If you’re a watch enthusiast, you’ll be familiar with the drill. Try buying one of the most coveted watches – an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, a Patek Philippe Nautilus or a Rolex Daytona, for instance – and chances are you’ll end up on a waiting list longer than the queue at Yo-Chi.The recent frenzy over the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop collection only reinforced the point: Demand for sought-after watches shows little sign of abating, even amid a broader luxury slowdown.But speak to seasoned collectors and a different picture emerges. For those who already own the usual grail watches, the names highest on their watchlist – pun intended – may not be the ones splashed across Orchard Road billboards, but tiny independent manufactures, some producing just 10 to 12 watches a year.These aren’t microbrands chasing Kickstarter fame, either. Many command six-figure prices and years-long waiting lists, with followings that can border on the cult-like. There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of them – it’s all very insider, very IYKYK – which, for some collectors, is precisely the appeal.Consider this your cheat sheet to seven independent watchmakers worth knowing. Whether you want to venture deeper into this arcane world or simply keep up with that watch nerd in the office who won’t stop talking about his latest weekend discovery, a little horological knowledge can’t hurt.Akrivia: The wunderkind of independent watchmaking