Independent Chinese Watchmaking: Kiu Tai Yu and Successors

When most people think of Chinese Watchmaking its the mass produced watches by Seagull and the Shanghai Watch Factory or Super Clones by Clean, VS or Noob that comes to mind.

Ofcourse we are Purists, we know better 😊 and have collectively experienced the birth of the "Classic Horology" period of Chinese Watchmaking starting with Master Kiu Tai Yu's work in the Early 1990s.



















Benjamin Hui and Chinese watchmaker Zhang YuXin launched Project Tai Yu to recreate faithful, limited editions of Kiu Tai Yu’s historic timepieces, such as his legendary Millennium "Mystery Tourbillon", to keep his design philosophy alive.







His Successors

Ma Xushu: The second-ever Chinese watchmaker admitted to the AHCI (in 2015). He is heavily inspired by Kiu’s work and is known for unique creations like cylindrical tourbillons, pantograph hands, and "drink bird" powered clocks.



















Tan Zehua: Admitted to the AHCI in 2019. Beginning as a restorer of antique clocks, he focuses intensely on escapement mechanisms and developed his own pending patent Di-Axial escapement.































Qin Gan: Based in Chongqing. Regarded as one of China's most prominent independent watchmakers, he is famous for highly refined, hand-finished time-only and calendar dress watches (such as the Pastorale).



















Lin Yong Hua: A key figure of the second generation of Chinese independent watchmakers, known for his artistic, modern designs and unconventional use of materials.





















Logan Kuan Rao: A Guangzhou-based independent watchmaker who operates his own studio, creating highly unique calibers entirely from scratch.



















The New Wave

Qian GuoBiao: An exceptionally talented watchmaker who operates a studio in China, highly regarded in collector circles for his craftsmanship.





















Mineroci: is a Beijing-based independent watchmaking brand co-founded by industrial designers Chang Qu and Zhengyang Pan. The duo originally founded Roci Design winning multiple Red Dot and iF Design Awards for consumer electronics before turning their focus to high-end, classical horology.























Huo FeiLe: was a pioneering independent watchmaker based in Macau. He passed away recently, leaving behind a legacy of patented mechanical innovations, distinct Chinese design motifs, and deep cultural ties to Macau. His landmark creations are featured and celebrated at the Macau Timepiece Museum.

























Mgraver: Ventrallis is an independent, handcrafted mechanical watch created by Chinese watchmaker Shiming Yang under his brand Mgraver. The watch achieved widespread recognition in the horology community after being named a semifinalist in the 2025–2026 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.















Fam Al Hut: is an independent Chinese haute horlogerie brand founded in 2024 by watch collectors and multidisciplinary creatives Lukas Young and Xinyan Dai. Emerging out of Chongqing and manufactured in Shanghai, the brand shattered regional stereotypes by winning the prestigious Audacity Prize at the 25th Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG 2025).

















Memorigin: Memorigin is a Hong Kong-based watch brand founded by William Shum in 2011, renowned for producing high-quality, accessible tourbillon timepieces. Mémoire is their high-end, luxury sub-brand, focused on premium craftsmanship and high jewelry watchmaking.























CIGA Design: (China International Great Art) is an award-winning, independent Chinese watch brand headquartered in Shenzhen. Founded in 2016 by industrial and architectural designer Zhang Jianmin, the brand is globally recognized for making affordable, design-forward mechanical timepieces. CIGA Design relies on skeletonized dials, geometric cases, and partnerships with movement manufacturer Seagull.















Behrens: Founded in 2012 by Lin Bingqiang in Shenzhen, China, Behrens Watches is an independent watchmaking brand famous for futuristic, complex mechanical timepieces.

























Agelocer: was founded in 2013 by Ken Yip known for producing visually striking mechanical watches with avant-garde designs, skeleton dials, oversized moonphases, and flying tourbillons emphasizing original aesthetics under the direction of Swiss designer Etienne Ruffieux.













Lucky Harvey: Lin Xiaolin is the founder of China's first mechanical automata watch brand. Lin founded the Guangzhou-based company in 2021 to bring creative mechanical animation to the international market. The brand name itself was inspired by his desire to create a playful timepiece filled with luck and joy as a birthday gift for his son, Harvey.

















Longio: Mi Changhong is the founder of Longio Watch Company in 1996 based in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Initially starting as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and design manufacturer (ODM) creating timepieces for European and American brands. Over the years, Mi Changhong transitioned the company into an independent watch company known for integrating traditional Chinese culture and western horological techniques.





















There is Real Passion for Horology in China as is evident by all the amazing watches above, no one can deny that Chinese watchmakers have arrived on the Global stage and provide more Choices and Excitement for lovers of horology 😊

Source: GQ, Revolution, Quill & Pad, Monochrome, ablogtowatch, Masahiro Kikuno, SJX, Independent Watcher, Google Images, Instagram