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Justin Dorfman

@themicrocollector

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Microbrand watch collector & enthusiast
🎙️ Host of The Micro Collector podcast
👇 The people & stories behind microbrand watches

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🗽 What makes Windup Watch Fair NYC so special?

We caught up with Justin Dorfman of The Micro Collector Podcast to hear his impressions of Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026—and why the New York edition is an experience unlike any other.

From lines wrapping around the block to the incredible energy inside, Windup brings together watch enthusiasts, independent brands, and collectors from all walks of life.

Beyond the opportunity to try on watches and meet the people behind the brands, Justin highlighted something particularly interesting this year: the growing number of New York-inspired limited editions, including releases from Brew and Vario.

Could city-specific limited editions become a defining feature of future Windup events?

🎥 Watch the full conversation to hear Justin's thoughts!

Video: @thecollectorscompass

#WindupWatchFair
#WindupNYC
#MicrobrandWatches
#WatchCollecting
#TheCollectorsCompass taken in Center415 by @themicrocollector

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One of the reasons I’ve become so interested in microbrands and independent watch companies is that they’ve opened up a part of watch collecting that feels increasingly underserved by the larger groups.

Guillaume Laidet makes a pretty direct argument here: as prices at many established brands have continued to climb, smaller independents have stepped into that gap with interesting design, strong storytelling, and watches that still feel attainable.

You can debate the exact numbers, but I think the broader point is hard to ignore.

There are now a growing number of brands making genuinely interesting watches at prices that allow enthusiasts to actually collect, experiment, and discover something new.

And I think that’s a big part of why this corner of the industry has become so exciting.

Full conversation with Guillaume is now live on The Micro Collector.

#microbrandwatches #independentwatchmaking #guillaumelaidet #watchcollecting #watchenthusiast by @themicrocollector

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Linen dial. Applied indices. Black inner bezel. Such a good combo.

One of my favorite things about the KUOE Sombrero is how they’ve designed the dial to practically fill the entire watch case. There’s barely any external bezel, which really draws your attention to the dial and gives all those little details room to shine.

Such a well-executed design.

#kuoe #watchdesign #watchdial #watchcollecting #japanesewatch by @themicrocollector

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I’ve always thought there can be a real advantage to entering an industry as an outsider.

You’re less likely to accept “this is just how it’s done” as an answer and more likely to go back to first principles and ask what actually needs to be true.

That came through clearly in my conversation with Mickey Brown of Parivas.

Mickey and his team didn’t come from traditional watchmaking, and instead of seeing that as a disadvantage, they used their engineering background to question assumptions they might otherwise have inherited.

As Mickey puts it: they didn’t know the rules, so everything was on the table.

That mindset is a big part of what allowed Parivas to approach the Exo.1 so differently.

Full conversation with Mickey Brown of Parivas is live on The Micro Collector.

#microbrandwatches #independentwatchmaking #additivemanufacturing #entrepreneurship #productdesign by @themicrocollector

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18 days ago

Nearly 85% finished straight out of the printer.

That was probably the most surprising part of Mickey Brown’s explanation of how the Parivas Exo.1 is made.

The lattice case and even the indices are already formed as part of a single monolithic structure before the watch ever reaches the CNC machine.

From there, traditional subtractive machining takes over to achieve the tight tolerances, surface finishes, and sealing surfaces needed to turn that printed structure into a finished mechanical watch.

That combination is what makes the process so interesting to me. Additive manufacturing isn’t just being used as a different way to make a conventional watch case. It’s allowing Parivas to design structures that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to create using traditional methods alone.

Full conversation with Mickey Brown of Parivas is now live on The Micro Collector.

#microbrandwatches #independentwatchmaking #additivemanufacturing #3dprinting #watchcollector by @themicrocollector

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19 days ago

Imagine having the design for your watch complete and ready to go, only to spend the next four years waiting for the technology to build it to catch up.

That’s what happened with Parivas and the Exo.1.

The watch was largely designed before 2022, but additive manufacturing still couldn’t deliver the level of fidelity and refinement Mickey Brown and his team felt watchmaking demanded.

So they worked directly with the companies building the 3D printing systems to help push the technology forward.

It’s a pretty incredible part of the six-year journey behind the Exo.1 and a reminder that sometimes the hardest part isn’t coming up with the idea. It’s figuring out how to make it possible.

Full conversation with Mickey Brown of Parivas is now live on The Micro Collector.

#microbrandwatches #independentwatchmaking #additivemanufacturing #3dprinting #watchcollector by @themicrocollector

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