During a whirlwind season of international watch shows, our 30 Under 30(ish) Class of 2026 (Part 1|Part 2|Part 3) is proving they are truly movers and shakers, traveling from city to city to meet members of the watch-collecting diaspora and talking about their upcoming initiatives.

We recently caught up with honorees from all over the world at the Toronto Timepiece Show to find out what’s new since we published our list.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Kenneth Lam

Watchmaker at Arken
@arkennethlam

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

One of the most popular independent dive watches amongst indie enthusiasts is the Arken Alterum. We caught up with the brand’s Birmingham, UK-based founder Kenneth Lam in Toronto in September to find out what’s new.

At the show, Lam teased a few upcoming projects (follow Arken’s Insta @arkenwatchco, and click on the post titled Parabellum to watch the teaser video). And he touted the increasing importance of these localized watch shows for microbrands.

Moreover, since microbrands don’t carry the baggage of heritage to honor, it feels like an exciting time to be an indie. We asked Lam if he agreed. “I like making things my own,” says Lam. And according to Lam, many of the brands at the Toronto show shared this spirit: “Most microbrands are innovating.”

Nor are they gatekeeping. Lam was busy talking to collectors but also other watchmakers, including fellow 30 Under 30(ish) honoree Bradley Taylor. In fact, he recently visited Taylor’s shop in Vancouver.

Check out Kenneth’s Instagram page: @arkennethlam

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Bradley Taylor

Artisanal Watchmaker
@bradleytaylor.ca

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Canadian watchmaker Bradley Taylor was also a little mysterious when we asked about his future plans. But he’s got plenty to talk about when it comes to following up on the success of his third release (and first with a completely in-house movement), the Ardea, last April.

“I can’t talk about the next one,” says Taylor. “But I can tell you that I’m taking orders for the Ardea until 2031.”

Taylor has come a long way since we first met him at a Windup Watch Fair about three years ago; he attended as a civilian but showed us an Ardea prototype. At this year’s Toronto Timepiece Show, he shared an exhibition space called the Artisanal Room with other makers of handcrafted horology, including Beauregard, J.N. Shapiro, and Grönefeld.

Taylor is also expanding his physical space, growing his 1,000-square-foot workshop in North Vancouver.

Check out Bradley’s Instagram page: @bradleytaylor.ca

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Lynn Grønefeld

Watchmaker at Grönefeld
@lynngronefeld_

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Taylor’s set up was next door to Bart and Lynn Grönefeld, who mingled with collectors and displayed the Dutch brand’s newest release, the 1941 Quadrivium.

It was a treat to meet Lynn in person and to have her walk us through this exceptional example of haute horology. The Quadrivium was engineered entirely from scratch to integrate a raised one-minute flying tourbillon at the 6 o’clock position.

Attendees were equally awestruck to meet the Grönefelds in person (I’m one of the people who waited in line to snap a souvenir picture of the pair), but Lynn also notes how excited she was to meet enthusiasts face-to-face. On her Instagram, she posted:

We are looking forward to meeting friends, collectors and fellow watch enthusiasts!

Check out Lynn’s Instagram page: @lynngronefeld_

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Tyler Worden

Founder of the Worden Watch Studio
@worden.watch

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

We first met Canadian microbrand Worden Watch Studio at the last Toronto Timepiece Show and were happy to hang out with founder Tyler Worden again.

We love Worden’s angular cases but are even bigger fans of his quirky dials. Worden walked us through his newest release, the Night Drift, whose dark blue dial is inspired by strolling at night along a path lit by streetlights.

 

 

 

If you imagine most watches as something you wear because you have places to go, people to see, and must get there on time, then the Night Drift was created to help you calm down. “It’s about the sensation of walking without direction,” says Worden.

But he also talked about doing more limited editions, such as the Night Drift Hand Painted, a one-off collaboration with nail artist Caillie. Or the now-sold-out Bubblegum version with a chain mail bracelet.

Check out Tyler’s Instagram page: @worden.watch

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Nousseïma Baraket

(special guest updated)

Founder of Buci Watches
@buci.paris.watches

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Baraket was one of our Class of 2025 honorees, and the last time we checked in with her, she hinted that her brand, Buci, would soon announce a new collection.

The collection, called Nouvelle, is ready, and Baraket brought prototypes to the Toronto Timepiece show on the first day of her new Kickstarter campaign.

Signature details include a textured dial inspired by blotting paper, calligraphic numerals (Baraket worked with a calligrapher to come up with unique typography for the Nouvelle), hands that form a fountain-pen nib once an hour when they connect, a fluted mid-case that resembles page edges when a book is closed, and a book-shaped presentation box containing a notebook.

The 36mm unisex piece is Swiss-assembled and powered by a hand-wound Sellita SW290 movement. And the story is completed by a book-shaped presentation box containing a notebook.

Baraket’s immediate plans also include plenty of travel. She followed up her trip to Toronto with a weekend in New York at Windup Watch Fair NYC.

The Nouvelle is limited to 300 individually numbered pieces and is available for pre-order on Kickstarter through November 15th, 2026.

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