Six small watchmakers that have hit the big time The Times Simon de Burton Six small watchmakers that have hit the big time new From traditional to avant-garde, there's an indie revolution taking over the industry From left: Vertex M36, ￡2,150; Vanguart Orb, from ￡136,000; Farer Volante, from ￡1,875 Simon de Burton Friday October 16 2026, 11.00pm BST , The Times Listen 0:00 / · 9:07 min Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Puzzles Challenge yourself with today's puzzles. T he buzzword in watchmaking these days is “independent”, which refers to brands not owned by large luxury goods conglomerates, but which plough their own furrow in terms of what they make and sell. Often run by their founders and with annual production runs ranging from a handful of watches to a few thousand, the independents are increasingly attracting collectors who want something different from the well-known dial names and want to support traditional and imaginative watchmaking. The number of independent brands has mushroomed in recent years. There are now hundreds to choose from, with makers based in every corner of the world. Here are six worth knowing about. All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we will earn affiliate revenue Luxury newsletter The inside track on tech, travel, philanthropy and the hottest handbags, cars and spas. Sign up with one click You've successfully signed up to the Luxury newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Luxury newsletter Explore our newsletters 1. Vanguart The mechanical watchmaking renaissance that began 25 years ago has shone a spotlight not only on established names, but also on some of the behind-the-scenes companies that create the technical movements used in many of today's most expensive timepieces. Among such “kings of complication” is Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi (APRP), a business founded in 1989 by the master watchmakers Dominique Renaud and Giulio Papi — a technological powerhouse specialising in highly complex micro-engineering. Axel Leuenberger and Jeremy Frelechox left APRP to co-found Vanguart in 2017. Its first watch, the Black Hole Tourbillon, was released four years later and features a one-piece case and movement and a vortex-like dial that appears to be “swallowing” a central flying tourbillon. It was followed last year by a second model, the Orb, with a curved 41mm case containing a meticulously finished, fully skeletonised movement that, ingeniously, can be switched from automatic to manual winding by pressing a push-piece set into the crown. From ￡136,000; vanguart.com 2. Vertex When Don Cochrane relaunched the historic British watchmaker Vertex, which was set up in 1916 by his great-grandfather Claude Lyons, he decided to market the new timepieces in an unusual way. Instead of following conventional methods, he invited specific individuals to become owners, providing an initial 60 invitees with a purchase code that would enable them to buy a watch through the company's website if they wanted to become a member of the exclusive Vertex club. Each buyer was then entitled to invite five further individuals, each of whom could invite one more person — beyond whom only owners of original Vertex watches or military personnel could apply. The “anti-commercial” marketing method polarised opinion, with some criticising it for being “elitist”. But those first M100 models soon sold out; since then, Vertex has continued to thrive by extending its range of watches inspired by models made for the Ministry of Defence during the Forties. One of the latest is the 36mm M36, which combines the present trend for smaller case sizes with the near-exact look of the original military piece. A modern Swiss Sellita movement ensures reliability, while top-spec Super-LumiNova dial markings make for perfect legibility. ￡2,150; vertex-watches.com 3. Farer Farer is a UK-based dial name founded in 2015 to enter the adventure-watch space (“Farer” derives from travelling types such as “seafarer” and “wayfarer”). Having celebrated its first decade last year, it has an expanding range of watches designed in Britain but made in Switzerland by the leading manufacturer Roventa Henex, a discreet “white label” operation that produces watches for major brands. The main man at Farer is Paul Sweetenham, and like many a watch fan, Sweetenham loves cars too, and maintains an ever-changing fleet of about a dozen classics. His automotive passion has led to models in the Farer line-up being named after celebrated characters from the motorsport world, such as the land-speed record holders John Cobb and Henry Segrave, and the company also stages track days for owners and friends of the brand. Among its latest releases is a trio of racing chronographs inspired by “the bold team liveries of the late Sixties and early Seventies”. Named Volante, Libre and Gara, they offer interpretations of the classic three-subdial chronograph, with dials respectively coloured blue/orange, white/burgundy, and silver/racing green. From ￡1,875; farer.com Advertisement 4. Wilbur Jason Wilbur doesn't like to call his creations “watches” but “supermachines”, and says he has “zero care” for what time it is — because he wants his designs, produced in a studio in the backwoods village of South Londonderry, Vermont, to be perceived as “tools” that make the people who wear them “superhuman”. Wilbur sketched out his first watches in 2005 while heading up Honda's research and development studio in Torrance, California. He created his first company in 2009 but the financial downturn forced him to sell it, after which he and his wife liquidated their pensions and set up Wilbur a decade later. Wilbur designs his “supermachines” automotive style, starting with sketches and then “building” them on a computer before passing the perfected files to specialist Swiss manufacturers. His latest model is the EXP 2.0, which is limited to 25 examples and features an “exoskeleton” case made from a combination of titanium and blue and black ceramic. The 41mm square three-hander is powered by a Swiss La Joux Perret movement. ￡7,430; wilburco.com 5. Ferdinand Berthoud The name Ferdinand Berthoud may not resonate with most, but to serious watch enthusiasts it conjures up one of the most important of all clockmakers. Born in 1727 in the watchmaking centre of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Berthoud settled in France at 18 to study as a “watchmaker's companion” for the masters of the Parisian guild. Within eight years, he had demonstrated such precocious talent that King Louis XV decreed he should be awarded the title of Master Clockmaker. Election to the Royal Society in London followed, and by 1768 Berthoud's place in horological history was assured after the successful sea trials of two of his ship's chronometers led to his appointment as “horologist mechanic to the king and navy”. Berthoud died aged 80 in 1807 but, in 2015, the Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele revived his name as an independent brand dedicated to low-volume, high-end chronometer wristwatches with engineering features typical of Berthoud. The latest is this version of the award-winning FB 3SPC.2-1, which was awarded the coveted chronometry prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2023. From ￡150,000; ferdinandberthoud.ch 6. Micromilspec Norwegian Henrik Rye studied finance at the University of Southampton but didn't discover his true vocation until seven years ago, after moving back to Oslo and renting a tiny space in the rear of an old watch and clock shop. Back then he was selling all types of “surplus” stock, ranging from umbrellas and coffee to shoes and hunting gear. Then one day he overheard someone asking the shop's owner, Erik Sutterud, if he could make a small series of watches for an elite military unit. Rye's ears pricked up: he had made connections in the Swiss watch business by selling low-value, excess-stock timepieces. Within two months, he organised the creation of 200 timepieces custom-made for a Norwegian special forces team. The order led Rye and Sutterud to co-found Micromilspec, which is now recognised as the go-to maker for bespoke, fit-for-purpose watches for armed forces and emergency services personnel around the world. Micromilspec offers its wristwear to civilians too, with its latest being the Fieldmaster, a contemporary take on the classic field-watch design that has been around since the First World War. The watch upgrades the traditional specification with a titanium case and custom-built Horage movement. From ￡2,360; micromilspec.com Life & Style LUXX Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save