Ateliers Associés Launches a Watchmaking Incubator
Ateliers Associés has launched a Swiss watchmaking incubator intended to support four independent watchmakers each year. Announced on November 4, the venture brings together William Massena and Louis Westphalen-Lemaitre. Its first partner is French watchmaker Mickaël Gaspar, whose first wristwatch is scheduled for presentation in Singapore on November 12.
Funding and a shared operating team
The incubator finances a first prototype and supplies support across technical development, suppliers, production and after-sales service. Its team also handles branding, press, pricing and relationships with collectors. The arrangement is designed to continue into subsequent collections.
Ateliers Associés takes a minority stake in the companies it helps establish. The watchmaker retains control, along with the name, designs and calibers. An established independent watchmaker is to join each year as a mentor.
Massena told Hodinkee that the founders and an initial group of investors had contributed approximately CHF1.5 million. He described a funding target of about CHF5 million and minority holdings of up to 30 percent.
A first project from Les Brenets
Gaspar trained in Morteau and developed his watch from an earlier school project. The Souscription places its movement on the dial side and incorporates a retrograde date. Its planned first series comprises twenty pieces, each numbered on the dial.
The presentation is scheduled for the private view of IAMWATCH in Singapore. Gaspar works in Les Brenets, Switzerland.
Massena founded Massena LAB in 2018 and has worked with independent makers including Sylvain Pinaud and Raúl Pagès. Westphalen-Lemaitre led the relaunches of Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth for LVMH. The incubator’s published plans for 2027 include an all-women atelier and a collaboration with a creator from outside watchmaking.
Launch details
- Founders: William Massena and Louis Westphalen-Lemaitre.
- Program: Four new independent watchmakers per year, with continuing support.
- First partner: Mickaël Gaspar; watch presentation scheduled for November 12, 2026.
Sources: Ateliers Associés, official website; WatchPro, November 4, 2026; Hodinkee, November 5, 2026.
