Watches and Wonders 2025: 3 must-know independents new to the show

The recently concluded edition of the world’s most important luxury watch fair saw a record turnout this year. Over 55,000 visitors took to the immense halls of Palexpo Geneva to marvel at the new releases from over 60 brands — the largest event ever.

Out of this dizzying number, seven manufactures are either new to the show or rejoining it. All except for Bvlgari are independent houses, showcasing the wide-ranging perspectives and niche expertise of artisanal watchmaking.

Here, we highlight three such brands available in Singapore at Sincere Fine Watches. Their identities are so distinct, and their creations are so swoon-worthy that they thoroughly deserve to be on your radar.

Christian van der Klaauw

Based in the Netherlands, Christian van der Klaauw (CVDK) is a master of astronomical complications, entirely devoted to crafting timepieces that mirror the heavens. 

Founded in 1974, it specialises in miniature planetariums, moonphase displays, and orbital tourbillons, all executed with micromechanical precision. Each CVDK creation is a wearable, limited-edition observatory that appeals to collectors who seek both technical brilliance and poetic artistry of the cosmic variety. 

With movements assembled entirely in-house, the atelier remains one of the few independent watchmakers capable of such a feat. Witness its expertise in the Grand Planetarium Eccentric Meteorite, whose 44mm case is crafted from a genuine fragment once part of an asteroid’s core. 

The only mechanical grand planetary watch complication ever made that accurately displays all eight planets moving in real time around the sun, this three-piece-only model features a dial of aventurine glass, hand-painted planetary orbits, a meteorite dial ring containing Martian nakhlite, and a unidirectional automatic winding movement with a 60-hour power reserve. 

Armin Strom

While Switzerland-based Armin Strom showcases a fusion of Swiss-German horology, it is a pioneer of contemporary skeleton watches. Since its founding in 1967, the brand has ignited watch lovers’ imaginations with its singular flair for stripping movements to their bare essence while offering an avant-garde architectural approach.  

Every component of its openworked calibres is meticulously hand-finished, with gears and bridges transformed into kinetic sculptures. The fully integrated company’s expertise also lies in in-house manufacturing, from movement conception to final assembly. 

The Orbit is one of its masterpieces, as a creation with a world’s first on-demand pointer-date on a bezel, which dispels the notion that a date display is absolutely essential. Now, the choice is given to the wearer.

The latest iteration of this watch is the Orbit Purple, which flaunts an attractive midnight purple fume dial housed in a black DLC-coated stainless steel case of 43.4mm. And only 20 pieces are available.

GENUS

From Switzerland hails GENUS, founded in 2017, which is intent on disrupting traditional watchmaking by transforming time-telling into an immersive experience that amazes and surprises. Specifically, its complex, three-dimensional mechanical systems indicate time in ways never before imagined.

Its claim to fame: An unprecedented complication design for a hands-free, dial-free display that won it the Mechanical Exception Prize at the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horologerie. Two patents have been filed for this system, in which a mechanical component — the Genus — moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting trajectory in the shape of a figure 8, the symbol of infinity.

Witness this on the 43mm, rose gold-encased GNS2 Nocturne, which is as discreet as it is daring. At its core lies GENUS’ signature wizardry: Three golden arrows circle the periphery to mark the passing hours, while another three sweep along the patented “8-path”. 

Its Art Deco inspiration, black base, and tens-of-minutes dials, along with hand-hammered silvery half-moon dials, add to the after-hours magnetism.