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One of the most buzzed about launches of this year’s Geneva Watch Days is a project shared between J.N. Shapiro, Ming, and Fleming. These are three of the most well liked indies in recent memory, each occupying a distinct niche in the community. J.N. Shapiro is a brand that embodies the spirit of classical watchmaking, but based in the United States with goals (mostly reached) of being a completely self-sufficient high-end American brand that does everything the old-fashioned way. Ming is a brand that we’ve covered frequently in these pages. They’ve emerged from a Kickstarter-like model to become one of the most creative indies around, capable of producing compelling and creative pieces at both the consumer level and a much higher haute horlogerie space. Fleming is the upstart, seemingly borrowing the best ideas from Shapiro and Ming and twisting them into something all their own.
These brands have been teasing an announcement at Geneva Watch Days fairly incessantly for several weeks now, and speculation as to the nature of the project reached a fever pitch in the days leading up the big reveal. While you could certainly be forgiven for expecting a new watch release, Ming, Shapiro, and Fleming have something perhaps more ambitious in mind: an alliance of like minded independent brands. Dubbed the Alternative Horological Alliance, this new venture promises to make each brand better with a larger focus on promoting independent watchmaking beyond “established, conventional standards.”
The idea here is a pooling of resources. Each of these brands has exceptional skills in particular areas, but they might not be the same areas from brand to brand. Examples of possible points of collaboration in the press release announcing the formation of the Alliance included J.N. Shapiro fabricating cases for other alliance members, or Ming taking on the responsibilities of servicing Fleming watches sold in Asia.
This kind of thinking obviously comes out of partnerships that are already well established. In other words, the people behind these brands already like and respect one another, collect each other’s watches, and have been support systems when needed as each brand grew, and continues to grow. But it doesn’t stop at Ming, Fleming, and J.N. Shapiro. The idea behind the Alliance is that it can grow, and new brands can be added when it’s clear that there’s a shared philosophy at work.
The first tangible product to come out of the Alliance is a new tantalum bracelet made by J.N. Shapiro and based on Ming designs. A total of three versions will be available in 21mm (with curved endlinks) and 20mm (with curved or straight endlinks) lug widths. The bracelet can be worn with watches from all three brands, and the end links are interchangeable, so if you own multiple watches that will take the bracelet, there’s no need to purchase multiples.
Horological Alliances, of course, are nothing new. At their best, they foster real collaboration and can help brands gain access to materials, techniques, and technology that they otherwise might not be able to employ on their own. This particular partnership makes a lot of sense given the brands involved, and it will be exciting to see what comes of it in the future, and when and if new brands are added to the roster. If you’re a fan of the current state of independent watchmaking, this will be a project to keep an eye on.
