⏱ 1 min 30 read
Background
Independent watchmaking is attracting growing attention. Prizes such as the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize and the GPHG reveal young talent. But a prize rewards a watchmaker only once. Turning a first watch into a lasting business remains difficult for a craftsman working alone.
The key points
William Massena and Louis Westphalen-Lemaitre are launching Ateliers Associés, according to a press release published by Europa Star in November 2026. The incubator will back four new workshops every year. It funds the first prototype, takes a minority stake and supports the watchmaker through the following collections.
The incubator provides a team: technical development, industrialisation, sourcing, production, after-sales service, branding and collector relations. The watchmaker keeps the name, the designs, the calibres and control of the company. Each year, an established independent watchmaker will act as mentor, in the spirit of compagnonnage, the guild tradition.
The first partner is Mickaël Gaspar, a 29-year-old French watchmaker. His Souscription watch displays a retrograde date, with the movement on the dial side. He is finishing the pieces by hand in Les Brenets, in the canton of Neuchâtel.
Key figures
- 4 : new workshops supported each year
- 20 : numbered pieces of the Souscription, offered by subscription
- 10 years : time needed to move from a school project to series production
- 3 : further collaborations in development for 2027
What it means for businesses
- Young watchmakers : funding and a full team, without losing control of their brand
- Investors and collectors : a dedicated vehicle to fund prototypes and first series is being prepared, by introduction
What's next
- The Souscription will be unveiled on 12 November at the Iamwatch fair in Singapore
- Deliveries from the first quarter of 2027
