There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
An observation that I have had is that the quality of the work is not on par with that of comparably priced watches from established manufactures such as Seiko, Tissot, etc
I think those bigger manufactures have perfected their process and also leverage economy of scale so they can deliver a higher quality (build and cleanness/perfection) at the comparable (or even better) price point.
So bottomline if you are not picky (i.e. little details and skirmishes don't bother you) and you don't drive your watches hard (i.e. take them off before playing tennis, or swimming, or action sports, etc) then these micro-brands are excellent. They are unique and different from everything else.
However if you are picky and you look at your watch dial closely, then you usually (per my experience) find little and minor defects here or there with them which will drive you nuts. Also if you like playing rough with your watches then they will break down rather easy (i.e. hands fall off, sometimes hour markers fall off, etc). So they are also not as sturdy as big-name watches either.
Generally speaking you are correct about fit and finish, these Micros have a ways to go before they can compete with some of the established brands that have been doing this for 100+ years but increasingly they are coming close and delivering good value, IMO. The thing that made me comfortable with pledging on the Martenero is that they have produced quality pieces before, so I'm less skeptical about what the final product will be once it is in my hands.
There are other entrepreneurs who hook up with Swiss or German makers, which can produce good results. These guys however are often ex-watch industry guys, former Fossil executives or the like, and they have contacts already.
I think that Japanese makers would benefit by making their production capability available to microbrands. The Japanese need an infusion of creativity, and having a working relationship with the sort of people behind microbrands could result in something really good for the company culture, I think.
http://www.oakandoscar.com/#best-craftsman
Martenero is one that collaborates more and uses the Miyota movement for the guts, but all design and assembly is done in New York City. I cannot recall where I had read it but they work with a family that is three generations of watchmakers.
A more comprehensive collaboration would be very interesting, but I don't know how open the Micros would be to it. I think a lot of these people left the larger corporate environment for a reason, so they can have complete control over the product and not have to compromise for the sake of marketing, cost cutting or whatever the case may be.