We don’t often think of independent watchmaking as “mainstream.” It’s nearly always been niche, reserved for hardcore collectors and small online communities. However, the times have changed. Roughly a decade ago, social media (especially Instagram) put many indie watchmakers and brands on the radar of a much wider audience. In the subsequent years, we’ve witnessed massive growth in the indie market, both from existing brands from the late 1990s and early 2000s as well as a tidal wave of newcomers from all over the world.
While indies may not be as mainstream as some luxury “household” names, many have entered popular culture more and more over the last few years. Today, we’re exploring some of the spaces indie watchmaking has entered from the courts of Wimbledon to the cover photoshoot of Time Magazine to the biggest boardrooms.
De Bethune on the most legendary tennis courts
There are very few professional tennis players, men and women, who wear watches while playing matches. It’s an explosive, violently physical sport. Billie Jean King has that great quote on tennis, that it is “a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.” Due to the nature of the sport, any weight on the wrist is usually considered a disturbance to the swing motion of forehands, backhands, and serves.
The lightness and robustness of De Bethune timepieces have found their way into matches on the greatest tennis venues on earth. Tommy Paul, who hovers around No. 10 in the world, as well as Jessica Pegula, current No. 3, are both De Bethune ambassadors. Emma Navarro, another top women’s player currently at No. 11, is also on the De Bethune roster.
One of the aspects of De Bethune’s entrance into the world of tennis is that it is quite unexpected. The brand wasn’t particularly perceived as “sporty,” but taking a step back, it makes a lot of sense. De Bethune is renowned for its ultra-fine finished titanium (lightweight) cases, extremely comfortable, form-fitting articulated lugs, and its patented triple-parachute shock absorption system. All three – lightness, comfort, robustness – lend themselves very well to the environment of high-performance athletics. We covered the story of one of our close friends at Esperluxe, Tom T, ran the Boston Marathon this year in a DB28xs Steel Wheels. As an athlete, Tom T was influenced to reconsider De Bethune more as a “sports” watch when he started to see it on court with Tommy Paul, Jess Pegula, and Emma Navarro.
Ed Sheeran’s embrace of English watchmaking history with Arnold & Son
Eric Clapton holds a prominent place in horological history. A major musical celebrity with a taste for fine watches, some of his commissioned Patek Philippe timepieces are legendary, especially the pièce unique Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 2499. Ed Sheeran was inspired to pick up the guitar when he heard Clapton play a concert in his childhood. Sheeran grew to become a global musical celebrity, and also from Clapton, took a serious liking to timepieces.
While Sheeran is well-known for sporting Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet with a large collection of both brands, there was pleasant surprise to see an Arnold & Son timepiece on his wrist for the cover photoshoot of Time Magazine Top 100 Most Influential People. Released this year, the Constant Force Tourbillon 11 is one of Arnold & Son’s heaviest hitting timepieces in recent years.
Released at Watches & Wonders this year, the Constant Force Tourbillon 11 tells the history of two titans in the early history of precise mechanical watchmaking – the face-to-face encounter of Abraham-Louis Breguet and John Arnold. Breguet was captivated by Arnold’s ability to create simple mechanisms that could be mass-produced without sacrificing precision and accuracy, while Arnold was drawn to Breguet for his design savviness and deep knowledge of complex kinematics. Toward the end of Arnold’s life, Breguet and Arnold discussed high chronometry via letters and Breguet’s work on the development of the tourbillon, which he mentioned in correspondence as “a rotating carriage” in 1795. In 1801, two years after Arnold’s death, Breguet patented the first tourbillon. Seven years later in 1808, Breguet created his first tourbillon regulator based on the movement of Arnold’s marine chronometer No. 11, gifting the timepiece to Arnold’s son, John Roger.
The movement is faithful to No. 11 as much as possible with the general design of the carriage used by Breguet. It’s spectacularly finished, complicated, beautiful Grand Feu enamel dial – it’s not much of a surprise to us that someone with a deep appreciation of horology, Sheeran in this case, is attracted to this watch. One of the heaviest hitting timepieces in Arnold & Son’s catalog, it deserves the limelight in the Time Magazine and joins a rare group of “mainstage” indies including Robert Downey Jr.’s Urwerk UR-105 in Avengers: End Game.
Indies entering more new spaces – big boardrooms
On the note of indies entering the limelight, Mark Zuckerberg has recently shown off a serious collection of indie watches. In the last 6-12 months, he’s appeared on podcasts, at conferences, and in public with De Bethune, F.P. Journe, Moser & Cie, and Greubel Forsey timepieces. We’re unsure what exactly caused the foray into indies, but whoever is providing input on what’s what is doing a great job. We’ve seen a DB25 Starry Varius, a Journe Centigraphe Sport Aluminum, another Journe Souverain Contemporain Havana, a Moser Streamliner Tourbillon, and one of the grails in purist circles, a Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1. All of these are heavy-hitters.
Of course, an “OG” when it comes to indies watches in big boardrooms, lest we forget, is Michael Jordan. One of the greatest athletes of all time and a powerhouse in the sports industry, Jordan has long been a collector of Urwerk and more recently been spotted with De Bethune timepieces on the wrist. Our sense is, we’re entering a world where indies are increasingly in the spotlight.
We’re always thrilled to see indies, especially timepieces that really deserve the main stage, end up in the spotlight. Our sense is, there are many in the watch community who empathize with the idea that indies should be reserved for “purists.” This mostly means, reserved for those long-time enthusiasts of a given watchmaker or brand – well before things became more popular (often) through social media. Our view on independent watchmaking entering more “popular culture” spaces is that the rising tide floats all boats. Indies becoming more actively involved in sports, media, and entertainment is a testament to the fundamental demand for the fine craftsmanship and creativity – both define the industry. It’s impossible to support the growth of independent watchmaking while hoping it stays niche. Dozens of new watchmakers launch their workshops every year to show the world their creations – many are running meaningful and sustainable businesses. We hope more and more watchmakers and brands beyond De Bethune and Arnold & Son end up on the cover of Time Magazine, on Center Court at Wimbledon, or on the wrist of the global entrepreneurs.