A Chat with William Massena

Unpolished Watches

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A Chat with William Massena

The industry legend on collecting, indies, and a whole lot more, including his new collab with watchmaker Vianney Halter.

Tony Traina

Aug 26, 2025

Transcript

This week, I’m joined by William Massena. Over 30+ years, William has worn just about every hat in the industry: He was an early pioneer of online forums as a moderator on TimeZone, served as managing director at Antiquorum during the auction house’s heyday, and has long been a collector with an appreciation for both vintage and contemporary indies. In 2018, William founded Massena LAB, a creative studio for collaborations. His latest collab with Vianney Halter called the Old Soul uses vintage Minerva movements.

We talk about what William’s collecting nowadays, the early days of watches on the internet, what’s changed most, whether there are too many brands, where Journe takes a sh*t, how to love watches and not brands, and then get into his latest collab with Vianney Halter (photos below).

Thanks to William for joining. Learn more at Massena Lab.

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