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WHAT MAKES A MAVERICK IN WATCHMAKING?
A maverick is often imagined as someone determined to break the rules. Yet in watchmaking, some of the most independent minds are just as determined to preserve them. One maker might rethink the way we read time, while another devotes years to mastering a traditional method. Their ambitions differ, but both reveal something of the personalities behind the watches.
What connects these makers is the strength of their convictions and the willingness to follow them, even when the work becomes more demanding. At Mavericks of Time, these individual perspectives come together, each leaving a deliberate imprint on the craft.
CHANGING THE WAY WE READ TIME
For Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens, even the familiar watch dial was open to question. His answer is a display of rotating discs that move together throughout the day. On the TYPE 3, an oil-filled chamber makes the indications appear almost on the surface of the crystal, creating an extraordinary effect.
Singer Reimagined co-founders Marco Borraccino and Rob Dickinson bring that same questioning instinct to the chronograph. Their Track1 gathers elapsed hours, minutes and seconds at the centre, moving the time of day to rotating discs around the edge. The stopwatch function gets the attention usually reserved for telling the time. Making that switch required more than rearranging a dial. It meant rethinking the mechanics beneath it.
CRAFT WORTH THE HOURS
Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey pursued a different challenge around how far they could take the art of making a timepiece by hand. Greubel Forsey’s Hand Made 1 offers a remarkable answer. Some 95% of the timepiece, including its hairspring, was made using hand-operated tools, requiring around 6,000 hours of work for a single watch. The commitment extends from its most prominent features to components small enough to escape a casual glance.
Rexhep Rexhepi brings his own exacting eye to the Chronomètre Contemporain. Its enamel dial and balanced proportions offer a composed first impression, where the movement rewards a closer look. Visible and hidden parts alike receive traditional hand-finishing. There is something deeply personal in that choice, where the care continues even where the owner may never look. For a collector, it gives the watch a richness that unfolds with familiarity.
A LONG HISTORY CAN HOLD A RADICAL IDEA
An established house can have a restless imagination, too. Championed by then-owner Rolf Schnyder, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak arrived in 2001 without conventional hands or a dial, using its rotating movement to indicate time. It also pioneered silicon in mechanical watchmaking. Here was a historic manufacturer willing to reconsider both how a watch looked and what made it work. Its legacy is a reminder that experience can give a bold idea the knowledge it needs to become reality.
MEET THE MINDS BEHIND THE WATCHES
Mavericks of Time 2026 brings these perspectives into conversation with collectors and curious newcomers. Within the Seddiqi Vault, interactive reveals offer a closer look at the timepieces and their stories. Meeting the participating brands brings another dimension, including the chance to ask what inspired a decision, understand an unfamiliar detail and discover the personalities behind the work. Join the event, and bring your curiosity.
