Jay (Eire)
9155
As others have said it's highly subjective based on what one wants from the watchmaker/ brand.
Jan 03, 2019,18:55 PM
In your definition of "top notch" I think you should be thinking about "and or" versus solely "and" in many cases as while it could be argued that some indies bring to the table "superb finishing" and "a reputation for remarkable timepieces" some clearly don't (FPJ being may be one example).
Re GF, and there are many more here that could explain this better based on hands on experience, you are getting watches finished to a standard beyond anything else in addition to what GF claim to be some of the most consistent timekeepers out there (tourbillions on top of tourbillions are not just for eye candy).
Personally, I don't have a list. And of those indies that I do own some are recognized for technical creativity or perhaps horological achievement (e.g FPJ) while others for simply doing things differently in terms of movement, innovation in time display and case design (e.g. Urwerk).
I do think from what I have seen in person and read/seen online that Marco Lang / Lang & Heyne are definitely deserving of consideration in any such list.
Some names not mentioned but which could be considered are Roger Smith, Kari, Vianney Halter, Urwerk, Konstantin Chaykin, Charles Frodsham, Sarpaneva, Thomas Prescher, Hajime Asaoka, Kikuchi Nakagawa, Ming, Habring, David Candaux, Cabestan, DeBethune and the list goes on and on.