With WatchTime New York only days away, taking place October 22 to 24 at Manhattan?s Gotham Hall, excitement is building, especially for some of the watchmakers making their debut at the event. Among these is Massena LAB, the horological creative studio founded in 2018, which will be presenting one of its latest timepieces, the vintage-chronograph-inspired Uni-Racer. Here’s a glance at the new watch.

To many aficionados, the look of the Uni-Racer is instantly appealing, drawing its design drawn from some of the most interesting historical chronographs and sporting an aesthetic which is at once both modern and retro. Among its most significant influences is the Universal Genève Uni-Compax, a now cult-classic timepiece produced for two short years starting in 1963, which has come to be known as the ?Big Eye? for its oversized right subdial and unusual asymmetrical style. Like that genre-defying vintage model, the modern Uni-Racer remixes the source material and adds some of signature twists for something uniquely its own.
The Uni-Racer is, importantly, Massena LAB?s first non-collaborative timepiece; since its 2018 founding it has publicly partnered with other designers and watchmakers for each previous release, with the ?LAB? in the brand?s name standing for both “laboratory” and “collaboration.” This solo release is a watershed moment in the young brand’s development, while also still hinting at its collaborative inclinatio...