# Microbrand API

> The definitive structured data layer for independent and microbrand watches. A public consumer index covering 13,846 models from 1,393 brands, with a REST API for developers, grey market pricing, limited edition tracking, and brand health analytics. Every page drives traffic to IndieWatches.store — the marketplace for buying and selling independent watches.

## What this site is

Microbrand API is two things:

1. **A public watch discovery platform** at microbrandapi.com — searchable by brand, movement, case size, price, and availability. Each watch and brand has a dedicated SEO page with structured data (JSON-LD Product + Organization schemas).

2. **A REST API** at api.microbrandapi.com — for developers who need structured watch data, grey market pricing, brand analytics, value retention scores, and drop/release tracking.

## Key content areas

- **Browse watches**: microbrandapi.com/browse — filter by 20+ attributes
- **Brands directory**: microbrandapi.com/brands — 1,393 independent brands with country, founding year, and social links
- **Individual brand pages**: microbrandapi.com/brands/:slug — full model catalog + brand metadata
- **Individual watch pages**: microbrandapi.com/brands/:brandSlug/:modelSlug — specs, pricing, grey market data, images
- **Engagement insights**: microbrandapi.com/insights — page view analytics broken down by model type (GMT vs non-GMT, limited vs standard)
- **API documentation**: microbrandapi.com/docs
- **Blog / Data Stories**: microbrandapi.com/blog — 34 data-driven articles on the independent watch market

## The marketplace connection

Every watch and brand page links to **IndieWatches.store** (https://indiewatches.store/brand/:slug) — a curated marketplace where buyers and sellers trade independently-made watches. The index drives organic discovery; IndieWatches closes the transaction.

## Data coverage

- 13,846 watch models with structured specs (case diameter, movement, lug width, crystal, water resistance, lume, strap material)
- Grey market pricing from secondary market sources (average, low, high, listing count)
- Limited edition tracking with release dates
- Value retention scoring (grey market premium vs retail)
- Brand health metrics (sellout velocity, grey market demand, popularity score)
- Drop/release calendar with countdown timers

## Blog articles (Data Stories)

All articles are data-driven, sourced from the live watch index. Each includes JSON-LD BlogPosting schema with publication date and keyword tags.

- **When Do Microbrand Watches Actually Drop? Release Timing Patterns Analyzed** — microbrandapi.com/blog/release-timing (Mar 2026)
- **The $500–$1,000 Sweet Spot Report** — microbrandapi.com/blog/sweet-spot-report (Mar 2026)
- **In-Stock vs Limited Drop: How Release Strategy Affects Resale** — microbrandapi.com/blog/stock-vs-drop (Feb 2026)
- **Bronze Watch Report 2026** — microbrandapi.com/blog/bronze-case-report (Feb 2026)
- **Best Microbrand Watches Under $300** — microbrandapi.com/blog/sub-300-guide (Feb 2026)
- **Zelos Watches Deep Dive** — microbrandapi.com/blog/zelos-deep-dive (Feb 2026)
- **Moon Phase Watch Report 2026** — microbrandapi.com/blog/moon-phase-report (Jan 2026)
- **Nivada Grenchen Deep Dive** — microbrandapi.com/blog/nivada-grenchen (Jan 2026)
- **Survivor Brands: Microbrands That Lasted** — microbrandapi.com/blog/survivor-brands (Jan 2026)
- **Small Watch Guide: Best Under 38mm** — microbrandapi.com/blog/small-watch-guide (Jan 2026)
- **Water Resistance Guide** — microbrandapi.com/blog/water-resistance-guide (Dec 2025)
- **Grey Market Winners: Highest Resale Premiums** — microbrandapi.com/blog/grey-market-winners (Dec 2025)
- **Pilot Watch Report 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/pilot-watch-report (Dec 2025)
- **Skeleton Watch Report 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/skeleton-report (Dec 2025)
- **Microbrand Field Watch Report 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/field-watch-report (Nov 2025)
- **Microbrand Chronograph Report 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/chronograph-report (Nov 2025)
- **Watch Availability & Scarcity Economics** — microbrandapi.com/blog/availability-economics (Nov 2025)
- **Brand Founding Timeline: How Microbrands Emerged** — microbrandapi.com/blog/founding-timeline (Nov 2025)
- **Microbrand Watch Price Map** — microbrandapi.com/blog/price-map (Nov 2025)
- **Movement Report 2025: Automatic vs Quartz vs Manual** — microbrandapi.com/blog/movement-report (Oct 2025)
- **Case Size Report: What Collectors Prefer** — microbrandapi.com/blog/case-size-report (Oct 2025)
- **Microbrand GMT Watch Report 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/gmt-report (Oct 2025)
- **Microbrand Dive Watch Report 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/dive-watch-report (Oct 2025)
- **Christopher Ward Deep Dive** — microbrandapi.com/blog/christopher-ward (Sep 2025)
- **AnOrdain Deep Dive** — microbrandapi.com/blog/anordain-deep-dive (Sep 2025)
- **Luxury Microbrands: The $1,000+ Tier** — microbrandapi.com/blog/luxury-microbrands (Sep 2025)
- **Farer Watch Deep Dive** — microbrandapi.com/blog/farer-deep-dive (Sep 2025)
- **Grey Market Deals: Microbrands Below Retail** — microbrandapi.com/blog/grey-market-deals (Aug 2025)
- **Best Microbrand Watches Under $500** — microbrandapi.com/blog/best-under-500 (Aug 2025)
- **Independent Watch Market Overview 2025** — microbrandapi.com/blog/market-overview (Aug 2025)
- **Halios Tropik Deep Dive** — microbrandapi.com/blog/halios-tropik (Aug 2025)
- **Grey Market Value Retention: Which Microbrands Hold Their Price** — microbrandapi.com/blog/grey-market-value (Aug 2025)
- **Most Viewed Microbrand Watches** — microbrandapi.com/blog/most-viewed (Jul 2025)
- **GMT Watches vs Non-GMT: Engagement Data from 13,846 Models** — microbrandapi.com/blog/gmt-engagement (Jul 2025)

## API tiers

- **Free** (no key): basic watch and brand lookup
- **Pro**: full analytics, grey market data, alerts, webhooks, batch endpoints

## Who this is for

Watch enthusiasts researching their next purchase, collectors tracking grey market values, journalists and bloggers writing about the independent watch industry, developers building watch-related apps, and marketplace operators sourcing inventory data.