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Independent Minds
Embraced by collectors and the industry as the creative soul in the business, individual watchmakers strive to innovate and expand the horizons of what is possible in horology. We bring you Philippe Dufour, Peter Speake-Marin, the McGonigle Brothers and Kari Voutilainen.
When the mechanical art of timekeeping was young, it was actually possible and feasible for one watchmaker to build one instrument, from start to finish. In Europe, such craftsmen — they were indeed all men — found themselves challenged by the very success they had engineered. Humanity at large was unable to do without these new wonders and pressed for more and more. The lone craftsman soon became a thing of the past, replaced by a system of production that saw many individual craftsmen working together on different parts of the mechanical system, all supervised by an acknowledged master craftsman. This was the dawn of the manufacture as we know it today and the end of the proverbial road for most 'independents'.
Well, not quite. The watch collecting community is riven by passion and clings lovingly to the time-honoured traditions of horology. By extension, the community deifies the practitioners of these crafts, especially those who come close to the mythical passionate craftsman of yore. In recent years, a small but fervent community of enthusiasts have helped transform the mechanical watch from an expensive trading commodity to a mythical treasure to be held on to and cherished.
Let it not be said though that it is rosy romanticism within the mechanical (luxury) watch market that dictates successes and failures. As with any business these days, the (some would say evil) twin necessities of marketing and distribution have elevated the industry to a point where it is at once financially very healthy, yet somehow detached from its artisanal roots. The travelling salesman who once took orders for the watchmaker from all over the world has done his job exceedingly well, resulting in such giants as Swatch Group, Richemont and LVMH.
However, an emerging force in watchmaking revolves not around companies but rather around individuals once more. Often armed only with their technical knowledge and their passion for watchmaking, individual watchmakers are now striking it out on their own, stunning collectors — and the industry — with their highly individualised creations.
For many watch enthusiasts, it is this passion that is the real draw. The creations of independent watchmakers embody not only the personal philosophies of their respective creators but also their personal touch, as they are involved in the watches' creation from start to finish.
In this arena, where the watchmaker once again takes centre-stage, we present to you four of the most talked-about independent horological craftsmen in the world today.
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