If we look at the brands created a decade or so ago and which we described as being “microbrands” and where many of them are now, having been bestowed the title of “independent” indicating that they have surpassed a certain level of something—e.g., design, price, manufacturing. Some are now regarded as the “darlings” of independent horology, for example Baltic, Serica, Studio UnderdØg, because they have gained international fame and dislodged themselves from their micro status—for one reason or another, including using COSC-certified calibers, new dial materials, and designing their own bespoke cases. The thing is, most of these independent and darling brands still do not manufacture anything in-house (not even a strap buckle,) however they are adored by the watch media, enthusiasts, and collectors for reasons that are difficult to pinpoint. What they all have in common however is their constant climb of the price ladder which, in some instances, puts them side-by-side with historical Swiss brands. 

This evolution is normal as watch brands are businesses and most businesses aim to grow. Which is unfortunate for people like you and I who supported them at the beginning because they were more attainable and somewhat approachable. So if we’re looking for alternatives to these brands which were microbrands and no longer are, we need to dig a little deeper in the market and search beyond the borders of the go-to watchmaking countries. For example we can look in Norway whose horological community is growing thanks to brands like Straum.  However good its watches are, Straum has become a tad of a darling brand itself but for good reasons—unique designs and technologies, and high quality manufacturing and QC. So we need to look beyond Straum to find a brand like Far-Far based in Oslo, which specializes in thoughtful homages of iconic tool and military watches. Today we’re taking a first look at Far-Far through the Retro Black Automatic, a vintage-inspired field watch which retails for roughly $357 USD. 

Specifications 

The first element we need to discuss is the extremely good value Far-Far watches offer. And to understand where this value comes from, we can get some kind of clue in the brand’s name which translates to “Grandfather” according to Google. (The brand offers the option for the “Far-Far” logo or “Mor-Far” which translates to “grandmother.”) Maybe this is a bit of a stretch but when we think about our grandparents today, who were born in the 1930s/40s/50s, if they wore watches, they most likely wore something affordable and robust, since back then watches were a necessity although most likely not at the reach of most regular folks. So the idea of making good affordable watches is a way for Far-Far to democratize honest watchmaking through which it makes a ton load of good watches attainable for many. The $357 USD/3.475,00 kr you will spend on the Retro Black Automatic will get you far. Like far-far. (Pun, anyone?) But if you want even more value, the Norwegian brands make the same watch in quartz for $193 USD/1.875,00 kr. 

Ten years ago, when the new wave of microbands got started (and perhaps a few years before that,) the go-to calibers for high-value watches were the Seiko NH35 (to have a date complication,) the NH36 (to have a date + day of the week complications,) and the NH38 (to have no complication at all.) These movements are said to be relatively accurate out-of-the-box, easy to regulate and service, and cheap to buy, around $35 USD a pop. Their only drawback, which has been repeated ad-nauseam by journalists, YouTubers, and influencers, is their relative thickness compared to any other movement from Sellita and Miyota, the other go-to calibers for micro and small independent brands. The automatic version of the Far-Far Retro Black Automatic is equipped with the ubiquitous NH35 which beats at 3Hz and comes with 41 hours of power reserve. By all means, one of the best calibers affordable watches can be equipped with and one which still makes a whole lot of sense in 2026 even if brands now go Miyota’s and LaJoux-Perret’s. 

In 2026, it is also sensical to opt for scratch-resistant crystals, for example a flat piece of sapphire which comes with the additional bonus of being deprived of distortions at its edges. Since it is such a good option, why not put it on the case-back as well so that we can look at the tractor-like Seiko NH35, still a pleasant spectacle. In terms of nighttime legibility, best is to opt for C3 and BGW9 SuperLuminova combo, applied relatively generously on the hands and printed markers on the dial, where the former lasts longer than the latter. Because of its vintage-inspired utilitarian design, the Retro Black Automatic should entice us to wear it for daily life as well as mild outdoorsy activities on the weekends, which is why Far-Far thought of a screw-down case-back and 6mm screw-down crown, endowing this model with a more-than-decent 100 meters of water resistance. (The brand indicates this depth rating is better suited for sailing, snorkeling, and shallow water swimming, but I would also use it for diving.) 

Lastly, the Retro Black Classic ships with two straps, an olive-green NATO-style nylon one equipped with a large brushed buckle and leather-like keepers, which reminds me of the straps the Hamilton Khaki ships on. A second NATO-style strap is included and you can choose amongst a few color options. Tying all of this back to the $357 USD price tag, you do get your money's worth with this model. 

Oh, dimensions: 39mm in diameter, 49mm lug-to-lug, 12mm thick, and 20mm lug width.

Design 

The best of old-school microbrands shine for offering thoughtful homages of iconic watches the original makers no longer make or still do but for stratospheric-like prices. (How do you like this for a classic definition of homage watches?) Taking a quick tour of Far-Far’s catalogue, we immediately notice that the Norwegian brand mostly deals with homages, some, like the Retro, showcasing a bit more originality than others, like the Pilot, which I would however love to review for Mainspring. Their latest release, the Dykker made in collaboration with watchmaker Sutterud in Bjølsen, has whiffs of Benrus’ Type 1 and Type 2 military divers from the  1960s/70s I’m in for as well. A brand like Far-Far therefore provides a comprehensive offering of a style of watches you are most likely interested in since you are reading this review. Beyond their great value, Far-Far’s models also make it possible to keep the tradition of vintage-inspired tool watches alive which would otherwise have been dumped in favor of modern designs. 

Upon first study of the Retro Black’s dial, we sense that its design was strongly inspired by World War II-era field watches, not only the iconic Dirty Dozen many other brands have homaged already, but the other models like the British Army Trade Pattern (A.T.P.) However, with a few twists. It all starts with a matte textured black background which is particularly pleasant to look at, effective at cancelling light-reflections as well as making all other design elements pop from it. At its periphery we find an ultra-classic railroad minute track composed of two white circles connected by small white dashes marking the minutes, and yellow lume-filled ones marking the hours. Moving towards the center we find eleven Arabic numerals printed in BGW9 lume marking the hours with great legibility, though missing the twelfth to make way for a beveled date aperture at the six o’clock composed of white numerals printed on a color-matched date disc, and the brand’s logo and word “Automatic” embossed north and south of the pinion. 

Far-Far’s icing on the cake is the use of large hour and minute hands shaped like elongated fountain pen nibs, polished and showcasing a bi-partite construction to make them more resistant to shocks and allow for larger applications of lume at their center. The handset is made complete with a needle-thin polished seconds hand equipped with an arrow-shaped counter-balance. To balance things out, the Norwegian brand opted for a classically-styled utilitarian case, whose design characteristics feature long lugs which arch down towards the wrist, slab-sided flanks, and a predominance of horizontal and vertical brushed finishes, save for the polished lower section of the fixed bezel. A key feature of the outer body of the Retro Black Automatic is the unsigned screw-down crown which was adorned with a fine knurling for easy operation. If you look closely, you will notice that it is also slightly recessed within the case side and is therefore neatly integrated with it. Thus a simple but a classically designed steel body. 

The Heart of the Matter

While the microbrands we loved became independent and/or the darlings of the watch world, using more complex movements, presenting fancier dial materials, and delving deep into the recent trend of unilateral collaborations, and thus going up market, there are other ones which remained true to the ethos that made, and still makes, microbrands so interesting today and the best tool to democratize horology to the masses. Which is why we looked at the Far-Far Retro Black Automatic, and there are two principal reasons for it: first, I was charmed by its retro military aesthetics which ages oh so well through the decades and which makes for highly legible tool watches; second, for it immediately came across as being a darn good deal looking at its long list of specifications compared to how little the brand is asking for it. For $357 USD you will get more than what you will have paid for, not only based on looks and technical specifications, but also the overall good execution of the case and dial. This is indeed the Norwegian high-value heavy-hitter as far as I can tell.  

Conclusion 

To make sure that you will find the right version of the Retro for yourself, Far-Far gives you a couple of options for colors, technology, and logo: black or green dials, quartz or automatic, and the Far-Far or Mor-Far logos. The quartz version is equipped with a Miyota 2035 caliber which comes with a stated monthly accuracy of ± 20 seconds and a 3-year battery life and retails for $193 USD/1.875,00 kr. The automatic version as we know comes with the Seiko NH35 (3Hz/41 hours of power reserve) and will set you back $357 USD/3.475,00 kr. You cannot go wrong either way, I promise. The Far-Far Retro is excellent from the perspective of classic microbrand watches and will make for a great addition to any collection. It looks darn good in mine I can tell you! 

Thanks for reading.