Watch Commission
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Hot Independent brands that didn't make it?
Hi all.
With the insane amount of energy behind independents these days - everything from Alto and Berneron to Urwerk and Vianni Halter - what are some of the brands that you know that didn't continue as hoped? This came up for me as I recently asked about Antoine Martin, a brand that seems to have disappeared with a whisper.
Antoine Martin
Hot Independent brands that didn't make it?
Hi all. With the insane amount of energy behind independents these days - everything from Alto and Berneron to Urwerk and Vianni Halter - what are some of the brands that you know that didn't continue as hoped? This came up for me as I recently asked abou...
Maitre du temps
Likely too early, but it was the all star game of watchmakers. This new trend will soon fade away, these young independent are more finisseurs than watchmakers. One of the view I recognise with a bright future is Chaykin.
I agree with you. Would not be surprised if we saw some significant consolidation among independents. We have too many and they’re all cannibalizing each other.
Also, very few of them have had to weather storms like some of the larger brands with +100 years of history. I feel that aspect of watchmaking is severely underrated these days when everyone is falling over each other to catch the next big thing.
Berneron seems like it's on the right track
After listening to Hodinkee's podcast on Sylvain, I think Berneron is one of the only modern independents giving a serious thought to how to actually run a business resilient to failure. They are accounting for things like having to do mass recalls, weath...
Agree with you 💯.
To many new independent watchmakers (designers). Ofcourse there are a few that will make it but i think many will disappear again in the near future. No real history or struggle and only following the waves of some true watch artists .
Purnell?
Whatever happened to that brand? One came up for auction in Geneva two weeks ago, it went for CHF 60,000 when originally it cost at least 250,000 ...
I believe the're still there.
Their multiple axes tourbillions are made by Eric Coudray.
Cecil Purnell sold Seagull Tourbillons as “Swiss made” for huge prices initially and I believe conned people.
I don’t believe for a minute that the owner or anyone was forthright about the origin of their early movement in the early models. One can do a quick search online and find many of them for sale by questionable sellers claiming big discounts. I always sus...
So are you saying that...
... they started selling Chinese movements and then moved to Coudray, possibly one of the best watchmakers alive? As Nico wrote he's one of the Gyrotourbillon's Father (and actually I thought he was THE Gyro's Father).
Yes, Jonathan Purnell started in 2006 using Seagull based tourbillon calibers.
Eric Coudray was hired after the initial few years to create a gyro tourbillon for them under contract. No wonder CP was able to fund his development costs for them. Essentially out of nowhere this “brand elevated itself” into the stratosphere. Easy to do...
Jean Dunand - Thierry Oulevay passed away
I guess that's a sign of what happens when the driving force behind a brand doesn't have a succession plan. ...
I reindexed Antoine Martin.
a lot of interesting information in our archives. www.watchprosite.com and this article announcing the launch of the brand in 2011. News central: New Watch Brand Antoine Martin
Laurent Ferrier
LF is still chugging along but the massive drop in aftermarket has got to be hurting the brand. They've not kept up with trends/markets like sub-40mm watches etc. Mindshare and aftermarket for the brand seems to be slowly recovering, but I think they coul...
Christophe Claret
Very successful as a contractor, his namesake brand had to file for bankruptcy IIRC.
I thought he was still around?
His website is still open and operating? If not I am so sad.....he was another of my ultimate fav watchmakers and was the one who got me into watches with the dualtow....
Cool thread idea
Nord is probably a good example. Unfortunately Daniel Nebel passed away. Here's his Zeitmaschine. Very innovate and fresh! RIP! ...
+1 for Nord!
Daniel was gone too soon! Love my Radial. Not too hard to service with the ETA movement inside. I cannot speak for his later, more innovative pieces, however!
Fascinating thought exercise. It’s gotta be all those independents making time-onlies that look so much alike with each other.
Also any one of them with a small operation, doesn’t do much marketing, and self named. Even if they’re innovative. If they can’t justify a group getting ahold of them, eventually their independence will have them disappear.
Julien Coudray, NHC, Vincent Berard, Volker Vyskocil
These are a few that come to mind. There are many more that no longer seem to be around
Was MCT ever supposed to be the new hotness?
I came across their Sequential One S110 EVO when I was going down some rabbit hole or other, but when I tried to contact the company, I found that they weren't in business anymore. ...