Comments:
The New Holy Trinity
Have been thinking about the old-school "Holy Trinity" some entity came up with long ago. A few of the older brands have been bought and sold to big conglomerates. One changed leadership with some questions coming forward during that time. Thus the old-school Holy Trinity desperately needs updating imho.
Since the mechanical timepiece landscape has GREATLY changed since the first-generation old-school Holy Trinity was decided upon by ????, we are now faced with the important task here on WPS of what manufacturers should be part of the new modern Holy Trinity.
Which handcrafted true independent timepiece manufacturers should be part of the new Holy Trinity of timepieces?
Although Independents do impressive work I think they still lack history and proven staying power.
That said I don’t think we need to replace the original trinity but maybe it can be rephrased modern independents trinity?
Agreed To Some Extent
So we keep the Old-School Trinity, yet have a new Modern Holy Trinity for independents.
When my interest of independent watches was triggered a while ago i saw these 3 indie brands as the holy trinity
Debethune , Urwerk and MBandF
The original Holy Trinity being...
Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe.
Independents aside, maybe we should add A Lange & Sohne as a Holy Foursome?
What about getting rid of the whole "holy trinity" concept altogether? This just distorts the notion of a brand's actual merit whether inside or outside this artificial grouping and is entirely separate from the watches they make.
Excellent Point!
Yet to try and 'erase' history may be a challenging task. Let's honor history for what it represented °°at the time of inception°°, though also realize this is ~2022 and so we need a version for today's landscape.
If one had to limit it to only three independents
then it would actually be quite easy - Dufour, Smith and Voutilainen. For me they are head and shoulders above the next three which would be Romain Gauthier, Charles Frodsham and Rexhep Rexhepi. Don't get me wrong - Gauthier, Frodsham and Rexhepi are brilliant but that's how highly I rate Dufour, Smith and Voutilainen. Many independent watchmakers can produce superbly finished watches but these three do it consistently, not sacrificing accuracy and in limited numbers which partly explains their resale values in the used market.
If we're going to include Dufour in these three elite independents...
It sure won't take long to call the roll. Only in my dreams ;-)
Well to exclude Phillippe Dufour
would be like to exclude Messi is any all star football team. Dufour is not too bad a watchmaker 
A strong list sham
Romain Gauthier could not be better than Kari, Roger, and Dufour. That is tru.
I made this list:
Romain Gauthier.
F.P. Journe.
Vianney Halter.
Taste technically i came to this:
Romain Gauthier.
Roger Dubuis.
Kari Voutilainen.
Logical One
Continuum
Some models of my favorite independent.
Romain is maestro of watch art.
I made this list:
Romain Gauthier.
F.P. Journe.
Vianney Halter.
Taste technically i came to this:
Romain Gauthier.
Roger Dubuis.
Kari Voutilainen.
Logical One
Continuum
Some models of my favorite independent.
Romain is maestro of watch art.
A good list Sham, but is it a coincidence that the top 3 make watches that fit your wrist, while the next set do not?
😹😹😹
Greubel Forsey isn't even mentioned!!! 🙀🙀🙀 😹😹😹
Greubel Forsey isn't even mentioned!!! 🙀🙀🙀 😹😹😹
Not quite because I would happily wear a Chronometre Contemporain by Rexhep any day! :-)
And I have placed an order for a Frodsham a few months back so even though it is 42.2mm in diameter, I have 6 years to increase the circumference of my wrist!
A good watchmaker in my opinion
is not one that just makes beautiful watches but also a wearable watch. Greubel Forsey makes some beautifully finished watches with amazing accuracy and are highly complicated. But how many of us can wear one on our wrist without the watch looking bulky. I am actually seriously keen on acquiring a steel Signature One because it remains the most wearable GF by a distance, the smaller but thicker Balancier Contemporain is less wearable. Also there is always a debate on whether GF can still be regarded as an independent brand since the Richemont Group has a share in it.
That would be the start of all problems!!
Which bank to rob? Which kidney to sell??!!
As one purist rightly mentioned, this is partly a recognition of brand history.
So, modern independents don't make sense in that context unless the rubric is changed.
As for history, we would need a brand like Charles Frodsham (independent and in continuous business since 1858) if we wanted a similar set of independents.
As for history, we would need a brand like Charles Frodsham (independent and in continuous business since 1858) if we wanted a similar set of independents.
For me, it feels like it was about a minute that the original Holy Trinity made sense in any real-world way.
How long would you say they actually “reigned supreme” (without collectors doubting)?
THANKS EVERYONE
YOU Decide: The NEW Modern Holy Trinity
With 2022 upon us, it is also time we within horology decide a new Holy Trinity.
With a nod to many decades ago, let us remember the old-school Holy Trinity for its relevance [I]when it was first decided upon by ???? [B]many[/B] decades ago[/I]. Today, two of the old-school trinity are now part of very large corporate entities. The other one has changed quite a bit, with questions about various mass production quality levels instead of always doing the very best possible at ALL times.
With the Old School Holy Trinity now outdated, without a doubt it is time to choose the Modern Holy Trinity of horology. This is 2022 my friends. Virtually everyone i chat with seems to agree MB&F should be part of the Modern Holy Trinity.
Thanks everyone for your posts, and please post more.
Note: This is Round One as we hone in on which three brands are part of the new Modern Holy Trinity.
Note: This is Round One as we hone in on which three brands are part of the new Modern Holy Trinity.