Independents

dxboon
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I own a Habring2; have handled almost all of the Dornblüth models.

I love the Dornblüth watches, with the 99.1 being my current favorite.  I find them charming, with an honesty in design and construction that is also apparent in the Habrings' watches. 

What elevates the Habring² pieces for me, is their unified look and approach to offering complications that are uniquely presented and robustly built.  Their jumping seconds works beautifully, with the second hand accurately jumping to each index in the minute track -- take a look around at other jumping seconds watches, you'll find that isn't always the case (sometimes the "jump" hits the index ahead/after the marker).  Their new foudroyante is so appealing IMO because of the way it juxtaposes two displays that seem to speed up/slow down time -- it's currently on my wishlist.  The presentation of their tourbillon 3D is interesting and different than anything being offered by other companies currently.  Plus, Richard Habring is well known for his work with tourbillons (amongst other complications), so there's a certain cachet to owning a Habring tourbillon IMO.  Other unique offerings from the line include the COS chronograph which is pusher-less and involves manipulating the single crown. 

Phew!  You can tell I'm a fan.  Now, some additional food for thought, and these are comments I have shared before with the community and the Habrings themselves (Richard and Maria are fantastic people and great to work with!).  If you are a finishing junkie and only the best anglage will do, the Habring² (and frankly the Dornblüth pieces also) will not be your cup of tea.  I would say the Dornblüth collection overall has a more charming finish, while the Habring watches have a clean, utilitarian finish.  Comparing the finish of these watches is really not that meaningful to me, because the watches occupy very different aesthetic places in the world of horology.  Just my two cents.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Dornblüths, and hopefully our fellow Purist, "glickman" will weigh in with his thoughts, as he owns several.  I can personally attest to the kindness and professionalism of the Habrings.  I would not hesitate to work with them again.  Other than the watches from these two companies I would suggest you check out the MIH watch, as another competitor in this discussion of entry-level independent watches.  Some photos and additional reading for you follow.  Good luck!

My Habring² Jumping Seconds review.

A cool watch from Dornblüth!

Beautiful MIH pictures.

Use the forum search function on the site to read more about Dornblüth, Habring², and MIH watches.  There have been quite a few posts over the years.  And, lastly, like any proud mama I've got to brag on my baby and favorite watch, the A07M manual-wind Habring² jumping seconds.