Business News: Ateliers Associés Brings The Business Incubator Concept To Independent Watchmaking

Ateliers Associés is a new venture that offers business support, infrastructure, industry know-how and contacts to independent watchmakers and young brands. William Massena and Louis Westphalen-Lemaitre founded it, and the venture has raised about CHF 1.5 million so far with a plan to reach about CHF 5 million. It will take minority equity stakes of up to 30% and support as many as four projects per year. The first project is French watchmaker Mickaël Gaspar's Souscription, a watch with a unique movement and a retrograde date, with around twenty pieces planned. Massena presents the model as a way to build the next generation of independent watchmaking businesses.