IAMWATCH opens to the public in Singapore, with George Daniels at its centre and new pieces from the independents

Visitors at IAMWATCH, The Hour Glass's independent watchmaking fair. © The Hour Glass

The second edition of IAMWATCH, the independent watchmaking fair of the retailer The Hour Glass, opened to the public today at The Singapore EDITION hotel in Singapore, after an invitation-only preview on Thursday. Until Sunday, 15 November, it brings together 45 independent watchmakers, the George Daniels centenary exhibition and a programme of conversations, lectures and hands-on classes.

The public days are 13, 14 and 15 November, from 11am to 8pm Singapore time, that is, from 3am to 12 noon in Lisbon. Admission is free, with prior registration on the fair's website. The Hour Glass sums up the idea behind this edition in one sentence: independence relies on interdependence, meaning the suppliers, craftspeople, retailers, writers, collectors and institutions that independent watchmakers depend on.

George Daniels, a hundred years on

The Space Traveller I pocket watch, made by George Daniels in 1982. © The Hour Glass

At the heart of the fair is the George Daniels 100 exhibition, organised by Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo and The Hour Glass to mark the centenary of the British watchmaker (1926–2011). It brings together 22 watches, shown together for the first time. Daniels made 24 pocket watches and two wristwatches, and invented the co-axial escapement, which Omega adopted.

Among the pieces are the two Space Travellers, both from 1982, shown side by side for the first time. The Space Traveller II was Daniels' own watch for almost 30 years.

The Space Traveller II, George Daniels' own watch for almost 30 years. © The Hour Glass

On Saturday, 14 November, the documentary George Daniels 100, commissioned by Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo, premieres at IAMWATCH, followed by a conversation between Aurel Bacs and Roger W. Smith, moderated by Su Jia Xian of SJX Watches. In the evening, Roger W. Smith tells in "The Watchmaker's Apprentice" how he worked with Daniels. Smith also gives two lectures: one on the life of George Daniels and another on the co-axial escapement, from idea to reality.

George Daniels (1926–2011). © The Hour Glass

The three-day programme

Today, Friday, there are two panels. In "I Want to Make My Own Watch. Now What?", Alex Rosenfield (Urban Jürgensen), Mehmet Korutürk (Vanguart), Pierre Biver and William Massena discuss capital, suppliers, pricing and first clients, moderated by Manuel Emch (Louis Erard). In "The Morteau Generation", Rémy Cools, Thomas Aubert (Aubert & Ramel) and Victor Monnin (Hazemann & Monnin) talk about the school where they trained, moderated by Mark Kauzlarich of Hodinkee. The episode of "Man of the Hour", Wei Koh's series, devoted to La Fabrique du Temps is also screened, followed by a conversation with Enrico Barbasini.

On Saturday, Andreas Strehler, Kari Voutilainen, Roger W. Smith and Rexhep Rexhepi, winner of this year's GPHG Aiguille d'Or, take on the question "Who Actually Invents Anything Anymore?", moderated by Wei Koh. On Sunday the talks turn to what watches made in 2026 and beyond should look like, and to whether independence needs the groups, with Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (Chopard and Ferdinand Berthoud) and Matthieu Haverlan (Ulysse Nardin), moderated by Aymeric Lacroix of The Hour Glass. The "Man of the Hour" episode on Maximilian Büsser and MB&F closes the film series.

Carlos Torres of The Ministry of Horological Affairs gives two lectures on chronometry: one on the régleurs who adjusted chronometers and another on the observatory competitions of Neuchâtel, Geneva, Kew, Hamburg and Besançon. Andreas Strehler speaks on the historical development of innovation in watchmaking, and Rémy Cools on 18th and 19th-century French precision horology.

The IAMWATCH hands-on classes, with master watchmaker Michael Dubs. © The Hour Glass

On all three public days, Swiss master watchmaker Michael Dubs gives 90-minute hands-on classes: each participant takes apart and reassembles part of a mechanical movement, which they keep, together with a certificate of participation. There are also informal get-togethers with the watchmakers: today with Andreas Strehler, Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei (Urwerk), Kari Voutilainen, Maximilian Büsser, Roger W. Smith, Sylvain Pinaud and Vianney Halter; on Saturday with the younger generation, from Alexandre Hazemann and Alexis Ramel-Sartori to Anton Suhanov, Mathieu Cleguer, Reuben Schoots and Yosuke Sekiguchi.

The pieces presented at IAMWATCH

Urwerk UR-101 Green Mamba, Ulysse Nardin Freak S Purple Enamel and Garrick S8, three of the pieces presented at the fair. © Revolution

Several watchmakers chose IAMWATCH to show new pieces. Ulysse Nardin presented the Freak S Purple Enamel here on 12 November (reference 2513-500LE-7AE-PURP/0A), a series of 50 pieces marking 25 years of the Freak. Like the other Freak S models, it has no crown, hands or dial: the hours are read on an 18-carat white gold disc, here covered in purple guilloché flinqué enamel made by Donzé Cadrans in three to four layers, each fired at around 800°C and polished by hand. The automatic calibre UN-251, with 373 components, has two silicon oscillators inclined at 20 degrees and linked by a vertical mechanical differential, and a 72-hour power reserve, with the patented Grinder automatic winding system. The titanium case measures 45 mm by 16.65 mm.

Ulysse Nardin Freak S Purple Enamel, with its purple enamel hour disc. © Ulysse Nardin

Urwerk showed the UR-101 Green Mamba, a version of the UR-101 with wandering hours: two satellites on a carousel carry the hours, which pass through a green window. The mostly closed, matte black steel case measures 41 mm, on a textured rubber strap. There are 50 pieces, at CHF 33,300 excluding taxes.

Urwerk UR-101 Green Mamba, with the wandering-hours window in green. © Urwerk

From Britain, Garrick presented the S8, a time-only watch with no dial and a new skeletonised S8 calibre, whose prototypes were made by Stuart Smith and Alex Downing. It is built to order, with some customisation; each piece is assembled by a single watchmaker over about eight weeks. Prices start at £59,500.

Garrick S8, with its skeletonised calibre on view. © Garrick

Mickaël Gaspar, aged 29, is debuting the Souscription at IAMWATCH, the first watch backed by the Ateliers Associés incubator, which the IPR reported on 5 November. The movement sits on the dial side and has a retrograde date, with a mechanism of his own design on a modified Swiss base plate and gear train; some of the components were cut in Les Brenets, and machining and finishing add up to about 250 hours. It is a numbered series of 20 pieces, at CHF 69,000 excluding VAT.

Mickaël Gaspar Souscription, with the movement and the retrograde date on the dial side. © Ateliers Associés

Franc Vila brought the FVF2 Intrepido Openwork, made for IAMWATCH and exclusive to Singapore: a 39.5 mm case with a bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds, a pared-down rose gold dial and the in-house movement, in a cognac tone, visible from both sides. Production is limited to 50 pieces across all editions.

The Hour Glass exclusive editions

Anton Suhanov Flamingo Singapore Edition, with the balance at the front. © Anton Suhanov

The Hour Glass is also showing four editions made exclusively for it. Anton Suhanov made the Flamingo Singapore Edition, in 18 pieces, with his own calibre: the balance, at the front, has three luminous inserts, five stars indicate the power reserve, in a nod to the Singapore flag, and a Merlion-shaped bridge moves its tail when the watch is wound.

Mathieu Cleguer Inspiration One, one of the six unique pieces made for The Hour Glass. © Mathieu Cleguer

Mathieu Cleguer, a prizewinner at this year's GPHG in the Complication category, made six unique pieces of the Inspiration One, numbered 1 to 6, in precious metals: Nos. 1 and 3 with grand feu champlevé enamel dials, in white gold and in yellow gold; Nos. 2 and 4 with malachite dials; Nos. 5 and 6 with malachite and emerald-set cases. Cleguer's escapement and the free-sprung balance are on view on the dial side.

Raúl Pagès RP2 The Hour Glass, with a blue mother-of-pearl central dial. © Raúl Pagès

Raúl Pagès made the RP2 The Hour Glass, in three pieces, with a blue mother-of-pearl central dial and a black nickel-plated German silver frame. The hand-wound calibre, inspired by marine chronometry, has a frosted finish instead of Côtes de Genève, polished bevels and crisp inward angles.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty Three Gold Bridges, with its green sapphire bezel. © Girard-Perregaux

The fourth is the Laureato Fifty Three Gold Bridges by Girard-Perregaux, with an integrated steel case, the Three Gold Bridges movement architecture on view and an octagonal white gold bezel set with 32 baguette-cut green sapphires.

Find out more on the organiser's website.