For most of the world, September means back-to-school. For us, it is finally time to present our fifth annual 30 Under 30(ish) List.

This year’s cohort of the 30 people under (and sometimes a little bit older than) 30 who we believe are changing the face and culture of the watch world for the better includes talent from both old-school horological families and outsiders bringing fresh ideas to the canon. And each of their contributions make us super excited for the future of horology.

So, without further ado, here is our first group of 30 Under 30(ish) honorees for 2026.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Bailey Anderes

Writer & Collector
@bailey_ss02

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Anderes is a true watch collecting prodigy. He’s been collecting since he was twelve and has been sharing his passion on platforms like TikTok and Instagram since 2016. Anderes is 23 now.

My focus is on vintage and classic pieces, with a particular interest in 1980s Blancpain, vintage Breguet, and neo-vintage IWC. I gravitate toward watches that are traditional in their design but complicated in their construction

He has also turned his knowledge of jewelry, fashion, and timepieces into freelance writing gigs for Interview and High Snobiety, plus a full-time position at a public relations company.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Donovan Barnett

Journalist, Editor, & Creative Director
@donovan_alexander

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

As an editor, Berlin-based Donovan Barnett’s greatest skill is making connections: pairing writers to stories, introducing readers to watchmakers, and explaining the relationship between contemporary art and horology.

Barnett previously served as Watch Editor at High Snobiety and, most recently, as Editor-in-Chief at Super Niche.

I can break down the technical wonders of a tourbillon for the watch curious. Or make a spirited argument at a horology-adjacent dinner for why Vanguart might be the second coming of Richard Mille. But more broadly, I care about creating watch stories with a real point of view.

My calling has always been connecting watches to the larger cultural world around them through fashion, music, art, design, hospitality, and the people who give those spaces life.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Pierre Biver

CEO & Co-Founder of Biver Watches
@pierrebiver

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This year, we have several multi-generational watchmakers on our list. Most have followed different trajectories before joining the family business. That is a good thing, because they all returned to the fold with fresh perspectives. Case in point: Pierre Biver.

The son of one of the biggest names in the business, Jean-Claude Biver, joining the family business was not a foregone conclusion for Pierre. Thus, while at school, he studied many subjects. However, in 2018, after meeting Aurel Bacs in London, Pierre joined Bacs at his vintage watch shop selling second-hand watches.

Just a few years later, Pierre decided to team up with his father to build their eponymous brand, which released its first watch in 2023. As Pierre told Europa Star in 2023:

I’m now moving from vintage to pure creation. It’s wonderful. I realise that I, too, want to pass this on, to grow the Biver brand for the next 50 years with pride and humility.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Maximin Chapuis

Co-Founder of Bonniksen
@maximin_chp

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The interest in independent watchmaking has truly taken off in the last decade. For collectors, the reason for investing in the indies is clear: You can signal that you are serious about watchmaking, and you can establish a direct line with the watchmakers themselves.

On the watchmaker’s side, a desire to follow their own interests is also driving the boom. Maximin Chapuis, born and raised in Provence, France, is a prototype watchmaker and researcher with a profound passion for horological knowledge.

This year, he teamed up with entrepreneur Jason Chevrolat to launch Bonniksen, an independent watchmaking house dedicated to picking up where 19th-century horology left off, specifically exploring the carrousel – the mechanism invented by Bahne Bonniksen. This mechanism is based on a principle similar to that of the tourbillon invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet, but with no fixed wheel.

Chapuis’ design took 5,500 hours of technical research, and the watch itself will be completely hand-built.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Samuel Colchamiro

Writer & Content Producer
@samuel.colch

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Samuel Colchamiro’s watch journey is like a real-world take on the ole Patek Philippe tagline: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.” But instead of inheriting just a watch, he also got the gift of knowledge.

He became fascinated by watches after receiving an heirloom from his grandfather in 9th grade.

It sent me down the research rabbit hole, and my interest settled on dress watches from Patek, Lange, Journe, and more. By 10th grade, I was writing for Rolex in collaboration with a prominent local authorized dealer.

Next, he partnered with European Watch Company to write reviews and articles on fine timepieces. He even wrote a book in 2024: A Connoisseur’s Guide to Fine Timepieces (Assouline).

Lastly, because Colchamiro is Generation Z, he’s also good at visual media, producing YouTube videos and podcasts for Analog:Shift’s all while studying applied math and Economics at Harvard University.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Xinyan Dai

Co-Founder of Fam Al Hut
@fam_al_hut_official

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

After years of studying and working in Europe and witnessing what he calls “countless miracles in watchmaking,” Dai felt a calling to create his own independent brand: Fam Al Hut.

So, he went home to Shanghai, where he created the Möbius, a compact manual-wind watch featuring a bi-axis tourbillon and a mechanical jumping hour combined with double retrograde displays. More than a bridge between East and West, it honors the past and the future in its design.

The Fam Al Hut Mark 1 Möbius was a finalist for the 2025/26 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. It also won the prestigious Audacity Prize at the 2025 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Fabio Ferrari

Brand Manager and Co-Owner of Gagà Laboratorio
@fabioferrari96

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Watchmaking talent needs nurturing, but mentors aren’t always elders. Take, for example, Fabio Ferrari, an Italian watch industry executive and brand strategist focused on developing independent luxury watch brands.

Ferrari got his start as an intern at Squale SA in 2017 as an intern. He was quickly promoted to Marketing Manager in 2018, then appointed General Manager in 2021. Over the following years, he led the company’s commercial and strategic development, driving its international expansion and strengthening its position within the global watch industry until 2024.

In 2025, Ferrari jumped on the dive watch ship and joined Gagà Laboratorio, the independent Swiss watch brand founded by Ruben Tomella, and also became Brand Manager at Coppoletta Designs. That same year, he founded Vesta Corporate Management, a Swiss company that partners with independent watch brands to drive their strategic, commercial, and marketing development.

Rather than acting as a traditional consultancy, Vesta works alongside entrepreneurs and management teams, contributing directly to the long-term growth and value creation of the businesses it supports.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Lynn Grönefeld

Watchmaker at Grönefeld
@lynngronefeld_

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Watchmaking is literally part of Lynn Grönefeld’s DNA. The Grönefeld family has a watchmaking history spanning more than a century, founded in 1912 by Johan Grönefeld. Her father, Tim, and uncle, Bart, run the prestigious Dutch independent brand today.

But her family’s history doesn’t mean her journey was preordained.

I feel privileged to learn from my father, Bart, and my uncle, Tim, every day, but I see my development primarily as a personal journey. My background in business allows me to look beyond the workbench and understand the importance of brand identity, entrepreneurship, and long-term relationships.

At the same time, I want to find my own path within independent watchmaking and continue developing as a watchmaker with my own signature. As a young woman entering a traditionally male-dominated craft, I hope to show that passion, dedication, and craftsmanship are what truly matter – regardless of expectations or background.

She is currently training as a watchmaker at Grönefeld in Oldenzaal, the Netherlands. Her focus is on the traditional hand-finishing of movement components, including polishing, surface finishing, and anglage.

Watchmaking is a discipline that requires patience, precision, and dedication. At times, you can spend hours perfecting a single component, but it is precisely this attention to detail that ultimately makes the difference.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Tijs Grönefeld

Watchmaker & Decorateur at Grönefeld
@tijs.gronefeld

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

For Bart and Tim Grönefeld, watchmaking has always been about more than the mechanism. One of the main reasons enthusiasts love the brand is its dedication to quiet luxuries like finishing. Now, with their children joining the family business, it feels good to see the kids expanding that legacy.

Like his cousin Lynn, Tijs Grönefeld has joined the family business. This third-generation watchmaker specializes in the painstaking craft of decoration. And while Grönefeld the maison is deeply rooted in memory, place and kinship, it’s also informed by building new relationships.

Having an esteemed watchmaking family is a privilege, but Tijs doesn’t take it for granted. Recently, Tijs and Lynn traveled to Bassecourt, Switzerland, for an internship with an outside case maker to design, machine, and decorate a case from scratch.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Maxime Guenat

Managing Director of Montres Valgine

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Maxime Guenat is one of the fourth-generation Guenats working at Montres Valgine. He was only 7 when his father Dominic co-founded the Richard Mille brand, so he grew up alongside it, immersed in both the mechanics of watches and cars (he is also an accomplished driver, competing in top-tier historic racing).

Although he knew from an early age that he would one day play a role in the company, he also wanted to prove himself first. He entered the Haute École de Gestion of Neuchâtel, studying all aspects of business management. He interned at Valgine before officially joining the Richard Mille Group in September 2018.

While Guenet still embraces his youthful love of machines, he also realized that watchmaking is more than just mechanisms. He has immersed himself in just about every department of the Maison – from logistics to movement purchasing. He believes this 360° vision is essential to the company’s evolution.

To keep true to the vision, he also shares the manufacture director’s chair with his sister Cécile and Alexandre and Amanda Mille, helping define the future of the brand.