The Indie Highlights from Watches & Wonders 2026
For collectors looking for something special, try the independents.
Highlights
Most of the attention on Geneva during the week of Watches & Wonders is on the large mainstream brands, which is all well and good. But some of the most exciting and innovative timepieces are to be found among the so-called indie watchmakers, a vague term that can encompass everything from a single watchmaker working at their bench to a fully integrated manufacture making thousands of watches a year. But what unites this diverse group is a spirit and an attitude. A determination to make watches their own way. Here are four of the best.
The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Pump
Collaboration is commonplace in the watchmaking landscape of today, but one partnership we didn’t see coming was that between H. Moser & Cie. and Reebok. The H. Moser & Cie. X Reebok Streamliner Pump is a pair of watches inspired by Reebok’s iconic ‘Pump’ trainers. The black or white watches are, as is often the case with Moser’s creations, minimalist in the extreme. The quartz forged quartz fibre cases feature matching dials and rubber straps, with the only standout details being the bright power reserve indicator and a matching pump pusher at eight. The party trick of these watches, with a HMC 500 movement that has been modified into a manually wound calibre, except you don’t wind the crown, you pump the pusher to give it energy — just like everyone’s favourite 90s trainer. It’s a surprising and fun creation — which is what Moser does best.
The Ressence Type 11
Belgian brand Ressence has always had an incredibly strong identity, based around ROCS, AKA Ressence’s Orbital Convex System, which sees discrete subdials rotate around the dial, like planets in space. The brand’s latest release, the Type 11, is remarkable not just because of the bold design, but because it’s the first Rressence powered by the Werk RW-01, the brand’s first proprietary movement. While earlier models were based on ETA calibres, this Concepto-made movement sees the ROCS system integrated into the movement, offering plenty of technical and quality of life improvements, not least being the 60-hour power reserve.
The Urwerk UR-101 Diamond Sky Edition
Like many independent watchmakers, Urwerk has a characteristically unique approach to telling the time. In fact, the 29-year-old brand is one of the elder statesmen of the indies, and its love of wandering hours and satellite time displays has inspired plenty of other watchmakers. The Urwerk UR-101 Diamond Sky Edition is a callback to one of Urwerk’s earliest models,the UR-101. With its UFO-like 41mm case and time display aperture, the UR-101 is a striking design, and this Diamond Sky Edition adds a fine jewellery twist to the contemporary case. The geometric network is studded with some 214 responsibly sourced diamonds for an Urwerk unlike any other.
The Trilobe Trente-Deux Secret Edition
Founded in 2018, Parisian brand Trilobe has had an incredibly strong start, capturing attention with its novel way of displaying the time, using a system of discs and fixed pointers instead of more conventional hands. The Trente-Deux is Trilobe’s sportiest expression of this aesthetic, and the model doesn’t just stand out because of its integrated bracelet, but also its accomplished debut in-house movement, the X-Nihilo, assembled in Paris and boasting a bold architecture. The latest Trente-Deux model is the ‘Secret Edition’, offered in steel or rose gold, and featuring a stunning dial in midnight blue, printed with a metallic star map. The best part about the watch, though — is that the star map is personalised to each owner, who can choose the stars based on a date, time and location. Definitely one for the amateur astronomers or romantics.
