Where Are They Now: Five Recent Releases from Watchonista’s 30 Under 30(ish) Honorees

When we look back at the watch industry in twenty years’ time, we are confident that what future enthusiasts will note is the creativity and conviction of the young watchmakers of this era (and hopefully not all the turmoil).

But why wait two decades to show our appreciation? Today, we’re bringing you an update on our class of 2025 30 Under 30(ish) honorees (and one honoree from our 2024 list) and their most recent projects.

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How do you separate the art from the artists? Well, if you are a fan of French watchmaker Nousseïma Baraket, you can’t. Her passion for poetry informs her horological creations.

But Baraket is no lonely poet working in isolation in a garret. Collaboration continues to be the secret of her success. She has worked with Romaric André (a.k.a. seconde/seconde/) in the past and, most recently, teamed up with Revolution Watch Arabia to release a limited-edition timepiece featuring the Garde-Temps automatic movement.
 

The watch is personal (Baraket left her job at the Arab World Institute to start her brand, Buci Paris, in 2016) and poetic. The green leather strap is embossed with “ﻻ ﺗﺷﻐل اﻟﺑﺎل ﺑﻣﺎﺿﻰ اﻟزﻣﺎن” – which is a timeless verse by Omar Khayyam that translates to, “Do not occupy your mind with the past.”

As for the future of Buci, Baraket plans to debut a new collection this April.

Check out Nousseïma’s Instagram page: @buci.paris.watches

Being in the right place at the right time is luck. Being able to run with an opportunity is a skill. Since Watchonista first profiled the watchmaking duo behind German maison Petermann Bédat, classic three-handed watches have seen a resurgence in demand.

After two strong releases showing the pair’s technical ability – the Reference 1967, which featured the in-house caliber 171 movement with dead-beat seconds, and the Reference 2941 monopusher split-seconds chronograph with a jumping minute counter – the brand released the Reference 1825 in October 2025.
 

That’s three watches in less than eight years, each with a completely new movement but with a cohesive aesthetic. In this case, the Reference 1825’s clean and classic look has also attracted a whole new audience for independent watchmaking.

Check out the brand’s Instagram page: @petermann_bedat

Based in Hong Kong, Tsai started his microbrand, Selten, in 2017 as a playground to explore creative thinking, unique materials, and a fresh approach to making and marketing timepieces. By travelling to watch fairs around the world, Selten has also built a devoted following amongst the watch collecting community.

Selten’s most successful launch, the Jui, was born from a collaboration with Hong Kong's watch enthusiast club Watch Ho & Co., and this month, the brands are back with a remix – the Jui 聚 Bauhinia.
 

The 2026 edition features two distinct mother-of-pearl dials – pink and purple – inspired by the Bauhinia flower. The dials are engraved using CNC machining to create the brand’s signature mountain pattern, a design first introduced in the original Jui. Both versions of this unisex beauty are limited to just 200 pieces worldwide, making them absolute catnip to collectors.

Check out Leonard’s Instagram page: @seltenwatch

British watch designer Magnus Swann spent a year working with Studio Underd0g as part of his work experience toward his Product Design degree. And what an experience he had! He contributed to projects like the Pizza-Party, Project Passi0n with H. Moser, and The Gimlet before returning to university for his final-year coursework.

At the same time, Swann designed his own watch (the Versailles) and brand (Anemoic (pronounced an-uh-moy-ik) from scratch.

And demand for this example of haute horology got hotter in December with the release of the Chronomètre Artisans SBCA Steel. The white gold dial of this new watch features a texture called “Aurora Waves,” which has an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) coating that, depending on how the light hits it, shifts from deep green to a passionate purple. And speaking of light, the dial track and the HyCeram inserts on the hands and case have all been super-duper lumed.
 

This new limited watch is also the first-ever stainless-steel version of the Chronomètre Artisans, giving it a slightly sportier feel and making it feel like a watch anybody – not just Chalamet – would want to wear.

Check out Simon’s Instagram page: @simon_brette_watches