You should have made a "communist garbage tier" and put the chinese watch in there. China doesn't know how to innovate or create anything of their own. All they do is lie cheat and steal. I'm sure the design/function was stolen from someone 🤷♂️ sad but true.
Props to Nico for bringing along top notch creators from the Watch YT community. Marko knows his stuff and he's highly entertaining as well, great video all around!
There is a one hour documentary showing the last guys square watch manufacture from the very beginning when it was an idea to the finished product. It's well worth the time to watch!
Armin strom criminally underrated. Fantastic technology, almost entirely in-house production, insane levels of hand finishing, and competitive pricing considering all the factors above
Next time you could also include JS watch company. An amazing small Independent watch maker from Iceland. I got the opportunity to meet the founder and he was an amazing guy. He gave me a tour of the "factory" which was located in the back of the store and told me all about the brand. It was amazing to see his passion for watches. Absolutely worth checking out!
Masahiro Kikuno in the IDC category is savage af. 😂 I've seen his documentary from NHK. The way he looked at that watch after finishing it with so much love like he gave a piece of his soul into it was insane. It's like a father holding his 1st newborn baby for the first time.
Yesss!! Thank you Nico, i posted about George Daniels and Roger smith a few days ago on a video you did, asking if you could give an opinion and a shout out in this style of video about them, so very happy to see their names pushed further into the eyes of the public, who like me me know little about this subject but are interested in learning about it
My most anticipated video from Nico. Really have started enjoying independent watches since the berneron mirage, that Nico showed us winning the gphg award❤
I too was hoping that this video would have had a bigger focus on micro brands instead, since Nico has mentioned brands like Maen from time to time. Collab with Teddy would be cool, because I don't think Nico alone has that deep of an interest in the affordable side of independent brands.
What a fantastic idea to do this vid with Marco, someone who dare i say knows possibly more or as much about the watch industry than the big man🤔🤔😂. I think that we would all like to see much more content with the two of u involved to make you're channel even bigger and better. ⌚
FP Journe, the man, has been accused of sexual harassment. Nico has alluded to this behaviour in past videos as tarnishing to the industry and hence the unacceptable categorization.
@ NicoLeonard and @SwissWatchGang - I like that you actually show a pic of the reverse of the George Daniels "Anniversary" #4 of 24 at 23:09, because I own that actual watch!...this is a great overall review video of Independents by you two, well done!
@@NicoLeonard I'm a real fan of all you do - hope to make the pilgrimage to P+P in Belfast one day and have the opportunity to meet you in person! Warmest regards for a very healthy New Year, Todd
@@SwissWatchGang You and Nico are great on your own and together as a team - loved this vid! Just received my bespoke Roger Smith last week after waiting 3-1/2 years - want to share with you privately...
@nicoleonard this was one of my favorite videos you've put out. It would be great if you picked a few of these brands and did a deep dive into the story of them.
This was an exceptionally nice ranking. This format is really nice to introduce independent brands without all the hoompapa. Please have this return once a year (minimum).
Hi Nico, bijzondere video voor mij als 'horloge noob'. Van 90% van deze makers / merken had ik nog nooit van gehoord. Heel leuk om te zien en vervolgens de merken te googlen. Alleen deze merken zijn voor de happy few. Voor een hoop mensen, en in ieder geval voor mij, veel te hoog gegrepen om ooit zoiets te kunnen kopen. Ik had al eens eerder de suggestie gedaan voor een tier list van de (betaalbare) micro brands. Weet niet of je dat ooit al had gedaan, maar je zou mij er in ieder geval een groot plezier mee doen.
Nico, I would appreciate if you do another video in about a year, but as an improvement, include some photos of watches for all the brands. Your pace is quite fast and a lot of these watch brands are unheard of to the regular public, which most of your viewers are, so it would be very helpful for us to know what you're talking about. Other than that, love your videos!
Sarpaneva makes an Amazing watch! I have met Stepan and his team in Finland and they are nothing but class! I have also met Karar from IFL watches and that Popeye Jail Break needs to be in my collection.
Hi Nico ! Amazing video, but just one thing, when you mention akrivia and Rexhep Rexhepi, you showed a picture of his little brother Xhevdet Rexhepi and his minute inerte 😅
I love the Indy's, even though I can't afford them. Love Krayon, so unique with the Everywhere, that is such a innovative piece and gorgeous crafsmanship, I wish I had one, it should have been higher on the list. But there are a few you forgot that should be ranked. Greubel Forsey is amazing stuff, especially their grande sonnerie and GMT Sport. And Romain Gauthier's Insight Micro-Rotors are cool. And Trilobe are cool. One Indy who gets overlooked is Itay Noy, some full inhouse movements and some are custom modified selita base movements. His Time Quarters, Part Time and Time Tone watches are really unique. If you are looking for more classical, Moritz Grossmann has a nice indy take on classy classic looks.
@@dominiktatai5398 True, but the Rolex is a known quanity. It will probably be possible to service for >50 years, and it will probably not lose much value - if at all. The handmade watch is more of a gamble.
This segment has the potential to actually do something in a new market. I personally have gravitated towards small Low to Mid range luxury watches but mainly going for anything limited run related. In my eyes, most of those pieces are far better quality than your low end Grand Seiko or Cheap Rolex - under 4k ). Will be looking out for more of this segments and see if you mention some of the brands and models people like me are getting, betting on things like this to affect the future market.
It would be awesome if you Nico can add price range in your tier lists - i do like many brands in this vid but they are quite expensive and if you add this note (price) even in description choice will be easier :)
Nico Leonard is widely regarded as one of the best gentlemen and greatest watch experts due to his deep knowledge of horology, his refined approach to luxury watches, and his unwavering commitment to providing honest and insightful advice. Known for his impeccable taste, he combines an unmatched understanding of watch mechanics, history, and market trends with a charismatic and respectful demeanor. Nico's passion for the craft and his genuine dedication to educating others have earned him a loyal following, cementing his status as a true authority in the world of fine watches.
Have you ever done a review of a brand called Liv? They run from around $550 up to a little over $2k USD... Owned here in the States, designed here and built in Switzerland... Would love to see you have a go at them and see if you like them...
My editors are special, they cannot find the right pictures of the correct people, i fired them again! My apologies 😂
lolz
You should have made a "communist garbage tier" and put the chinese watch in there. China doesn't know how to innovate or create anything of their own. All they do is lie cheat and steal. I'm sure the design/function was stolen from someone 🤷♂️ sad but true.
“We apologize again for the fault in the subtitles. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.”
hell yeah
I have a watch design had it for few years I have couple but one in particular that really stands out would love to be able to send u the designs
Thanks for having me Nico, always fun times with you and your team! Independents for the win! 🤝🏻🚀
Hopefully more content in the future on this channel?
Have an opinion on Ball Watches??
I love listening to you Marko. You two are a hilarious team and the amount of knowledge in this one place... madness.
Your insights were damn interesting. That was an awesome show.
What was the brand at 19:15?
Props to Nico for bringing along top notch creators from the Watch YT community. Marko knows his stuff and he's highly entertaining as well, great video all around!
Yep. Marko seems to have an awful lot of watch knowledge, an awful lot. Good to see.
Man, the guy on the left really knows his stuff. Top notch in microbrands. He's like an encyclopedia. Made Nico look like an amateur!
The collaboration I never saw coming BUT THIS HAS IS ALREADY THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR!
Will you marry me Britt?
What a sad life you must have
There is a one hour documentary showing the last guys square watch manufacture from the very beginning when it was an idea to the finished product. It's well worth the time to watch!
I’ll look for that, thx
5:17 I can only respect a man bold enough to absolutely sht on a brand while wearing one of their watches
Armin strom criminally underrated. Fantastic technology, almost entirely in-house production, insane levels of hand finishing, and competitive pricing considering all the factors above
Nico should tier list all the watch TH-camrs 😂 would love to see that 😂
Next time you could also include JS watch company. An amazing small Independent watch maker from Iceland. I got the opportunity to meet the founder and he was an amazing guy. He gave me a tour of the "factory" which was located in the back of the store and told me all about the brand. It was amazing to see his passion for watches. Absolutely worth checking out!
Thanks. Gonna check them out.
I second that great family that runs it and I would take my SIF NART to Hell and back.
2 videos less than 1 week apart, This promises a lot for this year!
George Daniels and Roger Smith would be an amazing video. Roger's work with British watch making needs more attention. The Great Britain watch alone.
Fantastic video so happy to see Nico talk about independents!
Is there a reason why they didn’t list Laurent Ferrier?
Masahiro Kikuno in the IDC category is savage af. 😂 I've seen his documentary from NHK. The way he looked at that watch after finishing it with so much love like he gave a piece of his soul into it was insane. It's like a father holding his 1st newborn baby for the first time.
Thank you for featuring us in your video!
Best video you’ve made in AGES…way to stand out from the crowd by teaching me something interesting
Yesss!! Thank you Nico, i posted about George Daniels and Roger smith a few days ago on a video you did, asking if you could give an opinion and a shout out in this style of video about them, so very happy to see their names pushed further into the eyes of the public, who like me me know little about this subject but are interested in learning about it
Loving the video, great insights about the independent brands and fun (and ruthless😉) conversation! Best duo on the scene😎
This video felt so educational! 👏🏻
More videos and collabs like this!
Make this 2025 year the year of collab videos Nico! Please 🙌🏻
My most anticipated video from Nico. Really have started enjoying independent watches since the berneron mirage, that Nico showed us winning the gphg award❤
Nico is the "Angel of Death" for watch brands. 😂
Especially Hublot!
Cant keep my eye away from that white dot in the wall 😂
Kept first wiping my screen 😅
Great video!
How about a Top Tier of Microbrands with Teddy Baldassare?!
this would be dope
I too was hoping that this video would have had a bigger focus on micro brands instead, since Nico has mentioned brands like Maen from time to time. Collab with Teddy would be cool, because I don't think Nico alone has that deep of an interest in the affordable side of independent brands.
Best tier list episode yet.
Love some of these and love that there not just big brand copies, just cant stand the waiting time or price.
Same! I wouldn’t buy any micro brand over 10k (and that’s being generous) 😅
Marko is a proper Slovenian bloke, love from Slovenia Nico.
What a fantastic idea to do this vid with Marco, someone who dare i say knows possibly more or as much about the watch industry than the big man🤔🤔😂. I think that we would all like to see much more content with the two of u involved to make you're channel even bigger and better. ⌚
Instead of a "who's who" of watches this is more of a simple "who?"
16:41 How can you put FP Journe in ‘unacceptable’ without any explanation? Are we missing something here?
FP Journe, the man, has been accused of sexual harassment. Nico has alluded to this behaviour in past videos as tarnishing to the industry and hence the unacceptable categorization.
probably not considered as "independent"
shit watches. people just hype them up and are sheep
@@bryanchen5545Hypocritical since Nico literally supports sexual harassers 😂
@@bryanchen5545that was Jacob and Co. not FP.
Amazing Combo Nico&Marco
I enjoyed this one. You guys were geeking out. Yeah you won't have the same likes or dislikes for the matter. Marco, you survived Nico. Congrats 👏
@ NicoLeonard and @SwissWatchGang - I like that you actually show a pic of the reverse of the George Daniels "Anniversary" #4 of 24 at 23:09, because I own that actual watch!...this is a great overall review video of Independents by you two, well done!
That’s class! Thank you so much! Incredible watch, congratulations! Very jealous 💪
@@NicoLeonard I'm a real fan of all you do - hope to make the pilgrimage to P+P in Belfast one day and have the opportunity to meet you in person! Warmest regards for a very healthy New Year, Todd
You’re the man Todd! Watched your talking watches episode at least 4 times😅
@@SwissWatchGang You and Nico are great on your own and together as a team - loved this vid! Just received my bespoke Roger Smith last week after waiting 3-1/2 years - want to share with you privately...
@ 😍
I am starting to become a watch guy thanks to You Nico Thank you! Have 5 watches that I love and I’m in the process of looking for my 6th.
"GoS - watch from Sweden"
Very observant and detailed commentary, glad you included it in the list
@nicoleonard this was one of my favorite videos you've put out. It would be great if you picked a few of these brands and did a deep dive into the story of them.
I knew of the Kikuchi watches for about a year. Beautiful. As always, you have great videos. Have an amazing 2025!
This was an exceptionally nice ranking. This format is really nice to introduce independent brands without all the hoompapa.
Please have this return once a year (minimum).
Uff.. never dealt with Armin Strom then, m8. When you see their journey and in which direction their ship set sails... insane!
Had no clue here was watch awards, Nico please host one! I'd love to watch it!
Hi Nico, bijzondere video voor mij als 'horloge noob'. Van 90% van deze makers / merken had ik nog nooit van gehoord. Heel leuk om te zien en vervolgens de merken te googlen. Alleen deze merken zijn voor de happy few. Voor een hoop mensen, en in ieder geval voor mij, veel te hoog gegrepen om ooit zoiets te kunnen kopen. Ik had al eens eerder de suggestie gedaan voor een tier list van de (betaalbare) micro brands. Weet niet of je dat ooit al had gedaan, maar je zou mij er in ieder geval een groot plezier mee doen.
Great stuff. Would be nice if your tierlists were available as downloadable PDFs or something. Cheers.
Armin Strom, DeBethune, Moritz Grossmann, Lang&Heyne, and Hajime Asaoka in "Don't care" makes me shed a tear.
Amazing video. Thank you for bringing more awareness to these brands!
Masahiro watches are insanely cool! Next level! If I'm not mistaken he made a perpetual calender watch too.
Felipe Pikullik is definitely class. Have a look at his HTH watches.
Nico ...what a great teamwork video ...give us more duos !!!
Super good collab. Absolutely class vid.
Happy New Year people!! New Nico video? best present for my birthday :D
No H. Moser?
he missed ORIS too wtf
Whoehaha 'schade deutschland alles ist vorbei!' ik ga helemaal stuk Nico 😂
One of the top new project is definitely Adaxum. Defi and E-commerce narrative will do great in the following year.
Nico, I would appreciate if you do another video in about a year, but as an improvement, include some photos of watches for all the brands. Your pace is quite fast and a lot of these watch brands are unheard of to the regular public, which most of your viewers are, so it would be very helpful for us to know what you're talking about. Other than that, love your videos!
if I ever get rich, I'm going on an mb&f shopping spree. I love them all so much.
Its so nice to see something new and refreshing and really pretty like that Chinese brand
Love this Nico! Definitely do more content around independents and who knows, the indies might start flying through pride n pinion’s doors.
Glad to see this channel actually discuss interesting watches instead of the same boring patek, AP's and Rolex.
Sarpaneva makes an Amazing watch! I have met Stepan and his team in Finland and they are nothing but class! I have also met Karar from IFL watches and that Popeye Jail Break needs to be in my collection.
Hi Nico ! Amazing video, but just one thing, when you mention akrivia and Rexhep Rexhepi, you showed a picture of his little brother Xhevdet Rexhepi and his minute inerte 😅
“I absolutely love your videos! They inspire me so much. Hopefully, we can collaborate on a TH-cam shoot one day. Wishing you a Happy New Year!”
I love the Indy's, even though I can't afford them. Love Krayon, so unique with the Everywhere, that is such a innovative piece and gorgeous crafsmanship, I wish I had one, it should have been higher on the list.
But there are a few you forgot that should be ranked. Greubel Forsey is amazing stuff, especially their grande sonnerie and GMT Sport. And Romain Gauthier's Insight Micro-Rotors are cool. And Trilobe are cool. One Indy who gets overlooked is Itay Noy, some full inhouse movements and some are custom modified selita base movements. His Time Quarters, Part Time and Time Tone watches are really unique. If you are looking for more classical, Moritz Grossmann has a nice indy take on classy classic looks.
So happy to see both Daniels and Smith up top.
Funny seeing Nico very interesting in a brand before finding out its price, very relatable lol
Yeah, he have problem with 15k on handmade watch but machine made rolex for 20k is God tier :D :D
@@dominiktatai5398 True, but the Rolex is a known quanity. It will probably be possible to service for >50 years, and it will probably not lose much value - if at all. The handmade watch is more of a gamble.
Great just great love the knowledge and passion you share in your posts
Volg je al een tijdje, echt leuke video’s maak je, wist helemaal niet dat je Nederlands was….👌🇳🇱
This was actually a very nice and informative video.
Appreciate that❤️
What about H.Moser???
A+ content. This is what we want to see from a watch expert
Akrivia comes from the Greek word Ακρίβεια which means Accuracy.
Fully hand-made things just cost an insane amount of money. This video showcases that. Other watch brands take shortcuts for sure.
Not having Czapek on here is criminal 🤣
Putting you two together is like that trend where two siblings have opposite aesthetic
Oris?
I’ve been waiting for this one!
Nico should rate the Tissot T-Complication Squelette
This segment has the potential to actually do something in a new market. I personally have gravitated towards small Low to Mid range luxury watches but mainly going for anything limited run related. In my eyes, most of those pieces are far better quality than your low end Grand Seiko or Cheap Rolex - under 4k ). Will be looking out for more of this segments and see if you mention some of the brands and models people like me are getting, betting on things like this to affect the future market.
Nico, would you like to place Oris in the list too ?
Andersen designed a nice line for Asprey recently.
gr8 list/ collab.. learned a lot
It would be awesome if you Nico can add price range in your tier lists - i do like many brands in this vid but they are quite expensive and if you add this note (price) even in description choice will be easier :)
This was one of the best horology videos on youtube. More with SWG please
Nico drunk must be gold 🤣🤣🤣
Gphg should post your description on their website
I would have liked to see you rank Staudt Chronometrie! What do you think of that brand? The have awesome guilloché dials made by Benzinger.
Nico Leonard is widely regarded as one of the best gentlemen and greatest watch experts due to his deep knowledge of horology, his refined approach to luxury watches, and his unwavering commitment to providing honest and insightful advice. Known for his impeccable taste, he combines an unmatched understanding of watch mechanics, history, and market trends with a charismatic and respectful demeanor. Nico's passion for the craft and his genuine dedication to educating others have earned him a loyal following, cementing his status as a true authority in the world of fine watches.
You need to have Dornbluth high on that list to
Nico you need to make a video going to turkey and seeing how good the replicas are
Damn... That's some pretty impressive timepieces. So cool to see something else than AP and Rolex.
Its normal when Nico scream at 10:55 i salute
Have you ever done a review of a brand called Liv? They run from around $550 up to a little over $2k USD... Owned here in the States, designed here and built in Switzerland... Would love to see you have a go at them and see if you like them...
Bang, he’s back!
Nico start a series where u go and see ppl collections pls man
Romain Gauthier, Ming, Osuka Lotec
I’ve been watching Adaxum since the beginning of the presale, and it’s looking more solid every day. Might be one of the better DeFi plays this year.
Legendary collab
Can u make a Video in which you Rank Rolex Models which you would recommend to buy and which don’t due to current price increase?
Bovet? Thats my favourite, love them
I usually don’t jump into new projects, but after seeing the potential with Adaxum, I’m in. Time to diversify my portfolio!
4:03 “It’s like Andrew Tate with the webcam girls”
-Nico January 2025
Nico, what do you think of the Apple watch?
Nico, please come to my hometown of Oldenzaal and give Grönefeld a visit.
Thats a vlog I’d like to see.