TimeTexas

Agreed for the most part. I do think there is a difference between a watchmaker who is intimately involved in creating some aspect of the physical watch versus what I would consider a microbrand whereby the brands provides a design and simply outsources all elements of the actual production. I feel like there should be some level of craftsmanship performed by the brand/watchmaker beyond the design to create a distinction between the two.

Hey, Jay! Glad to have you. Its a little light on activity right now. Mostly a soft launch just to get some more people in here and make sure the site continues to work and get suggestions for improvement. The General Discussion board is where most of the activity likely will be. However, I'm working with Holthinrichs to get their club set up how they want it. Then taking that to some other independent brands and keep building a community that hopefully provides for some great discussion of independent watches and also facilitates interaction between the watchmakers/brands and their clients/potential clients. All input, positive or negative is definitely appreciated. This is the first forum I've ever set up so there will be some growing pains. And my vision isn't necessarily the correct vision. When I started with an idea for this about 4 or 5 months ago, I knew there wasn't much out there like it that wasn't being dominated by larger brands. Which makes sense because those are the watches that drive people to the site. Probably to my wallet's detriment, I'm almost looking for the opposite of that. I hope this remains a relatively small and tight-knit community of people who are interested in learning more about smaller and relatively obscure brands that are making some absolutely amazing timepieces. Plus I pretty much hate Instagram - actually good timing for them to make it even worse just as I was just about to launch this site. People are looking for an alternative - the podcast I posted from A Blog To Watch nails it. In any event, you're clearly on your way - GO was my gateway drug. And I love your 60s green. I got the 60's Fiery Orange, but my grail had always been the 70s silver. And GO is a Swatch brand watch, but Swatch basically ignores them and they do their own amazing things. Once I got the 60s and then the 70s, my mindset just changed. I liked things that were different. That weren't mainstream. That were low production. That had a higher level of quality. That required actual hand craftsmanship. From there it was a deep dive and it has just been an amazing experience and fundamentally changed how I view watches. The ability to interact with the person who makes your watch. To talk about their inspiration and learn about their passion for making beautiful timepieces. And that shared experience really takes an object of great physical beauty and mechanical craftsmanship and adds an emotional element to it. Anyways, now that I've kind of opened up the site, I'll be putting out some more information and posts and hopefully some others will join (more knowledgeable than me), and add their knowledge and insight. Cheers and welcome! Chris

Not technically an independent I guess, but Swatch group ignores them. Plus I love the new 70s variants they just launched.

Although not specific to Independents, this is a relevant discussion as to part of the reason this board exists. https://anchor.fm/ablogtowatchweekly

Wrist Shots

In the most broad terms, independent brands can range from tiny microbrands to the largest and most successful brands in the world, Rolex. And anything in between. But when talking about Independents in the spirit of this forum, I think it's well understood that we aren't talking about large commercial brands. But where do we draw the line? What are the parameters? When is an independent brand small enough to be considered an "Independent"? And when does a microbrand become an "Independent"? Is there a minimum level of watchmaking or craftsmanship required to move from microbrand status to "Independent"? The lines are definitely becoming more difficult to discern. How do you define Independents?

https://otpodcast.libsyn.com/website Great interview. While I've never met Roman, I enjoy his podcasts and enjoyed hearing his parsley from the other side of the mic. He raised a question that I think bears discussing. When asked which independent brands he would like to collaborate on to create a watch, he listed Halios as his affordable option. So I was thinking, is Halios an "Independent"? I love Halios, but I think of them more as a microbrand than an independent brand. Fair? I'm not sure. And thinking back on a Clubhouse with Cronotempvs last week, there definitely is a blurring of lines between microbrands and independents. As a fan of both, I think it's worth a discussion about how these brands are defined.

Saw several posts on IG today complaining about the latest Ming release and their "drops". And it got me thinking, what is a successful sales strategy for independents? Limited supply limits options. And independents have seen demand increase significantly over the last couple years and we've seen independent watchmakers struggle with the best method to handle the increased demand. With the current market uncertainty, it seems there may be a bit of a respite as demand slows down. But it will come back and probably even stronger. Independents are growing in popularity and the supply simply isn't there to meet the demand. And that puts watchmakers in a difficult situation of having to decide the best strategy for making watches available. Waiting lists continue to grow until the watchmaker simply has to stop taking orders. Drops are a hassle and frustrating and alienate potential buyers. Preferential treatment of previous clients limits access to new clients. Clubs/collaborations are becoming limited and exclusivity also limits access to new clients as most members are existing clients. I'll probably follow up once I have more time to think about it. But high-end watchmaking labor is relatively limited and it seems demand will continue to outstrip supply. Maybe this impending slowdown will let the watchmaking schools catch up and the labor force will expand to meet the demand. Part of the beauty of independent watchmaking is that it is limited, and not something available to anyone and everyone. But watchmakers need to balance that with growing their business, expanding their client base, reaching new customers, and ensuring long term success of their business.

It's very nice but agree with your comments. Saw they are now offering a second strap option as well. Probably a good idea. I want some on the white.

https://www.fratellowatches.com/strap-check-my-bespoke-holthinrichs-ornament-on-a-beige-kaufmann-alligator-strap/ Just a fantastic article in Fratello.

Great shot! Love that strap too!

Those look great! Added him to the list.

So one of my favorite YouTube channels is Not So Obvious Watches. Pete McConvill doesn't do a lot of reviews and also doesn't talk a lot about independent watches. But its a great, thought provoking channel about the watch industry as a whole. Definitely worth checking out. In any event, Pete recently got a D. Dornblüth & Sohn Worldtimer Classic and this is his review of the watch. It's a great review and starting at about minute 6 until the end, I think he really gets to what makes independent watches so wonderful. Worth checking out and even though he doesn't do a lot with indies, its worth checking out his videos - lots of thought provoking stuff.