Watchbazar doesn’t dispute or challenge the fact that Swiss make the best time pieces but the world is catching up fast and there are many watch makers who are making some incredible watches lets take you to some of Watchbazar Favorites.
Christaaan Van Der Klaauw
In 1974, Dutch watch maker Van Der Klaauw started his own atelier and presented his first clock with astronomical complications. That was the beginning of a career that led him to become one of the greatest clock makers in the world. In 1989 he received the honorary membership of the Academy Horlogère des Createurs Independants (AHCI)and in 1992, at the Baselworld watch fair, he received the award for the most innovative watch design for his ‘Pendule Variable ‘
Pendule Variable
The CVDK Real Moon series, known for the Real Moon Joure and the Real Moon 1980, is extended with a new unique masterpiece, the CVDK Real Moon Tides. Next to a rotating miniature moon it carries a complication showing you the sea level tides in a way that has never been seen in a mechanical watch before.
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, Sun, and rotation of the Earth. There are multiple types of sea tides. In most locations you will find the ‘principal lunar semi-diurnal’ sea tide. Its period for one rise and fall of the sea level is about 12 hours, 25 minutes and 14 seconds. Waves move up and down in a special window to make this beautiful phenomenon visible.
Image courtesy CVDK website. Christiaan van der Klaauw
Valerii Danevych
This ones our favourite imagine a watch made from only wood. Valerii Danevych is a wood-crafting master from the Ukraine, has dedicated his life to making functional wrist-watches entirely out of wood, with the sole exception of a metal spring needed to propel the movement. In 2005, without having any training as a watchmaker, he began working on functional wooden wristwatches. It took a while for Valerii to determine which type of woods were most suitable for the tiny parts needed, and for him to learn the basics of watchmaking, but by 2008, he had completed his first functional wooden pocket watch.His talent and perseverance motivated him to produce among many artworks the only functioning wooden wristwatches worldwide, also with flying tourbillon.
All watches are constructed from wood taken from plum, walnut , apple, birch and Crimea. There is even some bamboo and african bubinga wood used. The small intricate parts make one wonder when you consider that they were all made by hand.
NOMOS Glashütte
NOMOS Glashütte is a German watchmaking company based in Glashütte, Saxony, which specializes in manual-winding and automatic mechanical watches. It was founded in January 1990, two months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, by Roland Schwertner and has gone a long way in making some great watches.This brand – the largest producer of mechanical watches in Germany – is known for its classic Bauhaus style and fair pricing structure.
These ultra-svelte, fashionable, and eye-catching timepieces range in price from $3,360 to $3,800 and can be ordered online at Nomos Glashütte’s e-shop.
The main difference between an independent brand and one that isn’t is autonomy in making financial and creative decisions.While the Swiss watch industry’s luxury empires are focusing on massive marketing budget, growing annual output and central-controlled business strategies, independent watchmakers are establishing a path of their own.
Watch this space for more Indie Watch Brands………
