INDIE FEVER

Small in scale, rich in imagination. These are some of the year's finest examples of independent horology represented by luxury watch retailer SHH.

- Words: Haziq Yusof

SEASONED WATCH COLLECTORS with a taste for adventure know there is no better realm of high horology to explore than that of independent brands. Heralded for their small-batch production and unencumbered creativity while adhering to the time-honoured tenets of fine watchmaking, the best independent watch brands are known to roll-out expressive, innovative, and exceptionally crafted timepieces that can rival the most excellent in the business. These are some of the notable independent releases of 2025, curated with the collector in mind.

ARNOLD & SON

Constant Force Tourbillon 11 Yellow Gold Edition

Limited to 11 pieces, this yellow gold edition of the Constant Force Tourbillon 11 honours the collaboration between John Arnold and Abraham-Louis Breguet, whose friendship helped define 18th-century chronometry. The architectural structure of the movement as well as its subtle yet refined finishing pay tribute to Breguet's first tourbillon regulator that was based on a chronometer movement designed by Arnold.

Turn the watch over and you'll find a lustrous white grand feu enamel dial that is interrupted only by a recessed white opal subdial and a carefully cut aperture that reveals the constant force mechanism beneath an 18k yellow gold bridge.

FERDINAND BERTHOUD

Chronomètre FB 3SPC Platinum

With its new platinum-cased FB 3SPC, Ferdinand Berthoud brings additional weight—both literal and symbolic—to one of the most critically respected chronometers in independent watchmaking. The COSC-certified movement features a rare and difficult-to-regulate cylindrical balance spring, an architectural feature that recalls the first marine chronometers.