Interesting piece by Roger Ruegger about how the recent trend of microbrand/boutique dive watch companies isn't such a new idea after all. At Basel 1966, Jaquet Droz alone had 14 different catalog divers that companies could rebrand as their own. Ebay is rife with curiously named old divers that closely resemble our favorites of past generations. Of course the big difference is the shift from Europe to Asia for manufacturing, but other than that, there really were no 'good old days' when everybody made their own custom designed divers. For at least half a century, there have been 'microbrands' operating underneath the big players in the industry. Quick and interesting read.

http://www.watchtime.com/blog/dive-w...-as-you-think/