DC Metro Microbrand Meetup - Update

It’s hard to believe, but the DC Metro Microbrand Meetup is only 10 days away! If you plan to attend but haven’t registered, head over to microbrandmeetup.com and get on it. Here is everything you need to know.

Microbrand Participation

The response has been tremendous. When Bill and I started planning, we hoped to get about 10 microbrands involved. We got 30! See the full list below. The owners of Bernhardt, BluShark, Hager, Heitis, Hemel, Huguenin, Janis Trading, Kratos, McDowell Time, and Schmutz will attend in person and may be game for a little Q&A at the end. The others are sending watches with their US representatives or in the care of our deputies.

Private Collections

The down side of this success is that we have maxed out our space with micros and will not be able to display private collections in our reserved room. Yeah, it’s a drag, but the micros are the stars here, and our registrants have made that pretty clear as only 7 people asked for space to display their personal watches. Next year, we may do things differently, but this time it will have to be micros only.

Events

Doors open at 11:00. Upon arrival at Virtue, you will be directed to the Porch Dining Room on the second floor. Sign in to enter the prize drawings and receive your drink tickets. The first 100 to arrive will receive a free NATO strap from Clockwork Synergy! Then, enjoy some appetizers, check out the watches, and chat with some of the fellows responsible for them. Some will be for sale on the spot and we will have laptops and WiFi ready to go if you want to place an order.

We are seeing a strong surge in registration and expect to have over 100 in attendance. This is outstanding, but also a little cozy. I’m sure it will not be a problem, we just ask that you be mindful of this. If it gets tight, please allow others their time in the display room. There is a bar and a lounge with couches just outside our space, you can grab a table for lunch, and there is plenty to do in Old Town Alexandria if you want to check out the local shops or galleries and rejoin us later.

We will hold our prize drawings around 2:30 and move right from that into the Microbrand Q&A. By 3:30, we will be packed up and moving on, but I know several folks plan to hang out afterward.

Prizes

We have got a ton of goodies for this event, starting with the Clockwork Synergy straps. Then we get to the raffles: watches from Aevig, ArmourLite, Borealis, Prometheus, and Stuckx; straps from Crown & Buckle and Isofrane; Doxa history books; Aevig swag; and we’ve got a few more items in the works too.

Metro and Parking

If you are taking public transportation, you will want the Blue or Yellow Metro line to the King Street-Old Town station. From there, it is a 25 minute walk down to Union Street, or you can hop on the Free King Street Trolley which runs about every 10 minutes from the Metro station.

Finally, for those of you driving in, you should know that there are three parking garages near Virtue. The two next door and across the street on S. Union Street are the most convenient but they are small and the spaces are tight. If this is a concern, I’d recommend the lot down the block on N. Union Street (past King Street, across from the Torpedo Factory). There is street parking as well, but it is not always plentiful.

And now the part you really wanted to see…

Participating Microbrands