
From a discreet atelier above Lake Neuchâtel, in the shadow of Vaumarcus Castle, Luca Soprana and his team at SMA design, restore and build mechanical movements — for leading maisons, and for watches signed under his own name.
Born in Valdagno, Italy on 20 August 1974, Luca Soprana is the fourth generation of a family steeped in horological tradition. His grandfather Roberto was his first teacher, with young Luca spending childhood hours observing in the family workshop — not allowed to touch, only to watch and absorb the craft.
Despite his family's encouragement to pursue a more conventional path, he studied economics and business at the University of Bologna, where he balanced rigorous coursework with exposure to philosophy and the city's vibrant intellectual culture.

At twenty-six, Luca relocated to Switzerland to study at WOSTEP — training alongside Kari Voutilainen under Stephen McDonald. In 2002, he became WOSTEP's first Italian instructor.
His career trajectory took him through major Swiss manufactures: Vulcain, Vianney Halter (on the TRIO and Janvier N°1), and BNB Concept — where he headed the prototyping workshop for the Concord Tourbillon Gravity. But Soprana discovered he wasn't built for corporate employment. He treated every project as his own enterprise — an approach incompatible with traditional Swiss hierarchies.
That independent spirit led him to establish Atelier SMA near Vaumarcus Castle above Lake Neuchâtel. The workshop has become the invisible backbone for some of watchmaking's most intriguing pieces over the past decade, executing confidential projects for prestigious brands while maintaining a collaborative philosophy rooted in humility.
His publicly acknowledged work includes the Jacob & Co. Astronomia series, the Massena LAB Old School, and — most notably — completing Derek Pratt's legacy with the remontoir d'égalité wristwatch.

At SMA, every watch begins with the movement and the architecture of timekeeping — not with marketing, not with surface decoration.
The majority of components are manufactured in-house using traditional methods. Wheels, pinions, hands and even hairsprings are shaped, counted and finished by hand to allow total control over performance and aesthetics. This approach enables SMA to work on highly demanding projects — remontoir-equipped pieces inspired by Derek Pratt, complex collaborative creations like Nagoma, and the refined simplicity of the Soprana Time Only — all executed to the same uncompromising technical standard.
« Real human relationships are more important than marketing. The finishes are extreme — never in demonstration. »
Visually, Soprana's watches embody a less is more philosophy that hides mechanical complexity behind calm, balanced dials and classically proportioned cases. Sector layouts, restrained colour palettes, and traditional details such as blued steel hands and carefully engraved movements are chosen to express precision, legibility and longevity — not fleeting trends.
In everything SMA produces — whether for private clients, partner brands, or Soprana's own signatures — the goal is the same: quietly radical mechanical watches that respect history while pushing craft forward, piece by piece, entirely on human terms.

Fluent in Italian, French and English, Luca's character combines technical mastery with irony, self-awareness and empathy — traits that distinguish him in an industry often marked by formality.
His unexpected fame in Japan, where he became the subject of a manga series about the Astronomia collaboration, reflects the global reach of his craftsmanship despite his preference for working behind the scenes. A quiet, deeply considered practice — for collectors who understand what sits behind the watch.