About
What FALK is
FALK is a transparent framework for describing how watches are actually created. Industry labels such as "independent", "manufacture" and "microbrand" often answer different questions while pretending to answer the same one. FALK separates those questions. It records where the intellectual and physical work occurs, how well that is documented, and only then assigns a plain-language production classification.
The unit is the exact model, reference, generation or production route, not the brand. One company can use radically different production routes across its catalog.
| MA | 3 of 5 | Movement architecture |
|---|---|---|
| MM | 0 of 5 | Movement manufacturing |
| EX | U unknown | Exterior manufacturing unknown |
| DH | 0 of 5 | Dial & hands manufacturing |
| CF | 0 of 5 | Craft & finishing |
| WE | U unknown | Watchmaking execution unknown |
| PD | 4 of 5 | Product development |
Editorial independence
There is no paid placement, no paid score improvement and no hidden sponsor weighting. Profiles are provisional research judgments and are revised when better evidence becomes available.
How AI was used
This framework and reference dataset were developed in part with the assistance of AI. AI was used to help structure the methodology, compare edge cases, organize research and draft this handbook. The system is intended to be evidence-led and open to correction: individual claims and profiles should ultimately be traceable to public sources.
Who publishes this
Publisher details will be added before launch.
Data licence
The data is published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the code under the MIT licence. Download the dataset.
Contact and corrections
Brands, watchmakers and readers can submit evidence-based corrections. An editor checks every correction against its sources, and accepted changes appear in the record's history with a change note. Send a correction
Right of reply
A brand or watchmaker described on this site can reply to any record. Send the correction form with the evidence you want considered; if the editors keep a judgment you dispute, your contradicting evidence is added to the record as a visible claim beside the score, not hidden. Profiles are editorial research judgments, not verdicts on quality, and are revised when better evidence appears.