Overlooked is your weekly horological treasure hunt — where we dig through the vaults of European Watch Company to spotlight a few quietly brilliant pieces hiding in plain sight. It’s the sleeper hit, the underdog, the “wait, how is this still available?” watch you didn’t know you needed… until now.

Independent watch brands have proliferated over the past few decades, with more and more collectors taking an interest in their unconventional designs and their ability to take creative risks. The only downside is their relative rarity, with some pieces being produced in small quantities that make it difficult to acquire some of the more unique models. We’ve found four very cool pieces from independent brands that will appeal to collectors who appreciate complications, interesting shapes, and unusual time displays.

H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Moon 18K Yellow Gold / Blue Dial

H. Moser & Cie are known for their minimalistic approach for displaying complications. They focus on creating stunning dials, beautiful cases, and expressing complicated mechanical timekeeping in an elegant form factor. This Endeavour Perpetual Moon in 18K yellow gold is a gorgeous example of this approach, with a gorgeous deep blue fume dial in a yellow gold case with gold indices and hands, and a moonphase display at the 6 o’clock position. Blink and you might miss the small AM/PM indicator in the center. In keeping with the minimalistic design approach, the power reserve indicator for the lengthy 7-day power reserve is displayed on the movement side. 

De Bethune DB27 S3 Titan Hawk Titanium Blue Dial

De Bethune has a number of distinctive design elements, one of which is their unique articulating lug design that makes their watches hug the wearer’s wrist for the perfect fit. This Titan Hawk model, released in a limited edition of only 11 pieces in 2023, features a grade 5 titanium case, an automatic in-house caliber with a 60-hour power reserve, a beautifully engraved blue dial with white Roman numeral indicators, and a partial display back allowing the wearer a peek at the escapement. In like new condition, it’s the perfect piece for someone looking for a unique design that’s also lightweight and comfortable to wear.

URWERK Hammerhead UR-202S Silver Dial LIMITED

Don’t want a typical case shape? URWERK has you covered with this Hammerhead UR-202S model with its distinctive and unusual case shape. The case is far from the only interesting thing about this watch, which also features a patented satellite complication that has telescoping minute hands that operate in the center of revolving and orbiting hour satellites, a moonphase display, and a power reserve indicator. In like new condition, it’s the conversation starter you didn’t know you needed.

Konstantin Chaykin Joker Titanium 

The most whimsical time display of the week goes to this Konstantin Chaykin Joker Limited Edition. Chaykin’s distinctive Joker design is unique in watchmaking, with the disc-based time displays showing the hours through the left eye of the Joker’s face and the minutes on the right eye, and a clever display of the moonphase as the tongue in its grinning mouth. This particular piece, with a titanium case, is part of a limited edition of 250 pieces, and features a guilloche wave pattern on the white dial as well as a bezel adorned with playing card symbols. It’s impossible not to smile back at this watch when glancing at your wrist.

These four pieces represent some of the best characteristics of independent brands - creativity, quality, craftsmanship, and a touch of whimsy. Why not have a little bit of fun while you’re glancing at your wrist to check the time?