Which Independents Are You Watching?

[GST15]

Nomos!

[GST15]

Doxa

[FrugalGreubel]

Just wanted to provide a quick update in regards to Simon Brette because others have shown interest in the brand. I reached out to them via Instagram. It took about 24 hours to get a response which was them just saying the allocation process is being consolidated and I’ll be kept informed of any progress as soon as possible. They also said they were caught off guard by the amount of inquiries they received.

So no real news but in case others tried to contact them that way just wanted to let you know it’ll most likely be that type of response.

I do think the best chance is going in person as others have suggested. Anyway hope there’s good news for everyone if they are trying to get one.

[ChetBaker]

Thanks for the heads-up. I would like to reach out to him, but I cannot find any info on the upcoming steel release. Where did you see this?

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by ChetBaker

Thanks for the heads-up. I would like to reach out to him, but I cannot find any info on the upcoming steel release. Where did you see this?

Sorry to say I don’t have that info either. One or two other people on the forum can speak better to it since they’ve either spoken to him directly or had better contact with the brand. But I think that’s been all done in person.

Let me know if you have better luck. Hoping the best for everyone with these watches.

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

Just wanted to provide a quick update in regards to Simon Brette because others have shown interest in the brand. I reached out to them via Instagram. It took about 24 hours to get a response which was them just saying the allocation process is being consolidated and I’ll be kept informed of any progress as soon as possible. They also said they were caught off guard by the amount of inquiries they received.

So no real news but in case others tried to contact them that way just wanted to let you know it’ll most likely be that type of response.

I do think the best chance is going in person as others have suggested. Anyway hope there’s good news for everyone if they are trying to get one.

I suppose it doesn't terribly hurt demand to win the Horological Revelation Prize at GPHG

[RolexBHR]

Doxa, BETA case limited 50pcs MOP dial.

[Ichiran]

Simply stunning. Congratulations to the lucky 12.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

Simply stunning. Congratulations to the lucky 12.

Was waiting for you to post that lol.

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

Was waiting for you to post that lol.

It's impossible to miss this because my IG exploded with this watch.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

It's impossible to miss this because my IG exploded with this watch.

Lol same. Glad someone posted it here. It’s a great collab. Really classy execution and definitely a great buy for anyone who was able to get one.

[RRJ]

Am I the only one that feels like the Origine was HEAVILY inspired by the GF Signature 1?

[kunlun]

Originally Posted by RRJ

Am I the only one that feels like the Origine was HEAVILY inspired by the GF Signature 1?

All these type designs pay homage to A.L.Breguet's souscription watches. The history is well worth knowing.

[RRJ]

Originally Posted by kunlun

All these type designs pay homage to A.L.Breguet's souscription watches. The history is well worth knowing.

huh, I had no idea. Thanks for your input, I'll check them out.

[dchang81]

Originally Posted by kunlun

All these type designs pay homage to A.L.Breguet's souscription watches. The history is well worth knowing.

Tried doing a search but couldnt find anything, do you have any links?

[kunlun]

Originally Posted by dchang81

Tried doing a search but couldnt find anything, do you have any links?

Breguet has 8 volumes (iirc) of a magazine they put out, they are available at boutiques, one will surely speak about these. There are also some great books about A.L. Breguet's work.

In the late 18th century, A.L. Breguet did souscription pocketwatch series to get his business off the ground, taking a downpayment to fund the making of the watch. However, watchmakers were pretty mixed back then, so to help make sure servicing went smoothly, he designed some of these watches so you see everything up front and you wouldn't have to take things apart to figure out what needed fixing.



Doesn't look like much, maybe, but so much in watches today comes from various parts of A.L. Breguet's design language. What we have here is one of the first examples of so many watches with the balance wheel at the front with a subdial for the hours/minutes. In practice, the front shell of the case would cover this, leaving a window for the subdial. Anyway, have a look at the modern Breguet Tradition line for watches directly modeled on these.

So, everyone puts their spin on things, but when we say "Oh, this modern watch is a copy of that modern watch", usually, they are both inspired by earlier pocketwatch designs.
Also, there are only so many ways to set up a movement, so seconds hand (4th wheel) or balance wheel may end up in similar places.

[ChetBaker]

Exactly a 7027 or 7037 is probably the closest you can get to the original design. And at a fair price for very decent finishing.

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

Lol same. Glad someone posted it here. It’s a great collab. Really classy execution and definitely a great buy for anyone who was able to get one.

Esperluxe told me the 12 have all been allocated. I knew it (whenever my IG explodes this is the outcome).

Originally Posted by kunlun

So, everyone puts their spin on things, but when we say "Oh, this modern watch is a copy of that modern watch", usually, they are both inspired by earlier pocketwatch designs.
Also, there are only so many ways to set up a movement, so seconds hand (4th wheel) or balance wheel may end up in similar places.

[Ichiran]

https://www.gphg.org/en/gphg-2024/nominated-timepieces

GPHG 2024 nominations - good luck Rémy Cools and Sylvain Pinaud!

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

https://www.gphg.org/en/gphg-2024/nominated-timepieces

GPHG 2024 nominations - good luck Rémy Cools and Sylvain Pinaud!

To Garrick and Suhanov as well. Great list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ichiran]

The New Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance is 39mm by 9mm. That's amazing.

[llngoc]

Another Resonance from a relative unknown independent.

https://www.rkoivukoski.com/resonance

[Tundra]

Originally Posted by llngoc

Another Resonance from a relative unknown independent.

https://www.rkoivukoski.com/resonance

Did you receive your custom piece?

[WatchEater666]

Originally Posted by llngoc

Another Resonance from a relative unknown independent.

https://www.rkoivukoski.com/resonance

Woah, super cool. Will follow along. Came close to ordering from him before but want to see more pieces in the wild first.

[llngoc]

Originally Posted by Tundra

Did you receive your custom piece?

I will provide my story once I received my piece. Hopefully next week.

Originally Posted by WatchEater666

Woah, super cool. Will follow along. Came close to ordering from him before but want to see more pieces in the wild first.

I will definitely post pictures once I receive it. It's been a long journey.

[usmc_k9_vet]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

The New Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance is 39mm by 9mm. That's amazing.

These are crazy dimensions for what’s packed inside and on that dial.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ChetBaker]

Quick update on my earlier post about the next step in collecting independents. I spent the weekend in Geneva - my first visit of the city and my first time at Geneva Watch Days. I enjoyed it tremendously. I saw a couple impressive watches, met great people and loved the conversations about watches and the industry in general. So I went from Laurent Ferrier to Fleming to Moser to Simon Brette. Simon was so kind to spend an hour chatting to me about his brand, upcoming releases and the difficulty of allocating his very limited pieces to the right collectors. He even let me try on his personal souscription piece - needless to say it is an amazing watch, and I believe I have an opportunity to explore getting on the list for an allocation of the upcoming steel release. Now, this would be a watch to cap off my collection and would require consolidation of a couple of other pieces. In fairness, I would have to stretch my budget considerably to make it happen. The independent collector community here in the Netherlands is fairly small and I would appreciate hearing from others with experience working with Simon. Absolutely fine to exchange PMs if that’s preferable.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by ChetBaker

Quick update on my earlier post about the next step in collecting independents. I spent the weekend in Geneva - my first visit of the city and my first time at Geneva Watch Days. I enjoyed it tremendously. I saw a couple impressive watches, met great people and loved the conversations about watches and the industry in general. So I went from Laurent Ferrier to Fleming to Moser to Simon Brette. Simon was so kind to spend an hour chatting to me about his brand, upcoming releases and the difficulty of allocating his very limited pieces to the right collectors. He even let me try on his personal souscription piece - needless to say it is an amazing watch, and I believe I have an opportunity to explore getting on the list for an allocation of the upcoming steel release. Now, this would be a watch to cap off my collection and would require consolidation of a couple of other pieces. In fairness, I would have to stretch my budget considerably to make it happen. The independent collector community here in the Netherlands is fairly small and I would appreciate hearing from others with experience working with Simon. Absolutely fine to exchange PMs if that’s preferable.

Thanks for sharing your experience at Geneva Watch Days and glad to hear you had a great time. It’s nice to hear how awesome Simon was. Hope you’re able to get one of the steel pieces. It would definitely be an amazing addition to your collection.

[WatchEater666]

Originally Posted by ChetBaker

Quick update on my earlier post about the next step in collecting independents. I spent the weekend in Geneva - my first visit of the city and my first time at Geneva Watch Days. I enjoyed it tremendously. I saw a couple impressive watches, met great people and loved the conversations about watches and the industry in general. So I went from Laurent Ferrier to Fleming to Moser to Simon Brette. Simon was so kind to spend an hour chatting to me about his brand, upcoming releases and the difficulty of allocating his very limited pieces to the right collectors. He even let me try on his personal souscription piece - needless to say it is an amazing watch, and I believe I have an opportunity to explore getting on the list for an allocation of the upcoming steel release. Now, this would be a watch to cap off my collection and would require consolidation of a couple of other pieces. In fairness, I would have to stretch my budget considerably to make it happen. The independent collector community here in the Netherlands is fairly small and I would appreciate hearing from others with experience working with Simon. Absolutely fine to exchange PMs if that’s preferable.

My friend locally here has one, it's an amazing watch. I think if you can swing it, that is the way to go.

My friend had a good experience/nothing bad to say FWIW. Not sure if prices have gone up since the original release, but he has a TI one.

[eiesh]

Originally Posted by ChetBaker

Quick update on my earlier post about the next step in collecting independents. I spent the weekend in Geneva - my first visit of the city and my first time at Geneva Watch Days. I enjoyed it tremendously. I saw a couple impressive watches, met great people and loved the conversations about watches and the industry in general. So I went from Laurent Ferrier to Fleming to Moser to Simon Brette. Simon was so kind to spend an hour chatting to me about his brand, upcoming releases and the difficulty of allocating his very limited pieces to the right collectors. He even let me try on his personal souscription piece - needless to say it is an amazing watch, and I believe I have an opportunity to explore getting on the list for an allocation of the upcoming steel release. Now, this would be a watch to cap off my collection and would require consolidation of a couple of other pieces. In fairness, I would have to stretch my budget considerably to make it happen. The independent collector community here in the Netherlands is fairly small and I would appreciate hearing from others with experience working with Simon. Absolutely fine to exchange PMs if that’s preferable.

If you don’t mind me asking what’s the retail
Price of the steel Simon Brette piece


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk