Independent watchmakers Ming Thein, Josh Shapiro and Thomas Fleming have created what they call the Alternative Horological Alliance to pool expertise for the benefit of their three eponymous brands.
The alliance came together when the three entrepreneurs had a light bulb moment when they were attempting to create metal bracelets for versions of timepieces made from tantalum, a rarely used gunmetal grey metal that is extremely hard and scratch-resistant, but equally difficult to machine and polish.
Ming already had a design for a five-row universal bracelet in stainless steel, but making it in tantalum was proving unviable.
Mr Ming was already acquainted with Mr Shapiro, and knew of his expertise in working with alternative metals in his watchmaking.
Along with another friend, Mr Fleming, they realised they could only make tantalum work if they joined forces.
The Alternative Horological Alliance (AHA) was born, and unveiled at Geneva Watch Days yesterday along with the tantalum bracelet that all three indies can use.
AHA aims to share expertise, provide access to each others’ engineers and machinery, and lower the average cost of manufacturing for all three members, and others who may join in the future.
The three original members may even work together on business objectives like introducing clients and cracking new markets.
“We formed the AHA not only to multiply our collective strengths, but also simply because we enjoy working with each other. By pooling resources, each brand can achieve things beyond its individual constraints. For example, we might have J.N. Shapiro make cases for us or for MING to serve as an Asian reception point for future servicing for Fleming. We want to take an openly collaborative approach – for instance, the joint exhibition is a much stronger incentive for collectors to visit in us person during Geneva Watch Days than any one of our brands alone,” says Mr Thein.
The tantalum bracelet, made by J.N. Shapiro and based on a MING design, can fit watches with 21mm, 20mm and 19mm lug widths so it will work with watches from all three marques. Its end links are interchangeable so collectors owning multiple watches need not also purchase multiple bracelets.
Founders of the AHA say they would like to expand the group so that smaller independents that are unable to create watches they may have on their drawing boards because their size makes costs prohibitive.
“The idea of the AHA is not so much of an exclusive club, but rather it’s a forum for smaller, independent watch brands to support each other in our own aims and to collaborate to bring something new to market that we might not have been able to do alone,” Mr Fleming suggests.