WATCHES BY THE COUNTRY

The Watchmakers of Taiwan

Where century-old shopfronts and crowdfunded upstarts share the same island for time.

Taiwan’s horological story is not one of centuries-old manufactures tucked into alpine valleys. It is a story of retail energy, enthusiast passion, and a scrappy new generation of independents. On this island, established watch retailers that have counted the decades sit comfortably beside young designers experimenting with vintage components, field-watch heritage, and modern craft. Taipei’s boutique scene keeps expanding, with dedicated concepts devoted to independent watchmaking that mirror a rising local appetite for both the great Swiss houses and homegrown small-batch labels.

What emerges is a distinct Taiwanese character: pragmatic, design-forward, and unafraid to reinterpret the past. The country’s makers tend to build around function first, whether that means a rugged field watch or a small run of carefully finished mechanicals sold straight to the people who love them. Below are three names that capture that spirit, from a long-running national favorite to boutique operations that treat every batch as a personal project.

The Makers

Elegantsis

Founded in 1999, Elegantsis is one of Taiwan’s most enduring independent watch brands and a familiar name to local collectors. Its catalog runs the full range, from quartz pieces to mechanical models, with a recognizable streak of military and field-watch influence throughout the lineup. For anyone tracing the roots of a homegrown Taiwanese watch identity, Elegantsis is a logical starting point: a brand that has been quietly building its own story for more than two decades. It presents itself proudly as a Taiwan watch maker, and its longevity speaks to a steady following on the island.

Havaan Tuvali

Based in Tainan and founded by Eric Yeh, Havaan Tuvali represents the artisanal end of Taiwan’s microbrand movement. The brand is known for small-batch watches that blend vintage parts with hand work and contemporary dial designs, an approach that has drawn attention beyond the island. As Forbes noted in its profile of the maker, Havaan Tuvali’s method is deliberately unconventional, prizing character over volume. It is the kind of operation where the personality of the founder shows up on the wrist, and where scarcity is a feature rather than a marketing tactic.

Selten Watch Company

Founded in 2017 by Leonardo Tsai, Selten Watch Company is a Taiwan-based independent that sells original mechanical watches directly to enthusiasts. Selten has used crowdfunding to bring its models to an international audience, a route that has become a signature of the modern microbrand era and one that lets a small team reach collectors far from Taipei. Tsai comes from a family with a horological background, which lends the brand a sense of continuity even as it operates with a clean, contemporary aesthetic. It is a good example of how a young Taiwanese label can punch above its size by going straight to the people who care most.

Taiwan may not carry the manufacturing legacy of Switzerland or Japan, but it offers something arguably more contemporary: a culture where retail passion and independent creativity feed each other. From Elegantsis and its long national run to the artisanal batches of Havaan Tuvali and the crowdfunded ambition of Selten, the island proves that a horological identity can be built in the present tense. Keep an eye on Taipei. The next chapter is being written in its boutiques right now.

Where to Find Them

Until the next country, keep watching.

And at Spot.Watch — that’s always worth noticing.