New York Watch Week 2026 – Openwork Episode 98

Has It Gotten Too Big?

Openwork Episode 98 was recorded live at WatchTime New York in Gotham Hall, where Gabe Reilly and Blake Buettner of Collective Horology recap New York Watch Week 2026. They talk about how the week has grown from a mostly tri-state collector gathering into a national event, and why that tracks with the Swiss watch industry’s growing reliance on the American market while Europe stays flat and Asia slides. They also get into the downside of that growth: a Windup Watch Fair line that wrapped around a full Midtown block, and the tough choice Worn & Wound faces between keeping the fair free and open or controlling capacity with tickets.

On the watch side, Gabe and Blake cover the standout booths and releases at Windup, including Brew’s New York taxicab build-out and the taxi edition Brew Metric, Bulova’s subway car booth, first hands-on time with the Arken Alterum, Monta’s Triumph field watch, Formex’s thin micro-rotor integrated bracelet sports watch, and Marathon’s new titanium GSAR. They also recap Indies.NYC, the collector-focused independent watch show in the Flatiron District, with highlights from Holthinrichs, Sarpaneva, Marco Tedeschi, Zeitwinkel and other independent watchmakers.

Gabe and Blake also explain why Collective took a different approach to New York this year: The Independents, a media-focused event at the Jean Rousseau atelier that put Armin Strom, Czapek, Ming, Ressence and Singer Reimagined in front of journalists, celebrity stylists and content creators. They discuss why territory between watch retailers makes collector events outside your home market complicated, whether New York Watch Week needs a bigger venue like the Javits Center or should stay spread across the city, and why nywatchweek.app might be the tool that helps it scale.

Openwork is a weekly podcast about how the watch industry actually works. An unfiltered look behind the scenes — no press releases, no hype, and no sponsored takes. Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find us online at collectivehorology.com. To get in touch with suggestions, feedback or questions, email podcast@collectivehorology.com.