Independent watchmaking is often discussed through finished watches, but IAMWATCH 2026 made a case for putting the makers themselves in the room.
On Saturday, 14 November 2026, the event turned from its Friday session with established names to a younger cohort of independents at The Singapore EDITION.
Held in the Penthouse, “GTG: The Young Guns” gave attendees a closer look at the people and ideas moving through the next chapter of the craft.
At a glance
- IAMWATCH 2026 hosted “GTG: The Young Guns” on Saturday, 14 November 2026, at The Singapore EDITION.
- The session focused on younger independent watchmakers, with an informal format designed around direct conversation.
- The line-up included Thomas Aubert, Mathieu Cleguer, Rémy Cools, Alexandre Hazemann, Gautier Massonneau, Victor Monnin, Gaël Petermann, Alexis Ramel-Sartori, Reuben Schoots, Yosuke Sekiguchi and Anton Suhanov.
A younger independent scene steps forward
The appeal of independent watchmaking has always been partly personal.
Beyond the mechanics and finishing, collectors often follow a maker’s point of view, their patience with detail and the way an idea develops from sketch to wrist.
That was the focus of IAMWATCH’s Young Guns gathering, which brought together a broad group of newer-generation makers rather than centring the conversation on a single brand or release.
The line-up featured Thomas Aubert, Mathieu Cleguer, Rémy Cools, Alexandre Hazemann, Gautier Massonneau, Victor Monnin, Gaël Petermann, Alexis Ramel-Sartori, Reuben Schoots, Yosuke Sekiguchi and Anton Suhanov.
For followers of the category, that roster reflects the international texture of contemporary independent watchmaking, where small ateliers and individual voices can attract serious attention without following the traditional brand playbook.
The importance of meeting the maker
Watches from young independents often travel first through photographs, social posts and collector discussions.
That can be enough to spark curiosity, but it rarely tells the whole story.
Meeting the maker changes the dynamic because the object becomes tied to decisions, constraints and personal obsessions that aren’t always visible in a dial-side image.
At this kind of gathering, attendees can ask about process, direction and the thinking behind current work in a way that feels more direct than a formal presentation.
For the makers, it also offers a chance to build context around pieces that may be highly technical, highly personal or simply unfamiliar to a wider audience.
An informal GTG with collector energy
The GTG format was central to the atmosphere.
Rather than framing the morning as a conventional product showcase, the session leaned into an informal setting where attendees could connect more easily with the watchmakers and with each other.
That matters in a field where trust, personality and long-term interest can be as important as specifications.
Independent watchmaking is still a relatively intimate part of the wider watch world, and gatherings like this help make its momentum more tangible.
The Singapore EDITION’s Penthouse setting also gave the session a contained, conversational character, keeping the emphasis on contact rather than spectacle.
What it says about the future of independent watchmaking
The most interesting signal from IAMWATCH’s Young Guns session wasn’t a single watch or announcement.
It was the sense that the next wave of independent makers is already building its own audience, one conversation at a time.
For collectors, the appeal lies in getting close to work while it’s still evolving.
For enthusiasts, it’s a reminder that independent watchmaking is not only about established names with waiting lists and auction results, but also about makers still defining their language.
That makes IAMWATCH 2026’s Saturday session feel less like a side programme and more like a useful snapshot of where the category is heading.
The future of independent watchmaking is often described in terms of innovation, but here it looked more human than abstract, built around makers, collectors and the conversations that connect them.
