IAMWATCH is returning to Singapore with the kind of program that rewards anyone who likes their watch events a little more conversational than transactional.
The second edition, hosted by The Hour Glass at The Singapore EDITION, runs from 12 to 15 November 2026, with public days from 13 to 15 November.
Double-wristing is part of the dress code, which says plenty about the tone of the event, but the schedule itself is more serious than playful.
At a glance
- IAMWATCH 2026 returns to The Singapore EDITION from 12 to 15 November, with public days from 13 to 15 November.
- The second edition will bring together 45 makers and friends of The Hour Glass across panels, lectures, screenings, gatherings and masterclasses.
- Admission is complimentary, with registration open for attendees.
Independent watchmaking as a shared effort
The central idea running through IAMWATCH 2026 is that independence in watchmaking rarely exists in isolation.
A watch might carry the name of one maker or brand, but the reality usually involves suppliers, retailers, collectors, financiers, educators and peers.
That theme comes into focus early with “I Want to Make My Own Watch. Now What?”, a Friday panel on the practical realities of starting a watch brand.
Urban Jürgensen CEO Alex Rosenfield, Vanguart chairman and co-founder Mehmet Korutürk, Biver CEO and co-founder Pierre Biver and Massena LAB founder William Massena will join moderator Manuel Emch, CEO and creative director of Louis Erard.
The discussion is set to cover capital, suppliers, pricing and those first clients, which makes it one of the more grounded sessions on the schedule.
Another Friday conversation, “The Morteau Generation”, brings independent watchmaker Rémy Cools, Aubert & Ramel co-founder Thomas Aubert and Hazemann & Monnin co-founder Victor Monnin together with Hodinkee’s Mark Kauzlarich.
That session looks at their education in Morteau, the relationships that followed and whether the conditions that shaped this group of independents can be repeated.
Invention, design and the role of bigger groups
Saturday’s most pointed panel may be “Who Actually Invents Anything Anymore?”, a question that cuts straight into one of modern watchmaking’s favourite grey areas.
Independent watchmakers Andreas Strehler, Kari Voutilainen and Roger W. Smith will join Akrivia founder Rexhep Rexhepi, with Revolution and The Rake founder Wei Koh moderating.
The session is expected to examine where refinement ends and invention begins, and whether collectors can always tell the difference.
On Sunday, “What Should Watches Made in 2026 and Beyond Look Like?” shifts the conversation toward contemporary design.
Trilobe founder and creative director Gautier Massonneau and MING founder and chief creative Ming Thein will join Constant Kwong, Revolution’s head of partnerships, for that discussion.
The relationship between independence and scale also gets its own panel in “Does Independence Need the Groups?”
De Bethune CEO Antoine Pin, Chopard co-president and Ferdinand Berthoud president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and Ulysse Nardin managing director Matthieu Haverlan will take part, with The Hour Glass general manager for Australia and New Zealand Aymeric Lacroix moderating.
The subject is timely, because the independent sector increasingly sits close to larger houses, distribution networks and institutional support, even when creative autonomy remains central to its appeal.
George Daniels anchors the historical program
George Daniels’ centenary gives IAMWATCH 2026 one of its strongest historical threads.
On Saturday, “The George Daniels 100 Screening & Conversation” will feature a short film commissioned by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo.
Phillips senior consultant Aurel Bacs and Roger W. Smith will then join Su Jia Xian, founder of SJX Watches, for a discussion of Daniels’ life, work and legacy.
The conversation will also consider whether Daniels was the beginning of a movement or the last representative of a particular kind of watchmaker.
Smith will give two lectures during the event.
“Life & Times of George Daniels” will look at Daniels’ ideas and working methods through his creations, while “The Co-Axial – From Idea to Reality” will trace the escapement’s development into a system capable of series production.
Saturday evening’s screening of “The Watchmaker’s Apprentice” adds another angle, focusing on the relationship between Daniels and Smith.
Films, lectures, masterclasses and informal collector time
The program also includes screenings of “Man of the Hour” on Friday and Sunday.
Friday’s screening is presented with La Fabrique du Temps and will be followed by a conversation between its co-founder and master watchmaker Enrico Barbasini and Wei Koh.
Sunday’s screening follows Maximilian Büsser’s journey and the collaborations behind MB&F, after which Büsser will join Koh on stage.
The lecture program moves into areas that serious enthusiasts tend to appreciate, especially the less public figures and institutions behind precision watchmaking.
Carlos Torres, founder of The Ministry of Horological Affairs, will give two talks on precision, including one on the régleurs who adjusted chronometers for observatory competitions and another on observatories including Neuchâtel, Geneva, Kew, Hamburg and Besançon.
Andreas Strehler will examine the historical development of innovation in “Standing on Tradition”, while Rémy Cools will look at makers and technical advances in “18th & 19th Century French Precision Horology”.
For a looser format, Friday’s “The OGs” gathering in the Penthouse brings together Andreas Strehler, Kari Voutilainen, Maximilian Büsser, Roger W. Smith, Urwerk co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, Sylvain Pinaud and Vianney Halter.
Saturday’s “The Young Guns” gathering shifts attention to a newer generation, including Alexandre Hazemann, Alexis Ramel-Sartori, Gaël Petermann, Reuben Schoots and Yosuke Sekiguchi.
Collectors are encouraged to bring watches from their own collections to discuss and share, which should make these sessions feel closer to a salon than a formal stage program.
Swiss Federal Master Watchmaker Michael Dubs will also lead watchmaking masterclasses across all three public days.
Participants will work directly on a mechanical movement under his guidance and leave with the movement they worked on, along with a certificate of participation.
Each evening ends with the Sunset Social on the Outdoor Deck, with food, drinks and live music.
For an event built around makers, ideas and the networks behind them, that informal space may be just as important as the scheduled panels.
IAMWATCH 2026 takes place at The Singapore EDITION from 12 to 15 November 2026, with public days from 13 to 15 November, and admission is complimentary with registration open.
