Minding my own business at Baselworld in 2017, sitting quietly in the press lounge, William (Bill to his friends) Massena sat down next to me, sighed and exclaimed, “I’ve had enough of this. I have only seen one thing that I call interesting and that’s the Urwerk EMC Sympathetique.” He had a point, but from the way he sounded, having known him as a passionate and knowledgeable collector for a decade and a half, I thought William was out of watches. He had reached the end of the road. But then, just at that juncture, a new journey was about to begin.
Early Collecting Days
Growing up in Switzerland, watches had become a natural pastime for William from the age of seven, finding them through auction catalogues, books, and meetings with other collectors and dealers. He was on a journey to acquire as much knowledge about timepieces as he could. In those early collecting days, William was interested in three categories: Rolex, Patek Philippe Calatrava, especially Ref. 96, and ex-military watches. “Before the internet,” he reminisces, “collecting was relatively easy. Watches were inexpensive and, working as a young executive in finance, I could take my pick.”
Three rare Patek Philippe Ref 96, a favourite reference of collector William Massena’s.
The World Wide Web and online forums changed everything. Knowledge was no longer to be found in publications, but from a virtual consensus across the digital ether. William had joined the newly formed TimeZone forum, allowing the watch collector community to discuss and learn from each other, compare notes, and even trade timepieces.
“It was a good time,” William reflects. “My collecting was very eclectic, and the collection changed as I sold watches and bought others.” As his acquisitions became noticed by brands – especially Patek Philippe – he started being invited to SIHH and Baselworld, which brought him into contact with independent watchmakers.
The Independent Revolution
With the turn of the millennium, independent artisans were about to have their time in the limelight. Meeting the members of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) completely altered William’s collecting: “I was not really interested in the vintage watches any more, but in timepieces made by modern artisans. It was kind of fun to have pizza or pasta with a guy who’s going to make your watch. You sit down with them, you eat, you drink, and sometimes during the dinner, you order a watch that you will receive in six months or two years.” With a wry smile, he adds, “Wait lists are a lot longer now.”
One of William Massena’s most prized waches: the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance ‘Souscription’ series, limited to 20 pieces.
As a friend of François Paul Journe, William was fortunate enough to get on the list for the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance ‘Souscription’ series (limited to 20 pieces). The other new independents who caught his eye were DeBethune founder Denis Flageollet and former IWC technical development watchmaker Richard Habring.
From Collector to Creator
Even acquisition and knowledge have their limits. “You get to a point where you’ve seen them all, and you get dazed in a certain way. I started telling watch friends what they should do, which was kind of dangerous. I didn’t want to be that guy, who thinks he knows better, but doesn’t try to be better.”
In 2016, William embarked on a journey that would change the watch industry. As part of TimeZone’s 21st anniversary, he worked with Richard Habring on a celebratory limited edition. Using William’s knowledge of vintage Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 96 and military designs, they reintroduced sector dials into modern watches. The collaboration was a sell-out.
“I didn’t want to be that guy, who thinks he knows better, but doesn’t try to be better.”
– William Massena
The second collaboration came two years later: a bronze-cased watch with a sector dial. This iteration had nothing to do with TimeZone, so the expectation was that it would take around six months to sell the series of 50 pieces. They were all spoken for within five hours. William smiles, “Now everybody is doing sector dials, but a decade ago, nobody was. I was the first and I’m very proud of it.”
Birth of Massena LAB
He had essentially instigated the age of the micro-brand: limited-edition watches designed and produced with subcontracted cases and movements through online channels. “I began to ask the brands to do stuff for me and that’s how Massena LAB started in 2018. I was like, ‘Well, nobody is doing this right now. Let’s do it.'” About the name, William adds, “It is not a brand, it’s a lab for me to experiment as a collector.”
Three of William Massena’s most celebrated collaborations: from the left, Massena LAB x Raúl Pagès Absynthe,
Massena LAB x Luca Soprana Old School and Massena LAB x Raúl Pagès Magraph.
Since the first watches, Massena LAB has steadily grown, introducing new independent watchmakers to the community. William has joined forces with Raúl Pagès, 2023-24 winner of the Louis Vuitton Prize for Independent Creatives, to produce the limited editions Magraph and Absinthe (both based on Patek Philippe dials from the 1930s); Luca Soprana; and Sylvain Pinaud, with whom he won the GPHG chronograph prize in 2024.
Watches are now his life. William no longer works in finance but divides his time between Switzerland and New York, with Massena LAB as his full-time job. The company has a full-time staff of four with approximately 18 projects in play. All the knowledge and friendships he has gained have been realised into a new type of watch brand, one built on historic and traditional designs and giving emerging talent a seat at the table.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
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