Independent watch brands are the dominant theme in the luxury watch industry since the 2000s. Brands like F.P. Journe, Richard Mille, MB&F, and Greubel Forsey have risen to challenge both each other and traditional luxury watchmakers. Tonight, Tim Mosso and Josh Thanos talk about the appeal of independent watch brands, their favorite indie watch brands, and their personal watch collections.

F.P. Journe - both as a man and as a brand - deserves credit as the watchmaker who really set the independent scene on fire. While others such as Daniel Roth, Svend Andersen, and Philippe Dufour predated Journe eponymous work by years or even decades, the Frenchman from Marseilles proved that there was enough money and interest to make independent watchmaking an industry, not a curiosity. His Chronometre Bleu, Resonance chronometer, and tourbillon with remontoir have become the both milestones for the industry and cornerstones of a brand that now rivals ancient watchmakers for prestige. F.P. Journe also has become a model for upcoming watchmakers who no longer feel a need to work for others; young talents from elite watchmaking schools now feel confident putting their name on dials from day one.

H. Moser & Cie is different from F.P. Journe; Moser is an approachable brand that contrasts with Journe's imperious hauteur. Run by Edouard and Bertrand Meylan since 2012, Moser takes its watches seriously without losing a sense of humor. This idea - that the business of watches can't be a joyless one - guides Moser's colorful dials, tongue-in-cheek marketing, and offbeat design themes. Beneath the self-effacing humor, there's an impressive watch manufacture known for its innovations. Bi-directional perpetual calendars set from the crown, chronographs that can be operated underwater, and the ability to build full assortments are Moser watch core competencies. Moser's Precision Engineering factory can produce balance wheels, hairsprings, and escapements in-house. Models such as the Streamliner, Endeavour, and Pioneer form the backbone of the Schaffhausen-based watchmaker's collection.

De Bethune is Tim Mosso's favorite brand, and it has been since Tim's Watch-u-Want days. Naturally, Tim's grail watch - the DBD - is a De Bethune. The watch brand out of L'Auberson, Switzerland is led by visionary watchmaker Denis Flageollet. Models like the GPHG Aiguille d'Or-winning DB28 and the classically beautiful DB25 populate a collection of haute horlogerie standouts. The epic De Bethune Dream Watches and DB29 sit at the top of the catalog, but every watch from De Bethune is a grail watch.

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