Independent watchmaker first meant a person who made watches alone, without money or practical help from an outside company. Today the term is used more loosely and covers a wide range of watch types and prices. Ownership alone does not decide who counts as one.
Where it comes from
George Daniels is credited as the first person in modern times to make a complete watch by himself, from start to finish. In 1985 Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese founded the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants, or AHCI. It is the best-known group of independents. Its aim was to keep the craft of independent watch and clock making alive. Calabrese said it was formed by independent makers who feared being swallowed up, at a time when the industry was under pressure. The group held its first exhibition the same year, at a museum in Le Locle.
How does someone join the AHCI?
A candidate must show their work at at least three public shows, and the whole general assembly must vote them in. Formal training is not required. A member does not have to be a trained watchmaker, and only their skills count. The test is what a person can actually make, not the qualifications they hold.
Not to be confused with
Large firms that no group owns, such as Rolex or Patek Philippe, are not usually called independents. Being free of a parent company is not enough on its own. Ownership does not settle the question the other way either. Greubel Forsey is seen as independent, even though Richemont holds a minority stake in it. Felix Baumgartner put it simply: independent watchmaking means running your own workshop and building your own ideas. Svend Andersen offers a practical test. The buyer should be able to meet the person who actually makes the watch.
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