First Impressions NYWW26

New York Watch Week: First Impressions

Intriguing watches, familiar faces and stories that became personal. Our first day with Col&McArthur at Windup and Schwarz Etienne at WatchTime.

MARINA COELHO · OCTOBER 17, 2026

Two fairs, two clients and a first day full of conversations.

New York Watch Week is growing into its name. Between the fairs, launches, gatherings and conversations that continue long after the doors close, a week is beginning to feel rather ambitious. We may soon need a New York Watch Month.

For Sparkling PR, Friday meant moving between two clients, two fairs and two very different expressions of independent watchmaking. At Windup Watch Fair, Col&McArthur invited visitors into a world of historical references and personal connections. At WatchTime New York’s opening evening, Schwarz Etienne welcomed an audience increasingly familiar with its name, and eager to see what came next.

There was plenty to look at. The conversations were just as interesting.

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Col&McArthur | Windup Watch Fair

Intrigue brings people closer.

Before a watch was placed on a wrist, Col&McArthur’s booth was already doing its work.

The universe created by founder Sébastien Colen gave visitors an immediate sense of the brand: history, personalities and moments worth remembering, translated into watches with a remarkable number of details to discover.

People stopped. They asked questions. They leaned in.

Intriguing is the word we kept coming back to. It describes both the watches and the experience of discovering them. A recognizable reference catches the eye; Sébastien explains its significance; another detail emerges. Soon, a passing glance becomes a much longer conversation.

Our first day brought the press and watch-community encounters we had hoped for, with visits from Barbara Palumbo, Andrea Casalegno, Roger Rüegger of Dive into Watches, Jason Gong of Complecto and Emily Marsden of Secret Diary of a Watch Girl, among others.

What stayed with us was how differently each person connected with the collection.The universe created by founder Sébastien Colen gave visitors an immediate sense of the brand: history, personalities and moments worth remembering, translated into watches with a remarkable number of details to discover.

Sébastien Colen introducing visitors to the stories behind Col&McArthur.

Patriot 1776 | A Philadelphia connection

History, with a little hometown pride.

Patriot 1776 proved a particularly fitting introduction in New York. Its references to American independence invite a closer reading, from the original colonies to its historical inscriptions and the authentic Revolutionary War musket-ball material incorporated into the subdial. Each detail gives Sébastien another part of the story to explain.

For Barbara Palumbo, there was also a question of hometown representation. Drawn in by Patriot 1776, she playfully took issue with Philadelphia’s reference being less prominent than a Philadelphian might wish. The conversation quickly became a joke about a special version with Philadelphia given rather more visibility.

It was a small moment, but a revealing one. The watch had already prompted someone to look for her own connection within its story.

Normandy 1944 | When the story becomes personal

Details that carry weight.

Normandy 1944 prompted a different kind of attention. Sand from the Normandy landing beaches, dial material made from an authentic M1 military helmet and historical map references give visitors several ways into the story.

For Barbara, whose family has a military background, the connection was immediate and personal. Her enthusiasm became one of the memorable encounters of the day.

Emily Marsden brought her own deep interest in World War II history and her family’s military background to the discussion. Her exchange with Sébastien moved naturally into the research behind the watches and the events they commemorate.

These are subjects that deserve care. Behind the materials and symbols are people, families and lives lost. Listening to Sébastien explain his research, including meeting descendants of the soldier commemorated through the brand’s Armistice project, gives that responsibility a human dimension.

The attention extends beyond choosing a recognizable historical reference to understanding the people behind it. That care came through in the conversations at the booth.

Patriot 1776: an invitation to look closer and Normandy 1944: historical materials with personal resonance.

The response | Substance behind the story

A watch worth staying for.

One particularly encouraging reaction came from Jason Gong, who felt that the watches avoided the gimmicky quality commemorative pieces can sometimes acquire. He recognized a serious approach to making the watch itself, alongside the strength of its storytelling.

That distinction matters. A compelling subject can attract attention, but the object in the hand has to sustain it.

Throughout the day, we watched visitors examine the details, try on the watches and ask further questions. The stories opened the conversation; the watches gave people reasons to continue it.

Sometimes, the connection arrived unexpectedly. For Andrea Casalegno, discovering the Napoleon watch brought to mind his girlfriend’s father and his fascination with Napoleon. Suddenly, another collection had found a very specific audience.

Across different interests and backgrounds, people kept finding something familiar within the brand’s universe.

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The most memorable moments came when a watch’s story became personal.

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Schwarz Etienne | WatchTime New York

The pleasure of being recognized.

Later, at WatchTime’s opening cocktail evening, the conversations began from a different place.

Several visitors already knew Schwarz Etienne. They had seen a watch, read about the brand or encountered it elsewhere, and had come specifically to take a closer look. Alongside the pleasure of introducing the Manufacture to new people, there was the satisfaction of welcoming people back.

Working with a brand over time gives these moments particular meaning. International press work builds through repeated encounters, articles and conversations. In New York, we could see some of those connections coming together in person.

The growing familiarity was encouraging. So was the curiosity about the collection now on the table.

Familiar faces and fresh discoveries at WatchTime New York.

1902 | A collection with room to play

Deep black. A golden discovery.

The 1902 remained central to the conversations at WatchTime, with the Petite Seconde Heure Dorée offering a particularly compelling reason to look closer.

Deep black and warm gold give this edition its character. Across the textured dial, the 4N gold-toned details catch the light with a restraint that makes their presence all the more effective. It is a watch that invites you to turn your wrist, change the angle and look again.

Then comes the view through the caseback.The movement continues the same conversation: six slender bridges in anthracite tones, polished bevels and concentric circular Geneva stripes surrounding a gold-toned micro-rotor. There is plenty to appreciate on both sides, and choosing a favorite view might take a little time.

That continuity is part of the Heure Dorée’s appeal. The dial introduces an idea that the movement develops further, bringing Schwarz Etienne’s mechanical expertise into the watch’s visual identity.

The positive feedback throughout the evening reflected the curiosity surrounding the collection. We were also pleased to welcome WatchPro and catch up with Nick as the opening night gathered pace.

A golden expression of the 1902 Petite Seconde, seen in New York.

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First impressions | Two more days to go

The conversations are only beginning.

At Col&McArthur, we saw how quickly a historical reference could become personal. At Schwarz Etienne, we saw growing recognition bring people back for a closer look, with new expressions of the 1902 giving them fresh reasons to stay.

For Sparkling PR, both were rewarding to witness: introductions becoming conversations, and earlier encounters leading to new ones.

Two more days await, with more wrists, more questions and undoubtedly a few unexpected connections. New York is already giving us plenty to write about.