Independent watchmaking presented relatively few genuinely new releases in 2025. Many watchmakers instead reintroduced familiar models in new configurations or colourways — an approach typically associated with larger brands.

The strongest releases were excellent, but they were few and far between. Our highlights reflect that: Urban Jürgensen’s relaunch stood out for its confidence and momentum, while Petermann Bédat and Raúl Pagès showed there is still room to say something new within the time-only format.

Urban Jürgensen UJ-1 Tourbillon – SJX

When I first heard about Urban Jürgensen being revived, I was sceptical. Could an investor halfway across the world and a watchmaker busy with his own brand pull it off?

As it turned out, they could. The Rosenfields, Andy and Alex, father and son, and Kari Voutilainen, managed to put together a collection of three watches – all impressively conceived and executed – and then deliver a good number of watches in the months since the launch in mid-2025.

The flagship of the Urban Jürgensen line-up and clearly its best creation to date is the UJ-1. A tourbillon with remontoir, the UJ-1 is modelled on the Oval pocket watch that was made by Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen. The movement instantly feels like it was descended from the Oval, which is a feat considering the disparity in scale.

Mr Voutilainen managed to translate many of the key elements of the Oval into wristwatch format, including the “floating” barrel and linear bridge for the centre wheel. The movement is truly a beauty (though I would change the form of the carriage).

The UJ-1 is outstanding, but at CHF368,000 probably a little too expensive for what it is, even in today’s market for independent watchmaking. But I love it; if I could, I would. I even like the odd lugs that actually help the case wear well on the wrist. It sets a high bar for the brand, and I look forward to seeing the Urban Jürgensen story unfold.

Petermann Bédat Reference 1825 and Raúl Pagès RP2 — Brandon Moore

Highly finished time-only watches have become one of the defining categories of contemporary independent watchmaking, fuelled by sustained collector appetite for the ideals embodied by watches like Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity and Rexhep Rexhepi’s Chronomètre Contemporain.

In recent years, a seemingly endless roster of up-and-coming watchmakers has sought to capture some of that magic, often by leaning heavily on open dials, demonstrative finishing, or overt historical references. By 2025, it felt as though every possible expression of the format had already been explored. Against that backdrop, Petermann Bédat’s Reference 1825 arrived as a breath of fresh air.

 The ref. 1825 succeeds precisely because it does less. The lustrous enamel sector dial is beautifully executed yet understated, while the case – evolved from the brand’s ref. 2941 split-seconds chronograph – is classical without being generic. And while the cal. 233 appears to be just another finely finished three-hand movement, extended viewing reveals an architecture that is both original an sophisticated.

The bell-shaped bridge, the absence of fashionable tubular forms, and the cleanly defined outlines speak to a thoughtful design process rather than trend-driven styling. Importantly, the movement is finished in-house using traditional techniques, lending the watch an air of sincerity that is increasingly rare.

In this context, the Raúl Pagès’ RP2 also stood out. While Mr Pagès is no stranger to time-only watches – the Soberly Onyx predates it by nearly a decade – the RP2 is arguably more compelling because it represents a clear evolution of his own design language. Rather than relying on a historical ébauche, the RP2 employs a new movement that builds on the aesthetic foundations laid by the award-winning RP1.

The result is a calibre that is undeniably traditional but unmistakably modern in execution, distinguished by details such as the black-polished, open-worked triangular steel balance cock and a large, free-sprung balance of Mr Pagès’ own design. Like the ref. 1825, the RP2 avoids excess, focusing instead on proportion, coherence, and almost clinical finishing. Together, these two watches showed that even in a crowded category, there is still room for originality when it is grounded in taste and discipline.

Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d’une Montre 3 – David Ichim

The Time Æon Foundation’s Naissance d’une Montre series was conceived to test the limits of truly hand-made contemporary watchmaking. The latest chapter in this quirky collection came from Ferdinand Berthoud and is simply called Naissance d’une Montre 3. 

What is basically a time-only marine chronometer-style wristwatch takes thousands of hours of manual labour to produce. About 80 people are involved in the production of each watch, combining for the equivalent of what would be several years of work for a single individual. Beyond just artisanal finishings and basic parts cutting, the team at Ferdinand Berthoud had to learn and document the process for making a fusée and chain system using only hand-operated tools. The commitment to ‘handmade’ even extends to the case, crown, strap, clasp, and watch box.

The Montre 3 has a restrained, purposeful appearance, with the cal. FB-BTC.FC taking centre stage in place of the brand’s familiar regulator display. Finishing highlights include large, rounded blued screws, gently grained plates set off by crisp anglage, and an overall sense of deliberation rather than excess. Ferdinand Berthoud’s mastery of steelwork is again evident: the 191 chain links are individually made and finished by hand, alongside numerous high-polished steel components. Despite its technical density, the movement conveys an unexpected warmth, stemming from the visible handwork and the cream-toned hue of the gilded plates.

The piece seeks to recapture the feel of historical handmade watches authentically, so the brand went to great lengths to minimise concessions to modernity. This is most evident in the use of diamond cap jewels for the balance staff, secured by handmade pare-chute shock absorbers. The balance itself is cut and bi-metallic, paired to a flame-blued hairspring.

Though styled like an antique chronometer, the Montre 3 is COSC-certified, underscoring Ferdinand Berthoud’s commitment to precision. Such a level of craft inevitably commands a lofty price, but the result is a compelling demonstration of traditional watchmaking disciplines that remain increasingly rare.

Greubel Forsey QP Balancier and Konstantin Chaykin White Rabbit — Andrew Cavanaugh

While Greubel Forsey’s bidirectional in-line perpetual calendar is a decade old, it remains one of the most impressive on the market — arguably the high water mark for the category in terms of both mechanical elegance and intuitive legibility. After ten years, Greubel Forsey decided it was time for a change, incorporating this mechanism into a simpler, non-tourbillon calibre for the first time.

More than just a simplified QP à Équation, the QP Balancier is a very different watch apart from the shared perpetual calendar. It advances Greubel Forsey’s new (more conventional) design language, without the concave lugs and bulging case band that defined the brand’s early work. Though some of that early character has been lost along the way, the updated aesthetic is arguably more suited to the prevailing tastes of today.

While the QP Balancier is expensive by any measure, in context it represents a comparatively sound value proposition for a high-end independent in 2025. Notably, the QP à Équation debuted with a list price some CHF 180,000 higher — a full decade ago. Though it dispenses with a tourbillon, the intellectual achievement is contained primarily in the ‘mechanical computer’ that powers the perpetual calendar display. Moreover, Greubel Forsey’s world-class finissage is still present and correct.

Russian independent Konstantin Chaykin also debuted a perpetual calendar wristwatch this year, a first for the brand and the country it calls home. Inspired by a curious watch described in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that displays the month but not the time, Mr Chaykin took this a step further, developing a full perpetual calendar with time of sunrise and set, length of day and night, sign of the zodiac, and jumping seconds. Though more traditional in its construction than the innovative QP Balancier, the White Rabbit is whimsical and creative in a style that only Mr Chaykin could pull off.

The reverse side does display the time alongside a moon-phase indicator, while offering a playful nod to the Mad Hatter, for whom it is perpetually six o’clock — tea time.

While Mr Chaykin has not (yet) found a way to stop time, he has incorporated a suspended-time complication: at the press of a button, the time-telling ‘eyes’ jump to 6:00, creating a deliberately cross-eyed display, before snapping back to the correct time once the button is released.

The watch can also be converted into a pocket watch, using the same quick-release system that allows the case to be reversed — a detail that remains faithful to the source material.