Ateliers Associés Business Incubator for Independent Watchmaking
Ateliers Associés has launched a business incubator concept aimed at supporting independent watchmakers and emerging brands. The venture, co-founded by industry veterans William Massena and Louis Westphalen-Lemaitre, will provide business support, infrastructure, industry expertise, and connections to watchmakers in exchange for minority equity stakes.
- Initial funding of approximately CHF 1.5 million raised
- Targeting total initial funding of CHF 5 million
- Will take minority equity stakes of up to 30%
- Plans to support up to four independent watchmakers/projects per year
- First supported project is Mickaël Gaspar's Souscription watch
- Mickaël Gaspar's Souscription watch expected to have twenty pieces produced
Ateliers Associés aims to replicate the success of business incubators found in technology and specialized manufacturing sectors within the horological industry.
Investors in Ateliers Associés could include collectors, family offices, and strategic industry partners, potentially receiving priority access to watches from backed watchmakers.
The incubator will fund the first prototype for each project and provide an operational team to guide development from concept to production.
Mickaël Gaspar's Souscription watch features a unique movement with a moving dial below the movement and a retrograde date, developed over a decade.
Ateliers Associés plans to support three more projects in 2027, including a collaboration and a project conceived and produced entirely by women.
An established independent watchmaker will join each year to mentor the incubator's projects.