Tad Kozh, a Award for New Talents Mixed with Artistic Crafts Limited Editions

It seems that promoting traditional watchmaking, its crafts and techniques, to protect watchmaking know-how and the women and men behind it, as well as supporting the emergence of new talents, has become quite a recurring theme these days. Don’t get us wrong, we most certainly encourage initiatives such as the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives and the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow. Today is the introduction of a new initiative by Alix and Baudouin van Es, named Tad Kozh. And this Swiss non-profit association, dedicated to preserving and passing on watchmaking expertise, has a concept of its own, a mix between an award and collaboration watches meant to fund the award and the transmission of rare know-how. 

In the words of its founders, Alix and Baudouin van Es, “Tad Kozh has a dual mission: to promote watchmaking métiers d’art and to support the emergence of new talents on their path to independence. In an industry where technical excellence is too often accompanied by silence, Tad Kozh gives a voice, a face, and recognition to the artisans who shape time.” It’s more than just selling watches as a business plan or to train young watchmakers. The two sides of the project nourish one another.

The Tad Kozh award

First is the Tad Kozh New Talent Award, a contest in which applicants, individuals aged 18 to 35, who hold a watchmaking diploma, will “submit an application outlining their professional project, as well as the finishing or machining techniques they wish to highlight in their future creations. Following an initial selection in July, finalists will be invited to Switzerland in September for a one-day practical examination: machining and finishing a component to be assessed by the jury. The final evaluation considers both technical quality and mastery of execution.” It is meant for those who aspire to become independent, while promoting machining or finishing techniques in their horological creations – watches, clocks, timepieces, or technical constructions.

The award package includes a 70 lathe and a Hauser-type jig borer, training on these machines delivered by Luc Monnet and technical and business mentorship in 2026 provided by Jean-François Mojon and Pietro Tomajer.

The jury, chaired by Marc-André Deschoux, brings together leading figures from the world of independent watchmaking, including Alexandre Ghotbi, Roy Davidoff, Guillaume Tetu, Hervé Schlüchter, Luc Monnet, and Emilien Reverchon. Applications are now open (up until July 15, 2026), with the details to be discovered at www.tadkozh.com.

Watches focused on transmission and creativity

The second side of the Tad Kozh project (a word meaning grandfather in Breton, a dialect from French Brittany) is about the creation of limited edition watches focused on metiers d’art (artisanal crafts). Seen as creative encounters, these collaborations between a watch brand and an artisan are centred on a métier d’art the brand has never previously explored. As the founders explain, “the artisan does not merely execute; he or she becomes a co-creator. After analysing the brand’s DNA, the artisan proposes creative directions. The result is a genuine four-handed collaboration, where creativity and technical mastery engage in equal dialogue.”

These limited edition watches – 2 planned per year, in batches of 5 to 10 examples – will be offered through a subscription process (something we’re quite familiar with at MONOCHROME). In addition, the buyer does not simply own a watch, but also the story behind it, as well as a responsibility in the future of young watchmakers, as the proceeds from these sales fund the Tad Kozh New Talent Award.

Two watches are planned for 2026, the first one before summer, centred around the micro-mosaic technique, the second one in September at the Geneva Watch Days 2026, focused on cloisonné enamel. A third one, for early 2027, will shed light on a technique using feathers.

For more details about the Tad Kozh initiative, its missions and how to apply for the award, please visit www.tadkozh.com.