An independent watch brand is one that is not tied to a large luxury or watch products group.
Since the earliest days of Swiss watch production, brands have banded together into larger groups to improve efficiency, variety, and profitability and control competition. Today, most Swiss, German, French, and Japanese brands are controlled by a few large groups. The largest of these, Swatch Group, controls more than half of the market for high-end watches.
As of 2018, the following large brands remain independent
There are also many smaller eponymous brands, many associated with the AHCI.