Independents

DonCorson
[AHCI]
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Independents...

Hi Thom,
Welcome to the forum!
Having the money for ones dreams is of course not a given, but that the independent's watches are expensive has to do with the time for making just small quantities of watches.  Although Patek and AP may be independent entities, I don't really consider them independent watchmakers, they are big companies making, in the case of PP for example about 40'000 watches a year and they both have their own forums here at the PuristSPro.  With that kind of production (calculate the nr of watches per working day) they enjoy economies of scale that a small company or even one man show just doesn't have.  They also can afford the marketing to get their product known.

Dealing with a small independent you have the enjoyment of the contact with the people who are actually making the watches, not just the sales department.  It is a whole other world.
To the list above of independents with lower cost products I would just add there are several independents in Germany making very nice watches for reasonable prices such as Benzinger, Schauer and Kudoke.

You can try getting a big name watch on the pre-owned market, but I would encourage you to look closely at the small independents mentioned.  I think it is just different knowing the people who made your watch than going into a store for an anonymous purchase.

Do let us know how your search goes and what interesting things you turn up!
Don