Massena LAB creates, designs and develops timepieces with renowned watchmakers. Founded by William Massena, a noted watch collector and industry expert, Massena LAB proposes ideas or concepts to manufactures that are unusual and beyond the offerings from their collection.
PHILOSOPHY
Massena LAB exists to embody a horological culture and play an integral part in its constant evolution using elements of style from the past to enhance the future of watchmaking. It aims to create a community of informed watch enthusiasts with a passion for original timepieces from independent watchmakers. The “LAB” stands for laboratory, label, but also collaboration.
WILLIAM MASSENA
William Massena has been a passionate collector of watches from an early age. He’s an active participant in the world of horology as a collector, consultant and former auctioneer. He was a retailer with stores in Miami and New York City, and later became the Chief Operating Officer of Antiquorum in Geneva.
William discovered the watch collectors forum TimeZone in its earliest days in 1995, and has been affiliated with the website ever since, first as a moderator, and as its Managing Director from 2005 to 2020.
William spent over two decades helping TimeZone grow from a handful of watch enthusiasts to a large international audience.
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WILLIAM MASSENA
In 2014, he began the collaboration with Richard and Maria Habring to develop the TimeZone 20th Anniversary Habring² Chrono COS, ref. TZ20. The classic chronograph dial took over a year to realize, and sold out within a week of its launch in November 2015.
Thereafter, in 2016, he began the second collaboration with Richard and Maria Habring to develop the Habring² x TimeZone Jumping Seconds, ref. TZ21. The beautifully designed sector dial jumping seconds sold out in a matter of days.
In 2018, he founded Massena LAB as a creative outlet to indulge in his passion to work with some of the world’s most creative independent watchmakers to make unique timepieces of sophisticated character.
The ERWIN LAB01 was the first collaboration with HABRING² under Massena LAB. The watch was sold out within hours of its launch and in May 2019, the prototype of the ERWIN LAB01 was sold at Phillips, the famous auction house in Geneva for a record price.
In 2024, Massena LAB was awarded the Chronograph Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève for the Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB. The prize was shared between Sylvain Pinaud and William Massena.
PARTNERSHIPS
Massena LAB collaborates with some of the most creative watchmakers in the world with the mission to perpetuate the art of independent watchmaking.
