Watchmaking goes beyond the numbers for resolute independents

A few years ago, when the watch industry hit some hiccups, something changed. The independents were being talked about.

Not just from themselves, in their small shops and boutiques and workshops. The talk of independents and their importance was in the offices and booths of the big brands and watch groups.

Sometimes it was the big bosses themselves, who would say that independent watchmakers were the backbone of the horological world. Or it was friends in the industry who opened up about what they saw happening.

Even independent watchmakers who were bought out by watch groups, felt that people were finally starting to look past the numbers.

Most of the watch names we see are associated with groups, the big watch or holding companies that have put boutiques and shopfronts all over the world. This has brought support, structure and strength to a community that needed it to grow. Watchmaking has always been about collaborations, about one person good at making certain parts while another was better at making bridges.

It was rare that anyone other than the final assembler or the person who put everything into the case would see the finished product. Even the watchmaker who did most of the final work himself was rarely the right person to bring that piece out into the world.