5 Under-the-Radar Watch Brands Every Guy Should Know

If you dread the thought of having the same thing on your wrist as someone else in the room, you’ve come to the right place. Not that there’s anything wrong with yearning for a Submariner or a Seamaster—we’re just as guilty as any watch fan—but sometimes it pays to do things a little differently. And though the juggernauts of the watch world tend to dominate the conversation, there are so, so many other players out there that are well deserving of your attention.

We’re talking about watchmakers with penchants for vintage good looks but price tags that don’t require a bank loan. Brands with unexpected sources of inspiration. (Coffee, anyone?) And companies that take the “just have fun with it” ethos more seriously than you might expect. They tend to be grouped under the somewhat generic “microbrand” label. While that’s not exactly wrong when you compare them with the big guys, there’s a ton of variety and nuance to explore within that space.

Which is exactly why we pulled together this list of five under-the-radar watch brands we think you need to know right now. It’s not exhaustive—in fact, we’ve already got a sequel to this story planned for the near future—but it is essential, if you ask us. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.

Founded in 2018 by industry vets Jas Minhas and Olof Larsson, independent British watch brand Aera didn’t release its first two watches until 2022. The D-1 diver and P-1 pilot’s watch immediately proved that their arrival was worth the wait. Both were quintessential tool watches with stories and design codes dating back to the middle of the 20th century. Yet both felt distinctly modern—defined by clean lines and an almost architectural approach to proportions and geometry. Since then, the brand has introduced the C-1 chronograph and M-1 field watch, both of which manage to pull off that same trick of looking familiar but, somehow, a little futuristic. Only time will tell what comes next, but you can rest assured that we’re eagerly awaiting its arrival.

French brand Serica started with a watch with a simple but telling name. Introduced in 2019, the “WWW” was the upstart maker’s first field watch. The letters in the moniker stood for “Wrist Watch Waterproof,” both a statement of fact and an homage to the famous “Dirty Dozen” field watches issued to the British army during World War II. So what could we surmise at that point? Well, the brand was probably going to deal in hard-wearing, purpose-built timepieces with a vintage feel. And what have we seen in Serica’s output since then? Exactly those sorts of watches—though now the lineup includes nearly 20 styles ranging from divers to GMTs, and even the very handsome “Parade” dress watch, all of which are Swiss-made, COSC-certified chronometers. With prices that top out around $2,500 and specs that keep getting better and better, Serica is definitely one to (ahem) watch in the coming years.

If you love classic tool watches but don’t want to spend a bundle—and don’t need to see the word Swiss on the label—Traska might be exactly what you’re looking for. Hailing from the unlikely home of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, the eight-year-old brand started out with a dive watch named the Freediver before expanding its portfolio to include a field watch, three-hander, GMT, and chronograph. The last of that list is the only one to break the $1,000 barrier; the rest cost in the $700 range. All of them, though, look a whole lot more expensive than they are, no doubt thanks to the Traska team’s willingness to tweak the designs over the years. (The Freediver has seen seven different iterations.)

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If you’re a mechanical purist or a tool-watch exceptionalist, Brew might not be for you. But if you’re the kind of person who appreciates a well-made watch that puts design front and center, you’d be remiss to ignore the 11-year-old brand. The driving force behind everything released by founder and designer Jonathan Ferrer is, as the name might have already suggested, coffee. Well, more “coffee breaks” than coffee itself. Ferrer believes that those small moments of reprieve throughout the day make us appreciate time all the more. That may be true, but we’re more inclined to say that a vintage-y watch with a TV dial and a popping color scheme—yes, we’re talking about the brand’s much-beloved Metric model—might be just as effective.

We’ve come to the boldest of the bunch, folks. Xeric made its debut in 2013 on Kickstarter and has been churning out wild-looking timepieces with unexpected shapes, colors, and complications ever since. It’s hard to say which of the brand’s watches gets the most buzz. Maybe it’s one of the “Wandering Hours” models, like the Scrambler, which looks like something Willy Wonka would have cooked up after drinking too much fizzy lifting juice but displays the time quite clearly once you know the trick of it. Or maybe it’s the cult-favorite Halograph, with its split display that highlights the hour and minute inside of circles at the end of each hand. Reading these watches at a glance takes a little bit of practice, but we’re happy to learn. With bright hues, weird mechanisms, and prices that often fall well below $500, this is a brand that’s made to bring some joy into the world.

This story originally appeared on Esquire.com.