Q

What is AHCI Independent Watchmaker?

A

Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) stands for the Association of Independent Watchmakers. These are watchmakers who can directly design and manufacture the movement structure of a watch.

Not all watch makers make everything from watch parts to cases, but they may entrust parts of their designed watches to other companies or receive movements from other companies to modify and manufacture them.

These people worked hard to produce mechanical watches even when mechanical watches were under great threat due to the quartz crisis in the 1970s. In the 1980s, it was difficult for watchmakers to share information as actively as they do now, so some watchmakers formed groups to share information.

Sven Andersen, one of the founders of ACHI ©ACHI

Sven Andersen from Denmark and Vincent Calabrese from Italy join forces to promote and recruit members for the Association of Independent Watchmakers. ACHI, which received a positive response from the public by holding an independent watch event in 1985, announced its start by participating in Baselworld, the world's largest watch fair at the time, with a standalone booth in 1987.

Currently, it operates with 35 official members and 5 candidates, and famous watchmakers such as Philippe Dufour, Paul Journ, and Speak Marin are active as ACHI members.

Feb 16. 2024