Results for Massena Lab

Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès Unveil the Noctograph, their Third Collaboration

Massena LAB has announced their latest limited edition, a third collaboration with independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès. The new Noctograph also represents the first release from Massena LAB since it was revealed that the brand would now be part of the Alternative Horological Alliance (AHA), a group founded last year by Ming, Fleming, and J.N. Shapiro (the alliance also added Fears at the same time as Massena LAB). The Noctograph, then, is a watch that celebrates independence as well as collaboration in a way that Massena LAB has been doing since the brand’s inception, and makes them a natural fit with their new AHA partners.  If you’ve followed Massena LAB since William Massena launched the project, you’ve probably gotten a sense of his taste. The brands he likes, the watches he collects, and so on. Massena LAB is essentially a vehicle for Massena and his collaborators to put a new spin on the ideas and watches that have shaped his taste over decades. Sometimes those watches are somewhat straightforward reissues of classics that are just slightly tweaked, and sometimes they are more imaginative and high concept. But they always showcase some very specific hallmarks and design cues, sharing inspiration from watches of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, and allow Massena an opportunity for storytelling and sharing watch history through a watch’s design.  So it’s interesting that one of Massena’s key partners over these past few years has been an indie watchmaker who is v...

Introducing: The Noctograph, The Third Collaboration Between Massena Lab and Independent Watchmaker Raúl Pagès

Powered by a proprietary caliber designed by Pagès, it's the most refined design yet created by this collaboration.

Introducing - The Noctograph by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès

Founded in 2018 by industry veteran William Massena, design studio Massena LAB has grown rapidly to become a burgeoning project with more than one string to its bow, ranging from accessible watches with Unimatic to high-end timepieces conceived with independent watchmakers. In the latter category, Massena LAB has worked already twice with talented watchmaker Raúl Pagès, […]

New: Massena LAB & Raúl Pagès Noctograph

Massena LAB releases the new Noctograph, a third collaboration with independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès: the watch is steel, with a vintage like sector dial.

Our Favorites from Watches & Wonders 2025

Did Watches & Wonders even happen if we don’t do a full team “Best Of” post? Hopefully, we’ll never find out. The verdict on this year’s show seems to be that it was stronger than expected, with plenty of iterative releases, but iterative releases that people generally seem to like, and want to buy (a good thing for the industry at a tricky moment, for sure). One thing that we get more sure of every year, though, is that no matter what the consensus happens to be on the show itself, there are always great watches there, and our contributors and Editorial team pick their favorites below. Zach Weiss  One of the best experiences at Watches & Wonders is simply being surprised. We often go into meetings having already read the press releases, and thus pretty much know what to expect. Well, this year I had the rare and fun opportunity to go in fairly blind to my meeting with Angelus as I simply hadn’t gone through their materials yet, and as a relatively quiet “indie” (quotes because they are technically under the umbrella of Citizen, though clearly operate independently), their watches hadn’t been splashed across my social media yet. So, with fresh eyes, I was presented this year’s main novelty, a trio of exceptional chronographs that I haven’t stopped thinking about since. In 2023, Angelus debuted the Le Fabrique collection via a collaboration with Massena LAB called the Chronographe Médical. A spiritual recreation of an archival piece, this monopusher ...

Unimatic and Massena LAB are Ready for the Artemis Missions

Space travel-themed watches tend to stir up excitement, whether a timepiece has spent actual time in space, or is just inspired by the concept. A new collaboration between Italian watchmakers Unimatic and creative horological studio Massena LAB called the U1-SPG “NASA Artemis” Limited Edition, however, is one of the few space-inspired watches that wears NASA’s signature.  As the hefty name suggests, the U1-SPG “NASA Artemis” pays tribute to the ongoing NASA Artemis campaign; the next launch is the Artemis II mission, scheduled for April 2026. As the first crewed venture to the moon since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, the Artemis campaign is understandably drumming up excitement in the scientific community and beyond.  The U1-SPG “NASA Artemis” immediately announces its presence with a 40mm stainless steel case coated in vivid orange Cerakote-an anti-corrosive and durable material used in the aerospace industry.. This particular hue of orange matches that of the SLS rocket to be used in the Artemis missions, adding a touch of authenticity to the palette choice. The mono-directional safety bezel and screw-down crown are additionally coated in charcoal-black Cerakote for a sharp contrast that is furthered by the matte black dial.  Coated with “Old Radium” Super-LumiNova, the beige hour markers, numerals, and hands-along with the old-school NASA logo above the 6 o’clock position-add to a retro-futuristic dial design that UNIMATIC foun...

Introducing: The Unimatic x Massena Lab U1-SPG "NASA Artemis" Limited Edition

The limited edition run offers a tribute to past and future spaceflight in a very orange package.

Introducing - The Unimatic x Massena LAB U1-SPG “NASA Artemis” Limited Edition

Moon exploration has been a source of inspiration for generations, back in the 1960s with the Apollo Program. Of course, things stopped in 1972, but mankind is once again on its way to step foot again on the Moon’s surface, as NASA is preparing the Artemis program. Intended to reestablish a human presence on the […]

Hands-On: The Albishorn x Massena LAB Maxigraph

Spending some time with one of my favorite releases from last year.

Massena LAB and Vulcain Introduce a Unique Alarm Equipped Diver with an Imagined History

There are niche watches, and then there are niche watches. A dive watch on its own, if you think about, is a very specific kind of thing, and in spite of their incredible popularity, we shouldn’t forget that they’re built for a highly specific purpose that almost nobody wearing one will ever participate in. A vintage inspired dive watch with an alarm that can be heard underwater is even more specific, and a dive watch with an alarm that can be heard underwater and has been designed to imagine what an example of this watch might have looked like if it existed ten years before the actual watch it’s inspired by – well, that’s about as far down the rabbit hole as most will care to go. But that’s what Massena LAB and Vulcain have cooked up for their new collaboration, and it’s one of the strangest and most charming watches of the year.  The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB can perhaps be most easily understood as a new spin on the Vulcain Nautical Cricket, which was revived last year. The watch we covered last summer was Vulcain’s attempt at bringing back a truly strange diver that takes a genuinely different approach to the very idea of “timing” a dive. The Nautical effectively brings the no-decompression table to the dial itself, and through the setting of the alarm and matching it with the dive’s depth, the diver can calculate the length of their decompression stops as they make their way to the surface. Again, truly niche, and an early example of t...

Introducing: The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB

A few new additions put a fresh spin on the classic Cricket Nautical.

Introducing - The Vulcain Nautical Legacy by Massena LAB

For its latest collaboration watch, NYC-based design studio Massena LAB is teaming up with venerable, alarm-specialist watchmaker Vulcain, bringing its own take on an emblematic model, the Cricket Nautical. This watch, which relied on the brand’s signature chiming complication, was one of the first of its kind, merging diving credentials with the alarm feature that […]

The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena Lab presents an alternate history of Cricket diving

The hulking, vintage-style Vulcain Nautical diver and its alarm function have been given a Massena Lab-flavoured makeover.The post The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena Lab presents an alternate history of Cricket diving appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

H. Moser & Cie and Massena LAB Present the Endeavour Chronograph Compax

Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie. × Massena Lab Endeavour Chronograph

H. Moser & Cie. is not the type of brand that revels in its heritage. The brand’s catalog consists of forward-focused offerings that are hardly ever sentimental in this sense. This is quite admirable as there is plenty of history to lean on, but the Schaffhausen-based company prefers to lean on its present-day prowess. Enter […] Visit Introducing: The H. Moser & Cie. × Massena Lab Endeavour Chronograph to read the full article.

Albishorn Introduces the Type 10, the Next Chapter in their “Imaginary Vintage” Thought Experiment

One of the most interesting new watches (and new brands) to surface at Geneva Watch Days this year was the Albishorn Maxigraph, made in collaboration with Massena LAB. Now, just a few months after their debut, Albishorn is back with their second effort, the Type 10. This might seem like a rapid pace for a brand to be moving at, but once you understand Albishorn’s backstory, it begins to make a little more sense. The brand is the brainchild of Sébastien Chaulmontet, a watch industry veteran who is currently Director of Innovation and Marketing at Sellita. There are probably few individuals in the watch space better positioned to make a quick start than Sébastien, and after chatting with him briefly about his brand and his plans for it at Geneva Watch Days, it’s no surprise to see the Type 10 surface now, and it will be even less of a surprise to know that Sébastien has a an even longer term release roadmap planned out well in advance. The conceit of Albishorn, you’ll likely remember, is that of a brand that creates “vintage watches that never existed.” These are not vintage reissues, or even inspired, necessarily, by actual vintage watches. Rather, the watches that will make up the Albishorn collection will exist as thought experiments, imagining parallel histories in which a watch like the Type 10 or the Maxigraph could have been designed, but weren’t. It’s a subtle but important twist on the notion of a vintage inspired watch, and one that, I think, shoul...

H. Moser & Cie. Debuts Entry-Level Chronograph with Massena Lab

Continuing with affordable complications, H. Moser & Cie.’s latest is the Endeavour Chronograph Compax, a collaboration with Massena Lab. The most affordable Moser chronograph, the new Endeavour is powered by an in-house calibre with an added chronograph module. Loosely based on Moser’s 1940s pocket watch chronographs, the Endeavour Chronograph has a “Compax” layout with twin registers, luminous Arabic numerals, and a historical Moser logo. Though the retro design is atypical for Moser, the dial and case are still in classic Moser style, with the dial sporting a “funky blue” gradient finish. Initial thoughts Vintage reissues are common but Moser does them sparingly, mostly sticking with its signature minimalist, contemporary designs. The Endeavour Chronograph is the brand’s first vintage-inspired release outside of its Heritage collection. The Endeavour Chronograph is executed well, and affordable for a Moser chronograph. It costs less than half the Streamliner chronograph that’s equipped with the innovative Agenhor calibre. Because of the entry-level pricing, h0wever, the Endeavour Chronograph is constrained in certain ways, most notably in terms of the movement. Though the base calibre is Moser’s in-house automatic, the chronograph comes via a Dubois-Depraz module. It’s still a competent technical solution, but not as sophisticated as an integrated chronograph (and an in-house integrated construction would not be CHF25,000). Vintage styling The Endeav...

The Latest Massena LAB Collaboration is a Rare Heritage Inspired Moser

If you’ve been paying any attention to H. Moser & Cie. over the last few years, one thing should be abundantly clear - the Swiss watchmaker likes to keep things simple. While they may occasionally indulge themselves with an overwhelming quantity of dial text, or acquiesce to the need for a chronograph scale, Moser has increasingly adopted a minimalist approach in their watch design, with wide open expanses of dial and invisible logos taking center stage alongside hammered enamel finishes, minute repeater strikers, and elegantly finished hands.  Today, Moser is throwing all that out, and, in partnership with Massena LAB, the brand is looking back to its history for what is, in many ways, its most traditional release in years. The Endeavour Chronograph Compax would, from anyone else, barely qualify as newsworthy. After all, what brand hasn’t dipped back into the well to create a historically-minded steel sports watch in recent years? Moser hasn’t, and that’s what makes this collaboration so interesting. Even the Heritage model, the closest the brand has come to the format, isn’t so much a recreation as a reimagination, a consideration not of how to make an old watch feel new, but a thought exercise in what H. Moser & Cie. might have made were the modern brand to find themselves in a different era. This new watch is not that. Though not a direct reproduction of any particular model, the new Endeavour Chronograph Compax is a genuine reflection on Moser’s history...

Hands-On: The H. Moser & Cie. x Massena Lab Endeavour Chronograph Compax

H. Moser and Massena release a tribute to vintage Moser chronographs.

Introducing - H. Moser & Cie. Teams Up With Massena LAB, Presenting the Endeavour Chronograph Compax

Usually, when you think about contemporary chronographs produced by independent watchmaker H. Moser & Cie, you should have the highly complex Streamliner in mind, with its innovative movement by Agenhor. But Moser is more than just its modern side, as the brand was founded in 1828 and carries a rather unknown but wide portfolio of […]

H. Moser and Massena LAB collaborate on the mid-century Moser-inspired Endeavour Chronograph Compax

The '50s-inspired chrono comes with a few expected irreverent touches.The post H. Moser and Massena LAB collaborate on the mid-century Moser-inspired Endeavour Chronograph Compax appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Albishorn debuts with the Maxigraph, a Massena LAB collaboration in regatta regalia

Buffy explores a modern sailing watch, as it would have been made back in the '30s.The post Albishorn debuts with the Maxigraph, a Massena LAB collaboration in regatta regalia appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

First Look - The Albishorn x Massena LAB Maxigraph is a Regatta Chronograph from a Newly-Created Brand

Albishorn is a new independent brand born to create “imaginary vintage” – watches that could have existed, capturing the allure of the past while exploring the possibilities of what might have been. Inspired by a “what if” spirit, the brand’s inaugural model seeks to answer the question: “What would a modern regatta chronograph have looked […]

The Latest From Massena LAB is a Collaboration with an Entirely New Brand: Albishorn

Well, it wouldn’t be Geneva Watch Days without some wild new release from Massena LAB. Last year, the well-known design house partnered with Sylvain Pinaud to offer up a take on Pinaud’s modern marvel of a chronograph. This year, they’re looking back, joining with a brand new independent watchmaker making their debut at Geneva Watch Days, Albishorn, to give us something a little different. Albishorn, as I said, is a brand new indie brand with a unique focus - creating what they call “imaginary vintage” watches that bend watchmaking history to create something a little different. Their inaugural release, produced in partnership with Massena LAB, imagines a hypothetical late 1930s regatta chronograph (or regatta timer if you prefer), inspired by Le Bol d’Or Mirabaud - the world’s largest inland lake regatta, first run in 1939 on Lac Léman. A quick glance at the new Albishorn x Massena LAB Maxigraph will leave vintage heads with a clear sense of origin. The new watch clearly pulls design language from Rolex’s iconic Zerographe chronographs, the early predecessor to now iconic watches like the Daytona. The watch’s dial layout is also reminiscent of World War II multi-scale chronographs, and the mono-pusher layout certainly invokes a vintage charm. Obviously, this is not a genuine vintage watch, and certain details of the Maxigraph betray that. The execution feels quite modern, with sharply machined elements like the stark red pusher on the case flank, mu...

Albishorn Debuts with the Maxigraph

Amongst the brands making their debut this summer is Albishorn, which has teamed up with Massena LAB for the Maxigraph, a vintage-inspired regatta timer with a proprietary movement. The Maxigraph is the first watch from Albishorn, a new brand founded by Sébastien Chaulmontet. A lawyer by training, Dr Chaulmontet pivoted to build a career in the watch industry, designing movements at La Joux-Perret and most recently, Sellita. Initial thoughts The Maxigraph is an impressive debut from Dr Chaulmontet. Though arguably similar in concept to other Massena LAB projects, the Maxigraph feels more original since it’s not anchored to any particular historical brand. The bright red chronograph pusher at nine o’clock, for example, is not something you’d see in a vintage catalogue. The polychromatic sector dial and bi-directional rotating bezel are attractive and legible, while the semi-circular countdown register and running indicator add a pleasing degree of asymmetry to the design. The asymmetry continues at night, with an unusual pattern and the use of both green and blue Super-LumiNova for the hour and minute hands, respectively. One of the most appealing characteristics of the Maxigraph is its case, which calls to mind oversized tool watches like the Longines ref. 5824 military chronograph. But unlike that 47 mm beast, the Maxigraph is a manageable 41 mm at the bezel (sloping inwards to just 39 mm at the case middle). The case thickness of 13 mm is typical for this type o...

New brand alert: Albishorn collaborates with Massena LAB for first watch - the Maxigraph

Launching today, a new brand Albishorn releases its first watch, a collaboration with Massena LAB. Introducing the new Maxigraph.

Introducing - The Absinthe Watch by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès

What started as Massena LAB’s venture to create watches in collaboration with accessible niche brands or renowned independent watchmakers has grown to another level. Now, the horological creative studio not only designs and develops watches but has gotten to the point of co-developing its own proprietary movements. First seen with the Old School watch, made […]

Massena LAB Teams Up with Raúl Pagès Once Again for the Limited Edition “Absinthe”

Massena LAB has announced a new collaboration with independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès inspired by one of the most important Patek Philippe watches of the last century. The Absinthe, which serves as the direct follow-up to the pair’s massively successful 2022 release, the Magraph, brings together a proprietary hand-wound movement, a strikingly green dial (reminiscent of the infamous spirit for which the watch is named), and all the vintage charm we have come to expect from Massena LAB in one surprisingly affordable (and highly limited) package. William Massena is one of those rare figures in the watch industry who everyone seems to know. He’s an outsized presence who seemingly manages to be everywhere at once and have a hand in every facet of the watch industry. Over the last few years though, his name has come to be associated primarily with Massena LAB, where he consistently produces some of the most talked about limited editions and collaborations on the market. This latest release follows closely on the heels of a watch introduced last month. That watch - a collaboration between Massena LAB, Pagès, and Phillips Auction House in association with Bass & Russo - debuted the M690 movement used in the Absinthe and drew inspiration in its layout from the iconic (and record-setting) 1952 Patek Philippe ref. 2458 produced for J.B. Champion, Jr.  That watch was one of only two Patek wrist watches to have been fitted with an Observatory-grade movement, and its unique d...

A New Limited Edition from Massena LAB and Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo Pays Tribute to a Classic

Phillips, along with Bacs & Russo, has recently unveiled the 1952 Observatory Dial Limited Edition. This watch was created in partnership between three industry leaders: Phillips Watches, William Massena from the horological concept studio Massena LAB, and the award-winning independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès. The result is a watch that encompasses each collaborators’ unique talents, while building a watch that melds past and present seamlessly. Drawing inspiration from the legendary Observatory-grade Patek Philippe Ref. 2458 wristwatch, originally crafted in platinum for collector Joe Ben “J.B.” Champion, Jr. in 1952, this watch pays homage to horological history. Notably, the original timepiece set a record in 2014 as the most valuable time-only wristwatch ever auctioned, solidifying its iconic status. Despite its vintage influences, the 1952 Observatory Dial Limited Edition has a distinctly modern essence. Building upon the technical foundation established by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès in 2022 with the Magraph Limited Edition, this collaboration introduces a 38.5mm × 10mm stainless steel case housing the manual-wind, proprietary caliber M690. This movement is a refinement of Massena LAB’s inaugural movement, features sub-seconds at 9 o’clock and hand-decoration (including hand finished anglage on bridges and plates) overseen by Swiss craftsmen under Pagès’ direction.  Embracing a love for vintage timepieces and the narratives surrounding them, the colla...

Introducing - The New 1952 Observatory Dial Limited Edition for Phillips by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès

Not only are the watches crafted in collaboration with William Massena and his Massena LAB well executed and exciting, but they also serve as invaluable educational tools. They ignite a curiosity to delve deeper into horological history, exploring the lives of notable figures, the evolution of brands, distinctive styles, and the captivating mechanics behind them. […]