Independent Watchmakers

THE WATCHTIME Q&A

Max Büsser of MB&F: “The Watch is My Canvas”

Year after year, MB&F surprises connoisseurs with watches that look and function totally unlike all other familiar timepieces. In this wide-ranging Q&A from our 2018 Design Special Issue (on sale now), Max Büsser, the founder and creative mastermind of this Geneva-based brand, talks about his concept, which sees a watch as a work of art.

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Oct 1, 2018 by Maria-Bettina Eich

Promotion

Baume & Mercier’s new Clifton Baumatic: Lengthened Service Intervals

A mechanical watch movement is a complex mechanism comprising numerous mobile miniature components. Their perpetual interaction results in friction and wear ultimately influencing the smooth running of the movement. This is one of the reasons why watches have to be returned for regular service. The new Clifton Baumatic from Baume & Mercier with the maison’s...

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Oct 15, 2018 by WatchTime

PROFILE

Ferrier’s Fine Finish: The Journey of Laurent Ferrier

Laurent Ferrier grew up in a kind of watch paradise. As a boy returning after school to his family’s apartment in Geneva, he came face to face with exquisite timepieces every day. His father restored and repaired complicated watches and clocks in a workshop directly across from Vacheron Constantin. Here's the story of how he founded his own independent watch brand.

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Aug 24, 2018 by Norma Buchanan

FEATURE:

Taking a Look at Romain Gauthier’s Influential Use of Titanium

When Romain Gauthier released his first titanium timepiece, the Prestige HMS Natural Titanium, in 2011, the reaction he received wasn’t quite what he was expecting. “Collectors knew me as an exponent of traditional Vallée de Joux watchmaking, presented in precious metal cases,” he says. “When I unveiled the Prestige HMS Natural Titanium, people said: ‘Why?...

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Aug 22, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

POLL:

Vote on the Winner of WatchTime Wrist Shot Contest #2

Capping off another successful WatchTime Wrist Shot Contest submission period, here are our top 10 images of the 300-plus wrist shots submitted to us through e-mail and Instagram over the past two weeks. Please vote on what you think is the best image based on composition, creativity, and image quality. The top five finishers will receive...

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Oct 9, 2018 by WatchTime

NEWS:

Oak & Oscar Quietly Releases Two Watches in Batch Nº1

Owners of Oak & Oscar timepieces received a surprise email in their inbox last Friday. Chase Fancher, the founder of the Chicago-based microbrand, was writing to his network of collectors to announce a highly-limited collection called Batch Nº1 that would be available to ship starting on Monday, August 6. The name is a reference, no...

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Aug 8, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

PROFILE

Kari On: Meet Horological Rockstar Kari Voutilainen

A dozen years ago, Kari Voutilainen was a horological ghostwriter, working anonymously for various high-end watch brands. Except for the few, one-of-a-kind pieces he made under his own label, his work bore the names of others. Now he’s a watchmaking star.

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Aug 1, 2018 by WatchTime

PROMOTION:

Gucci Presents #TimeToParr: An Uncommon Photographic Journey

Embracing Instagram’s creative landscape over the past three years with dedicated projects in which artists play with House motifs, Gucci has published and promoted these special works with a series of hashtags. Now, for the first time, the House is collaborating with a single artist on an Instagram project. Exploring the nature of time and...

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Oct 9, 2018 by WatchTime

From Fratello Watches

Expert Advice: 5 Tips for Buying Vintage Watches

Whether you’re buying out of sentimentality or simply for investment purposes, education is the most important factor when it comes to buying, or collecting, vintage timepieces, says Fratello Watches founder and WatchTime contributor Robert-Jan Broer.

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Jul 5, 2018 by Robert-Jan Broer

Inside Watchmaking

Leather and Lugs: The Making of a Hermès Watch Strap

La Montre Hermès takes its leather goods as seriously as it does its watchmaking. In this WatchTime feature, we explore how a fine leather watch strap is crafted.

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Jun 27, 2018 by Gisbert Brunner

MICROBRAND MONDAY:

Introducing: Seals Watch Co. Model C Field Explorer

Based out of El Dorado Hills, California, Seals Watch Co. got its start after its owner Michael Seals began sketching at a bar one night. Doodles of armored tanks soon formed the outline of a bezel and case with the glacis plate and tracks forming the lugs and centerpiece underneath. Soon, an idea formed to...

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May 28, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

MICROBRAND MONDAY:

A Hands-On Review of the Updated Monta Oceanking

When you think about microbrands, there are a few things to consider. You should look at what type of materials are being used, how original the design is, and how the price compares to similar offerings. One of the most important aspects, and the one that is most often forgotten, is a look at the...

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May 14, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

MICROBRAND MONDAY

All Aboard: Introducing the Vortic Railroad Edition

Ever since the brand was founded by two Penn State students in 2013, Vortic Watch Company has been one of our favorite developing companies to watch. At a hotel located right outside the Baselworld fair last month, I had the opportunity to once again meet with founder RT Custer where he showed me his current focus:...

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Apr 30, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

It’s Not Easy Being Green: MB&F Releases a Viridescent Aquapod

The MB&F HM7 Aquapod is back. First released in 2017, the original Aquapod combined an annular design inspired by a jellyfish with dive watch elements and a flying tourbillon. This morning, the brand announced the introduction of a new limited-edition version with a titanium case and an electric-green bezel. If you recall, the unidirectional bezel construction from...

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Apr 24, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

SIHH 2018:

Hautlence Looks to the Future with the Vortex Gamma Line

Hautlence is a brand that has made its name on watches that balance the oft-precarious line between avant-garde timekeeping displays, an innovative use of materials, and more traditional horological sensibilities. At the SIHH fair back in January, the 14-year old brand added two updates to the brand’s Vortex lineup that straddled the difference seamlessly. The...

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Mar 13, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

SIHH 2018:

The Grönefeld Parallax Tourbillon Gets Updated with a New Dial

The past few years have been especially fruitful for Grönefeld, a young independent brand run by two Dutch brothers. In 2016, the twosome took home the GPHG award for Best Men’s Watch with the 1941 Remontoire. Two years before that, the duo won the prize for the top Tourbillon Watch with the Parallax Tourbillon. At...

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Mar 5, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

THE WATCHTIME Q&A

Talking with Chase Fancher of Oak & Oscar

Chase Fancher isn’t messing around. The founder of Chicago-based Oak & Oscar has just finished showing off the independent watch brand at a series of fairs. I’m sitting next to him and his collaborator, a designer named John Hatherly, in a small coffee shop in the Flatiron district of Manhattan two weeks after the duo...

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Nov 1, 2017 by Logan R. Baker

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

A Scot and Her Skulls: Talking Watch Design with Fiona Krüger

Fiona Kruger, a young Scottish artist, has earned recognition from the Swiss watch world – and earned it, oddly enough, with skull watches. What better a subject to tackle on Halloween? Excerpted from the upcoming WatchTime Special Design Issue 2018, here's our conversation with Kruger, in which she reveals what inspired her distinctive motif and how she views her place in the watch industry.

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Oct 31, 2017 by WatchTime

Five Timepieces from Independent Brands at WatchTime New York 2017

One of things we look forward to the most about WatchTime New York each year is getting to work with the independent brands that aren’t always visible to the horological mainstream. From an American watchmaking rockstar hell-bent on returning Pennsylvania to its former horological glory to a Finnish luminary operating at the peak of his...

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Oct 23, 2017 by Logan R. Baker

30 Highlight Watches You’ll See at WatchTime New York 2017, From A to Z

The wait is almost over! WatchTime New York, America's largest luxury watch show, kicks off tonight at Manhattan's Gotham Hall and continues tomorrow. Thirty watch brands will be on hand to show off their newest timepiece treasures; here we showcase each brand's highlight model, from A. Lange to Zenith.

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Oct 13, 2017 by WatchTime

Showing at WatchTime New York 2017: Czapek & Cie. Place Vendôme Tourbillon Suspendu

Calling all lovers of indie watch brands: Geneva-based Czapek & Cie, which won the Public Prize at the 2016 Geneva Grand Prix, will be among the sponsoring brands at October's WatchTime New York event — and guests there will be among the first to see the brand's latest creation, the Czapek Place Vendôme Tourbillon Suspendu "Ici et Ailleurs."

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Sep 20, 2017 by Mark Bernardo

Kari Voutilainen Will Present His Voutilainen 28 R12 Watch at WatchTime New York 2017

Kari Voutilainen — one of the true rock stars of independent watchmaking — has confirmed his presence at America's biggest watch show, WatchTime New York 2017, which will be held on October 13-14 at Manhattan's Gotham Hall. One of the pieces Kari will be showcasing is the new Voutilainen 28 R12 wristwatch. Here's what you should know about it.

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Sep 16, 2017 by Mark Bernardo

Showing at WatchTime New York 2017: Antoine Preziuso Chronometer Tourbillon of Tourbillons

America’s largest luxury watch show, WatchTime New York, returns on October 13-14. For the first time, independent Swiss complications specialist Antoine Preziuso will be among the exhibitors, showcasing his groundbreaking AFP-TTR-3X Chronometer "Tourbillon of Tourbillons."

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Jul 8, 2017 by Mark Bernardo

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