Horological Meandering

First, I'd like to mention that these certifications (indpendant or not) are not a major creteria for me. I know the watch I'm looking out, I study them and I know if they are of high quality standard or not, enough to make a selection.

But, I would also like to have an independant certification, as long as:

a. it concerns many brands (and not 1 or 3 or just from one group etc ...)

b. it is independant

a. Too many different certificate for different brands. Each brand his own I could say.

A brand that creates its own stamp of a group that is asking for its own one through a "seemingly" independant organism is not fair enough. We are not idiots. This is good for communication but not enough for watch amators who seek a true independant judge.

b. Todays certifications doesn't seem to be independant or are depending on some brands that come to fetch them to certify their products. Thus (as financial analysts like S&P, Moodies etc ...) they are paid by their clients.

Further more, brands ask for a certification for selected watches, hence they can take one model only if they want and get this certificate to make publicity from it. This is not an overall process and that troubles me as it doesn't mean the rest of the collections are worthy as such.

I have particularly one example in mind of a 1-brand-certificate which is not satisfactory at all as of course it is not independant and it is biased as it is also the crafter but I won't mention it as it is not the place and it is my own opinion from what I could handle.

Just to take an example, even the Geneva stamp is something made and agreed by the Swiss industry. It's fair enough as it is their industrial heritage, an strong sector of their economy and they are right to defend it as much as they can. But it is not a completly independant stamp either.