If you’ve been doing this whole watch collecting thing long enough, you’ve no doubt come across William Massena’s name. A noted collector, ex-auction house executive, and ex-Timezone forum moderator—among many other things—he now runs his own brand, Massena LAB, designing awesome watches with other notable watchmakers. His latest piece, dubbed “Absinthe,” is an evolution of a piece that debuted recently in collaboration with independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès. Based upon the unique Patek Philippe ref. 2458 made for famed collector J. B. Champion, Jr, it features a 38.5mm stainless steel case with a beautifully finished, hand-wound movement, caliber M690, designed by Massena and Pagès. The vertically brushed, green ombré dial—inspired by a certain “Green Fairy”—is signed “Observatory Precision” and includes a compelling add-on: Those who wish can send their watches to the HSNY Chronometer Certification Program for testing for an additional fee.
H. Moser Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition Pink Livery
franz j. venzin
And I thought IWC had long watch names—sheesh. Anyway, H. Moser’s newest creation—which we will be referring to as “Pink Livery” from now on—is a special edition celebrating the 2024 Miami Grand Prix done up in the colors of Alpine F1 and its partner BWT. The second LE in this series, the Pink Livery will be familiar in all but its color scheme to longtime Moser die-hards: Housed in a 42.3mm stainless steel cushion case with 120m of water resistance, it’s powered by the fully skeletonized, automatic HMC 811 movement with a one-minute flying tourbillon and an in-house, cylindrical hairspring. The mainplate and bridges with their anthracite coating are offset by a skeletonized, gold oscillating weight and, of course, a translucent, bright pink main dial at 12 o’clock paired to a matching rubber strap. Limited to 20 pieces, it’s easily the funkiest racing watch we’ve ever laid eyes on.
Byrne Gyro Dial Meca 36mm
Timepiece restoration expert John Byrne launched his independent watch brand in 2021 after being inspired by the set of a show at the Paris Opéra. His Gyro Dial watch faces feature four revolving cube indices that spin 90 degrees either at midnight, noon, or upon interaction with the crown—thus, a single watch can change its aspect to become four distinct watches. His newest model, the Gyro Dial Meca 36mm, offers a thinner case, a smaller diameter, and a new, hand-wound movement paired to a captivating dial that houses the brand’s signature complication. Housed in a hand-finished, tonneau-shaped Grade 5 titanium case measuring 36 mm in diameter, its crown sits safely at 12 o’clock in reference to vintage pocket watches. The rhodium-plated, “Meteorized Blue” dial features the aforementioned rotating cardinal indices, but an exposed mainplate means the wearer gets a clearer view of the watch’s inner workings. Unique and beautifully finished, the Gyro Dial Meca 36mm is a serious horological accomplishment for a company just three years old.
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