusenö is another Swedish micro-watch brand. Tusenö was founded in 2015 and has beautiful classic and timeless watch designs.
The company has its production in Asia, Switzerland, and Sweden, and from 2020, it started making all of its watches in small quantities in Switzerland. It also made the decision of making all of its new projects 100% mechanical.
Tusenö also has plans of bringing parts of the production to Sweden in the coming years. The design and operational work take place in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Tusenö’s watches are in the more affordable price range of a few hundred euros, and this also makes them a great value proposition. They use premium materials, great movements, and have their own distinct and unique designs, unlike many other micro watch brands that basically just take an existing watch design and put their own logo on it.
GoS watches
GoS watches may be one of the most unique Swedish watch brands. GoS stands for ”Gustafsson & Sjögren”, which are the names of the two founders.
The company was founded as a partnership between the master bladesmith Johan Gustafsson and master watchmaker Patrik Sjögren. One of the things that make GoS watches special is that they are made by hand-forging Damascus steel which creates a truly unique pattern for the cases and sometimes the dials, depending on the model. This is what makes GoS watches truly unique and what makes the watches into true pieces of art.
Since 2021, Patrik Sjögren is the sole owner of GoS, and the hand-forged cases are made by another Swedish master bladesmith – Mr. Conny Persson.
Due to the great level of craftsmanship that is required to create each and every single timepiece, their price tags are set accordingly. GoS watches are priced in the region of 10.000 Euros and up, but for that price, you are getting a truly special and unique timepiece that is built with the utmost attention to detail and a great level of craftsmanship. With that said, they are also one of the most premium watch brands in Sweden.
GoS watches have very clear Scandinavian-inspired designs, and the company itself highlights that Scandinavian nature and history are key sources of inspiration during the design process. In previous models, the company has, for example, taken ancient decoration patterns from the Viking ages and incorporated them into its watch designs.
TID watches
TID was founded in 2012 by Ola E. Bernestål, Petrus Palmér and design studio Form Us With Love.
Tid is Swedish for ”time” and is a very appropriate name for a watch brand.
TID watches can be described as minimalistic and contemporary timepieces with Scandinavian designs. They are normally priced at around €100 to €200 and are therefore in the lower/entry-level segment of wristwatches.
What makes these watches stand out is the fact that TID has successfully created its own distinct and unique designs that stand out from the ordinary. Their contemporary and minimalistic design makes them a great companion for everyday wear and for many different occasions, both casual and formal.
Kronaby
Kronaby is a Swedish watch brand that is most known for its hybrid smartwatch. The smartwatch is not your ordinary smartwatch, but rather a timepiece that combines the best of both worlds of traditional watches and modern technology. Visually, the hybrid smartwatches look just like any traditional analog watch, but it is actually paced with smartwatch features that allow you to connect it with your phone.
The issue with smartwatches tends to be that it takes it away from being an elegant and stylish fashion accessory. And for a long time, there has been a compromise between either the functionality of a smartwatch or the beauty of a classic watch. But with Kronaby’s concept, you don’t have to choose.
In 2019, the company went bankrupt but was later acquired by Festina.
MALM Watches
MALM is a Swedish pilot brand from Linköping Sweden. They design and develop all of their watches themselves together within groups from the Swedish Air Force. Design and assembly are all done in their workshop in Linköping.
MALM makes its watches with inspiration from the military. What sets the brand apart is that it develops its timepieces together with individuals within the Swedish military, which results in functional and sporty timepieces that you can rely on. The watches are built to meet the strict demand on quality, form, and function that those working in the military require.
For those who appreciate functional, military-inspired timepieces as well as micro watch brands, MALM may just be the watch brand for you. Plus, at around €500 to 1000, they are relatively affordable for what you are getting.