Time+Tide is turning its global Watch Discovery Studios into something closer to a live album launch for independent watchmaking.
FounderFest, scheduled for 19 and 20 September 2026, will run simultaneously in Melbourne, London and New York, with founders, collectors, live music and a suite of collaborative watches at the centre of the programme.
The concept feels well suited to a watch scene that has become more conversational, more founder-led and far less dependent on traditional trade-fair rituals.
At a glance
- Time+Tide will debut FounderFest across its Melbourne, London and New York Watch Discovery Studios on 19 and 20 September 2026.
- The event includes seven collaborative Studio Editions shaped by music, founder stories and independent watchmaking culture.
- A limited online order window opens worldwide on 22 September 2026 before the watches become exclusives of Time+Tide’s three studios.
A festival format built around founders
FounderFest is framed less like a conventional exhibition and more like a cultural gathering for the independent watch community.
Instead of rows of booths, the programme will lean on presentations, interviews, live performances and discussions, putting the people behind the brands in front of collectors.
New York will act as the live headquarters for the event, while London and Melbourne will host their own launch events and concerts.
The full programme will also be streamed online, extending the format beyond the three physical studios.
That structure reflects Time+Tide’s evolution from an Australian watch publication into a retail and community platform with a presence in three major collecting cities.
Music cues across the Studio Editions
The collaborative watches have been developed with independent brands and take their cues from the music, memories and visual references that have shaped their founders.
Baltic’s Heures du Monde “Horizon Line” is the travel-minded piece of the group, using a forged-carbon dial and coloured accents for London, Melbourne and New York on its world-time display.
Awake brings its dial craft to the Son Mài Frosted Leaf “Ultraviolet”, layering natural lacquer, silver leaf and purple pigments for a surface that can shift from deep black to vivid violet.
Furlan Marri’s “Songlines” continues the brand’s relationship with Time+Tide through a warm chocolate lacquer dial, a steel bracelet and a hunter-style caseback over a sapphire display back.
Serica takes a quieter path with the Ref. 7505 “Sunburst”, giving its compact field-watch silhouette a two-tone brown enamel dial inspired by tobacco sunburst finishes on vintage guitars.
Beaucroft’s “The Punk” is the deliberately louder proposition, pairing a black PVD-coated case with a translucent pink sapphire dial and matching pink sapphire display back.
echo/neutra’s Rivanera Piccolo “Rosa d’Epoca” is the smallest mechanical watch detailed so far, using a 26mm grade 5 titanium case with antique-rose accents on a restrained grey dial.
The wider FounderFest lineup includes seven collaborative watches in total, with the mechanical pieces spanning world time, dress-adjacent daily wear, compact sports design and more expressive modern casework.
Details & Specifications
| Model | Baltic Heures du Monde “Horizon Line” |
|---|---|
| Case | 37mm x 11mm x 45mm stainless steel |
| Dial | Forged carbon with blue and orange city accents |
| Movement | Soprod C125 automatic with GMT and world-time display |
| Power reserve | Approximately 42 hours |
| Water resistance | 100m |
| Strap | Marine Nationale style elastic strap |
| Price | EUR 1,450 excluding VAT |
| Model | Awake Son Mài Frosted Leaf “Ultraviolet” |
| Case | 38mm x 11.5mm x 44.75mm stainless steel |
| Dial | Vietnamese Sơn Mài lacquer with silver leaf and purple pigments |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret G101 automatic |
| Power reserve | Approximately 68 hours |
| Water resistance | 100m |
| Strap | Jean Rousseau Alcantara strap |
| Price | EUR 2,400 excluding VAT |
| Model | Furlan Marri “Songlines” |
| Case | 39mm x 12mm x 47mm stainless steel |
| Dial | Lacquered chocolate dial with grained and circular brushing |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret G100 automatic |
| Power reserve | Approximately 68 hours |
| Water resistance | 100m |
| Bracelet and strap | Steel bracelet plus leather strap |
| Price | EUR 2,000 excluding VAT |
| Model | Serica Ref. 7505 “Sunburst” |
| Case | 35mm x 9.6mm x 41.5mm stainless steel |
| Dial | Two-tone brown sunburst enamel |
| Movement | Chronometer-certified Soprod M100 automatic |
| Power reserve | Approximately 42 hours |
| Water resistance | 200m |
| Bracelet | Bonklip bracelet |
| Price | EUR 1,190 excluding VAT |
| Model | Beaucroft “The Punk” |
| Case | 38mm x 10.3mm x 43.5mm black PVD-coated stainless steel |
| Dial | Pink sapphire |
| Movement | Miyota 90S5 automatic |
| Power reserve | Approximately 42 hours |
| Water resistance | 100m |
| Strap | Black FKM rubber strap |
| Price | EUR 645 excluding VAT |
| Model | echo/neutra Rivanera Piccolo “Rosa d’Epoca” |
| Case | 26mm grade 5 titanium |
| Dial | Grey with antique-rose accents |
| Movement | Sellita SW100 automatic |
| Strap | Suede strap with antique-rose stitching |
How the FounderFest watches will be sold
The FounderFest Studio Editions will be offered worldwide through a limited online order window beginning 22 September 2026.
After that window closes, the watches are set to become permanent exclusives of Time+Tide’s Watch Discovery Studios in Melbourne, London and New York.
That split between global online access and physical studio exclusivity is a smart match for the project, giving distant collectors a chance to participate while keeping the watches tied to the spaces that inspired the event.
For collectors who follow young independents, FounderFest looks less like a simple product drop and more like a snapshot of where enthusiast-led watch culture is heading.
