MrWatchMaster Meets . . .Megan Young

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Category: Fine Jewelry, Accessories
Published on Thursday, 17 August 2023 11:31
Written by MrWatchMaster

Next, we meet Megan Young, founder of The Watch Atelier, pioneer of the servicing industry and one of the most accredited watchmakers in the UK who was recently voted Watchmaker of the Year at the 2022 WatchPro Awards.

Dutch born Megan, started her career as a Watchmaker at the age of 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. She has been a trailblazer of the watch servicing industry, working for Wempe and Harrods along the way, before building the Xupes in-house workshop in 2019. Subsequently, Megan has rebranded Xupes, and set up ‘The Watch Atelier’, a state-of-the-art service centre.

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Megan was recently voted Watchmaker of the Year at the WatchPro Awards 2022. We hear Megan’s fascinating views on the watch industry and what the future holds of the servicing and repair sector.

MWM: How is business?

MY: Business is great! After a year of designing, building, and setting up our new service centre, I’m excited to finally launch The Watch Atelier! It’s been something I’ve been working on for quite some time with my team and feel we’re now in the strongest possible position to set our mark on the industry with the highest standards of service.

MWM: What are you currently working on?

MY: Having literally just launched the new company, I’m currently working on growing new relationships and partners within the industry and expanding our servicing network. We have the capability to service up to 10-15,000 watches a year in our workshop so it’s my aim to continue growing our brand and presence. I am also very passionate about giving more opportunities to young and aspiring skilled professionals in the industry, having recently sponsored the British School of Watchmaking, so am always exploring new ways to develop the education of Watchmaking. 

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MWM: Tell us something we don’t know about The Watch Atelier?

MY: At The Watch Atelier, one of our little secrets and something not many people know is that our team makes an incredible breakfast every Friday morning for the whole company, with last week’s menu being a Polish special!

MWM: Which watch do you wear?

MY: While I don’t have the biggest collection of watches, I normally rotate between my Frederique Constant or Vintage Omega. As I spend most of my working week with watches, I am lucky to be working with special timepieces daily and always prefer to wear something personal to me, which both of these watches are.

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MWM: Which watch would you like to own?

MY: A few of my favourite brands would be A. Lange & Sohne, Glashutte, F.P. Journe, Audemars Piguet and Patek Phillipe, but if I were to choose one to buy right now it would be a Real Moon Joure by Christiaan van der Klaauw (below). I have always had a great admiration for their astronomical pieces and engineering beauty and the brand has just been taken over by my good friend Pim Koeslag, who is always doing amazing things in our industry.

MWM: What do you like best about the Watch business?

MY: I am most excited about exploring new ways to set the highest standards of service in our industry, by working with some of the most talented and skilled professionals from all parts of the world. Making new relationships and partners with like-minded companies and people is key to growing any business and when I see other companies doing something innovative or different, it really excites me. As a watchmaker by trade I am also most interested and passionate about my craft and the engineering process that goes into servicing some of the most highly complex movements which is always a welcome challenge!

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MWM: What don’t you like about the Watch business?

MY: What is there not to love about our industry!? Ha! Something I am very passionate about developing and promoting further, is making our industry more appealing for skilled female professionals. There is sometimes an imbalance in certain areas of the industry which I hope to change the perception of. Another area that I am passionate about is for everyone in our industry to always work together and collaboratively, where the nature of competition sometimes holds back certain areas of growth and development for the industry. Changing the perception of pre-owned watches is something I am also very keen to improve, as the history of our industry and vintage watches is so important to understand in this day and age, especially in a developing market where trends and innovation is key.

MWM: What is next on the horizon for you?

MY: Next on the horizon would be the ambitious growth plans I have for The Watch Atelier! My focus is on taking the company to the next level and new heights to become an industry leading service centre of excellence. This may take some time to achieve, but as with anything, if you have the right ingredients, anything is possible.

Megan is a Friend of MrWatchMaster

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Bio: MrWatchMaster (MWM) presents a uniquely authoritative resource, covering news, opinion, reviews, and entertainment about the watch sector. We share our opinions and new ‘points of view’ from a range of leading watch makers, industry professionals, collectors, and other practitioners of horology. We keep you updated with the most interesting developments and provide our own take on new watches, trends, and anything else that will define the future direction of the sector. 

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Andrew Canter is the Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of MrWatchMaster and a hugely passionate horologist and collector of watches and clocks. His fascination with watches started at an early age and purchased his first watch when still at school. He is a member of the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, British Horological Institute (BHI), Antiquarian Horological Society (AHS), National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC), Horological Society of New York and RedBar Group.

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