Fortune USA 201902

TIME

WELL SPENT

53

FORTUNE.COM// FEB.1 .19

IF YOUR NOTION of a watchmaker

conjures up images of a wizened

man, loupe affixed to his face,

tinkering with a variety of tiny cogs

and wheels in the Vallée de Joux,

Switzerland’s famed horological

hub, think again.

There’s a new wave of indepen-

dent watchmakers shaking up

the timepiece world and gaining

currency among both the wide-

eyed newcomer and the seasoned, moneyed collector.

Stretching across the globe, these makers and design-

ers are bringing an untraditional twist to a very tradi-

tional industry. Unlike the marquee indies of recent

vintage—Roger W. Smith, MB&F, Kari Voutilainen,

Greubel Forsey, and Christophe Claret, to name a

few—this crop is schooled in a number of disciplines,

from art to physics, although not necessarily horology.

Eric Wind, a Florida-based watch dealer, says that

while a number of these new indie microbrands have

been percolating over time, they really exploded in the

past year. “There are more of them, they’re making

Krüger’s Skull

is inspired

by the skull

watch of

Mary Queen

of Scots and

Mexico’s

Día de los

Muertos.

THE NEW

FACES OF

WATCH

DESIGN

For horolophiles who want to

stand out, microbrands are

making a mark on a storied

industry.By Stacy Perman

WATCHES

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

FI

ON

A^ K

RÜ

GE

R^ T

IM

EP

IEC

ES