Presenting: Watchonista’s 30 Under 30(ish) List
Today, we at Watchonista present a list of 30 people under (and sometimes people a little bit older than) 30 who, we think, are changing the face and culture of the watch world for the better.
By Watchonista
It used to be that when you thought of “watch collecting,” images of old white men smoking cigars in wood-paneled libraries came to mind. However, that’s no longer the case.
Thanks in large part to the rise of social media (we’re looking at you, Instagram), over the past ten years, there has been a tremendous movement of democratization in the world of watches. Meanwhile, simultaneously, the appeal of watches and watch collecting has extended to a new audience of consumers. For many reasons, that new audience is more imperative to the industry than ever, as this massive influx of interest and excitement has come from people who no longer fit the typical “profile” of a watch enthusiast.
Without fresh blood, hobbies and industries tend to go the way of the dodo bird. The new breed dons jeans and Jordan’s in lieu of suits and cigars. And there is nothing more important to the future of our beloved industry than doing what we can to bring our love for these mechanical marvels to new people in new places.
The 30 names on our list represent some of the best and the brightest (and youngest) currently working to break down barriers and reinvent our industry for the better – whether that was their intention or a happy by-product. So without further ado, Watchonista presents, in alphabetical order, our first-ever 30 Under 30(ish) List.
Introducing: Watchonista’s 30 Under 30(ish) List:
A ten-year veteran of watches, she helped get Watchbox off the ground in Asia and is now taking her experience to shape her own selling platform, Graal Limited.
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Having taken over the namesake company from his father, Arabov has injected a youthful edge to Jacob & Co., championing everything from brand collaborations to NFTs.
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After being gifted an Aquaracer at eleven years old, the 28-year-old Arnault has made it his mission to make TAG Heuer into a much-discussed brand filled with surprising partnerships and new celebrity ambassadors.
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A veteran of HODINKEE, Cara has long advocated that any watch is for anyone. But going beyond words, she put her money where her mouth is by founding Parchie. Her brand is focused on making watches for children (and their parents), proving that fun watches aren’t age or gender-exclusive.
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With watches in his blood, Biver is continuing the legacy via collecting. As well as having worked previously at Phillips, the sky is the limit for Pierre.
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A colleague of ours in the watch media space, Zach brought Time+Tide from “Down Under” right into our NYC backyard with all the passion we expect of somebody in the new generation.
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With an unmatched spirit, Andrea presents his personal (yet highly knowledgable) approach to horological history to the community.
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Chong is bringing his auction knowledge into an entirely new app-based buying platform for the Instagram-obsessed and tech-savvy consumer.
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One of the few, if not only Asian Canadian women in the watch space, Chow is combining her family's history in the watch industry with her love of style to make a non-gendered timepiece with an equal emphasis on fashion and function.
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At just five years of age, Chu’s mother got him his first watch, inadvertently fostering a life-long passion for timepieces. Then, when he was only 22 years old, Chu was asked to help design an 88-piece titanium Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, sold exclusively in China. Now 25 years old, Chu is the founder of Wristcheck.
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Nowadays, not many young watchmakers come directly onto the market with an eponymous brand, a handcrafted debut watch defining its universe, and a subscription-based model. But after winning the 2018 Young Talent Competition, an international contest organized by F.P.Journe and the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), it’s obvious Remy Cools is not your typical independent watchmaker.
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Working both at TimeforArt, a charity-based watch auction as well as The Swiss Institute, combining art, horology, and philanthropy is just scratching the surface of Cutter's day-to-day efforts to shine a light on young talent.
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A PR & Media Relations Manager for Dubai Watch Week, Dileep is never not working during the fair. Making all the journalists’ lives far easier, she is an indispensable part of DWW.
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As one of the first YouTubers, Jenni presents watches in a fun and accessible way – by not taking them too seriously and focusing on the joy they can bring us.
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Part-time engineering professor, full-time watch nut; Jon is dedicated to designing and creating Brew Watches to appeal to new people at an accessible price point.
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Andrea honors the horological past by making beautiful and historically inspired watches available to all at an accessible price point.
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Clara Kessi
Client Relations Manager and Auctioneer at Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo
One of the first high-profile female auctioneers, Clara has changed the face of who we expect to see behind the Rostrum – and at one of the world’s most preeminent watch auction houses.
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Despite this not being his day job, James is one of the most talented hobbyist photographers in the world of watches today. And he is as intrigued by $3,000 watches as he is by $5 million ones. His tagline? “Say No to Watch Snobbery.”
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Having joined her family at NORQAIN, Caroline is fostering new life in the company by spearheading goals of sustainability and philanthropy.
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After starting his career in dealing watches at the age of 15, Linden founded Oliver & Clarke to offer more transparency and better prices to the inflated world of vintage timepieces.
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A dedicated Patek collector since he was 15 – Zach's win of the Patek Philippe Tiffany Blue 5711 at Phillips is changing the face of who buys watches from auction houses.
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After having watched his Talking Watches on Hodinkee, we were immediately drawn to McDowald for his taste as a collector, ranging from high to low...not to mention the man is an Olympian.
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Few named have inspired such excitement in Independent Watchmaking as Rexhep who burst onto the scene just a few years ago, and already has a dedicated following for high finishing and innovative watchmaking designs.
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Founders of one of the most popular watch podcasts, Tenn and Two, Katlen is also the Retail Account Coordinator for NORQAIN watches – while Kat is a member of our talented Watchonista photography team!
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At just 24 years old, this Tokyo-born, independent watchmaker was the first Asian to win the F.P.Journe Young Talent Competition.
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A watch collector for over a decade, this Hong Kong-based financier focuses on high-complication pieces from Audemars Piguet and was even offered the very first of a reference after a factory tour.
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A graduate of the Rolex Watchmaking School at Litiz, Jose is an accomplished watchmaker who is currently the head watchmaker at Betteridge Jewelers in Greenwich, CT.
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Coming from a family of watch dealers and jewelers, Katrina has been putting a vintage watch spin on many of her custom jewelry creations – including Bucherer Rolex Spoons and Rolex Bracelet-inspired rings.
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Not many people can say Paul Revere used to work for them, but the next generation of the Walker Family is honoring their familys legacy of fine watches and jewelery to take Shreve, Crump & Low to the next generation of Brick & Mortar Retail.
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Brynn Wallner
Founder of Dimepiece
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Creator of Dimepiece, a blog merging the worlds of pop culture and watches to make horology a more inclusive place.
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