On June 6, Matteo Violet-Vianello began taking pre-orders online for his first watch, the Anoma A1.

His website described the timepiece as Swiss Made, an official term indicating it would be assembled and tested in that country, and triangular in shape, inspired by a 1950s table from the French designer Charlotte Perriand. Delivery was promised in January 2025.

The initial run of 100 pieces, each at 1,300 British pounds ($1,686), sold out in five hours. And before the pre-order window closed July 6, Mr. Violet-Vianello, 28, sold another 100 watches.

But what were people buying? Anoma has no track record, no employees and no headquarters. Mr. Violet-Vianello doesn’t even work on the business full time, paying the rent with his salary as a management consultant.

But all of that aligns Anoma with the fast-growing group of watch microbrands that has sprung up in recent years, small businesses created by millennial entrepreneurs taking advantage of crowdfunding platforms and social media to sell watches that appeal to buyers bored with the design status quo or left behind by soaring prices. And while these microbrands have far smaller operating and marketing budgets than virtually every establishment brand, they are helping to shape the watch industry’s future.

Mr. Violet-Vianello said his watch answered his generation’s “search for individuality,” noting that prices of high-end watches “have increased, not in line with inflation, so a lot of great designs are now out of reach.” (Longtime “starter” watches, such as TAG Heuer’s Carrera Chronograph or Omega’s Speedmaster, now sell for more than $5,000.)