How much does a small brand need to grow before it stops being a microbrand?

It's mostly vibes and internet reputation. A brand can sell 5,000 watches a year and still get called a microbrand if it has a small team and direct sales.

I think the line is when they start showing up in physical stores beyond one or two friendly boutiques. Once you see them in a mall jeweler, the microbrand label feels wrong, though.

There is no official definition, so everyone draws their own line. Some people call Christopher Ward a microbrand still, which is absurd given their scale.

Honestly I don't care about the label. If the watches are good and the service is decent, call it whatever.

For me it's about independence and production model. A microbrand is a small independent company, usually under 10 people, doing limited runs and selling mostly online. Once you have a full in-house customer service team and a dealer network, you're just a small brand.

Production volume is the clearest metric. Under a few thousand units a year feels micro. Over 10,000 and you're not micro anymore, even if you're still small compared to Seiko.

I've seen people argue that if a band has its own movement, it's not a microbrand. That seems too strict. Plenty of microbrands modify or assemble movements in small batches.

The term microbrand is mostly a marketing category created by forums and Reddit. It helps buyers set expectations about warranty, resale, and customer service. Once a brand has a real track record and stable distribution, the term stops being useful.

I'd say it's when the founder is no longer personally personally answering emails. That's the moment the hobbyist phase ends.

Retail presence and service centers matter more than headcount. If I can get my watch serviced in my country without shipping it back to the brand's home base, it's grown past micr status.

This debate comes up every few months. The answer is always that there's no answer. Use whatever definition helps you decide whether to buy.