Indies.NYC Pledges 1 Percent of Watch Sales to Schools Chosen by Makers
On 25 August 2026 WatchPro reported that Indies.NYC will launch “1% for the Next Generation” at its 15 October salon during New York Watch Week. Twenty-three independent artisans are on the roster, up from 10 at the previous edition. One percent of net proceeds from every watch sold through the platform will go to a watchmaking school chosen by the maker of that watch.
No central grant committee
There is no pooled fund that a board allocates. Each watchmaker can send the one percent to the school that trained them, a regional school, or another institution they want to support. Schools in France, Finland, and Ireland are already in the network, with more expected. The design treats education as a maker-to-school transfer rather than a branded charity.
Belgian collector Jon Cruys founded Indies.NYC in 2024. The platform scouts and selects independents instead of selling booth space. Commission is a voluntary 5 percent when a sale happens through the platform. Cruys told WatchPro that independence “has to mean something” and that the current independent market should help fund the people who will staff its benches later. Admission to the October salon is free with registration.
Who is on the 23-name list
- Alex Voss; Arturak Maev; Atelier 1776; Atelier Pieters; Bradley Taylor
- Delaloye Geneve; Dunselman Watchmaking; Garrick; Holthinrichs Watches
- Jean Khatchadourian; Kallinich Claeys; Legare Haute Horlogerie; Manteoi
- Marco Tedeschi; Mermont; Reima Koivukoski; Sarpaneva Watches; Statera
- Stéphane Pierre; TAOS; Tirello; VonKa & Berna; Zeitwinkel
The jump from 10 to 23 makers is the operational story as much as the one percent. A salon that size during New York Watch Week competes for collector hours with brand pop-ups and auction previews. Indies.NYC’s bet is that a curated independent floor plus an education levy is a clearer identity than another paid booth grid.
Skills pipeline versus parts-bin culture
Trade press has spent 2026 on a watchmaker shortage: Switzerland was long forecast to need thousands of new bench staff by this year. Indies.NYC’s one percent will not close that gap. It does attach a line item to each sale. Aftermarket builders occupy a different layer of the same skills problem. They learn casing, crystal pressing, and hand fitting without a school. A first-build order of operations is informal education; a starter toolkit is the capital outlay that a school workshop would otherwise provide.
Independent artisans on the Indies.NYC list are not assembling NH35 kits. They are selling named production at collector prices. The shared issue is who can regulate, oil, and diagnose a movement in ten years. Directing one percent of net sales to a school the maker already trusts is a small, traceable answer. Whether buyers notice the levy will show up in October invoices, not in August press.
FAQ
When does the 1% scheme start? At the Indies.NYC salon on 15 October 2026, during New York Watch Week. It applies to watches sold through the platform.
Who picks the school? The artisan who made the watch, not a central committee. Early schools named are in France, Finland, and Ireland.
How does Indies.NYC take its cut? WatchPro described a voluntary 5 percent sales commission when the platform generates a sale, separate from the 1 percent education pledge.