Independents

ArthurSG
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SJX, Bernard and those venturing into AHCI.

Not that both of you have suggested this is even the slightest way so don’t flame me J.

I read your starting posts and the ensuing comments with a lot of interest and  I wanted to share from a perspective of a relatively new collector (1 year 7 months plus now) who has been venturing into the world of independents for the past 7 months or so…

While I have had the very good fortune to be invited by the likes of The Hour Glass to meet the likes of Max, Silberstein, Kari etc and I have also had the distinct pleasure of sharing a few hours with PSM and Thomas Prescher most recently, I do not have very deep relationships with any them when compared to both of you.

But the point is this, I think some may accidentally misconstrue that having deep relationships is the main draw for some to independents.  I would like to share that of course, that would be very nice but it is not necessary and not just that just in case a wrong interpretation is made by someone starting to look at independents.

Independents in general I am discovering, offer a very different (in a good way), fresh, daring, new and creative perspective to what can be a very become a jaded hobby fast… being so new, I have more thoughts that I can or know how to translate to the written medium so I do ask for benefit of doubt especially since this is coming from a 1 year 7 month old collector LOL… I do not know a lot about watches and continue to learn.

Where am I going with this?  Why do I find the SV2 more interesting than say the any of the JLCs or PAMs from SIHH 2010 for example?  I know why… I just struggle to articulate my thoughts.

Maybe it’s because I met Max although I do not know him too well yet.  Maybe it’s because Max bothered to keep in touch every once in a while as does PSM… Or maybe I am just, yes, after 1 year 7 months, sick of seeing time and again the same watch re-introduced in a new case material or dial color (that said I think the 2010 VC PC Chrono looks fantastic) .. ok.. the SV2 is effectively a re-birth of the original HM2 but … it’s different… it’s daring… it’s creative… it’s fresh…. it’s different… it likes to stand when others sit… it’s a bit of an underdog… it’s Max… it’s … hmmmm… it’s a bit of who I am?

Maybe it’s not so much the personal touches from the Independents themselves (and I have only received the same level of personal interaction from Chopard’s Maxime Lebby outside of the Independents), but those of us that are interested in the independents are interested because it also in some ways (not all) reflect certain traits of ourselves.  Don’t get me wrong, I still can’t relate to Vianney’s madness in his Antigua design and I still can’t understand why many rave about it but that is just me, an insignificant… and I also do recall telling an independent collector friend not too long ago that I can’t see why anyone would buy Independents and even cited his HM2 as an example… I have been made to eat my words on the HM2 safe to say… so I may yet change my mind on the Antigua…

But for me, going down the Independent brick road I find is more thought provoking, more inspiring, more involving (NOW) than say buying a Patek or a Lange…maybe the Independents give me an option to acquire something that is more attune to who I am as an Individual.  Although a newbie, I can safely say I do not “peer” buy that is let’s get a Patek or ROO or PAM (for example) just because many seem to go ga-ga over it.  Don’t get me wrong, I do have my reference points on what to buy and their views affect my thought process a lot.

So Independents maybe allow me to express a bit of who I am … for myself…  Maybe after talking to Max, I see a bit of what Max is trying to do similar to some of the experiences that I have had in my life… Maybe some of PSM’s challenges and character traits which seem to transcend into some of his watches are similar to some of my character traits.  This connection allows me to build a stronger bond to the watch maker, the watch my hard earned money is going to buy, the watch which my kids will eventually get (they still decide which piece I eventually buy by the way).  In contrast, I know nothing of Stern or Lange the persons and nothing of the watchmakers who put together my 5056 or Dato.  Lovely as they maybe, they are somewhat “colder” than my HM2 and the other Independents I am looking at.  I can’t talk to them about the inspiration behind the watches and what makes them and the watches tick pardon the pun.

I digress so much… but my point again to all interested in Independents especially newbies like me, you don’t need to have deep relationships with independents to appreciate them and if you are like me, you may find the end-to-end collecting experience of independents a lot more personal and rewarding than say with large group brands.  Or I could develop a whole different contradicting POV to the above in the next 7 months LOL.

My very humble half a cent.

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