Bernhard Lederer, Master Watchmaker and Founder, Lederer Timepieces (Saint-Blaise,
Switzerland)

The world of escapements is absolutely captivating, as each tick and tock reveals the precision of a timepiece and the artistry of its maker. At the December 2024 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Bernhard Lederer, Master Watchmaker and Founder of Lederer Timepieces, will take the audience on a journey through the evolution of these mechanisms, from the origins of resting escapements to the revolutionary innovations of horological legends like Abraham-Louis Breguet and George Daniels. 

This lecture isn’t just for those with technical knowledge — it’s for anyone with a passion for horology eager to uncover the secrets behind the pulse of every mechanical watch. With modern advancements woven into centuries-old craftsmanship, you’ll gain a unique perspective on how these intricate systems transform watches into living legacies. 

*Doors open at 5:30 PM ET, lecture to begin at 6 PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Bernhard Lederer

Bernhard Lederer’s journey into the art of watchmaking began with a spark of curiosity, ignited in his childhood by the ticking of pocket watches passed down from his grandfather. Growing up in the heart of Germany, Lederer’s fascination with timepieces soon evolved into a lifelong quest for innovation, fueled by both reverence for tradition and a desire to break boundaries. At 17, a pivotal discovery in his local library introduced him to the intricate language of escapements, laying the foundation for a future defined by relentless exploration and technical mastery.

Lederer’s work is a tribute to horological legends, yet his creations transcend tradition. One of his greatest achievements, the Central Impulse Chronometer, is a breakthrough in watchmaking. With each creation, Lederer merges classic mastery with visionary thinking, crafting timepieces that defy expectations. A guardian of tradition and an architect of tomorrow, he transforms unseen complexities into mesmerizing simplicity, inviting collectors to witness the impossible brought to life.

Lederer’s story is one of passion, precision, and pioneering spirit, a reminder that when curiosity meets dedication, it shapes creations that redefine the possible.

Yusra Mardini, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and Oris Ambassador (Berlin, Germany)

The Paris Olympics may be over, but athletes’ stories last a lifetime. Join us for an evening with Olympian and humanitarian Yusra Mardini. Hear the incredible story of Mardini, who fled the war in Syria to Germany, made it to the Olympic Games, and is now a sustainability ambassador for Oris. Through the Yusra Mardini Foundation, she supports refugees around the world, for example with a swimming project that helps refugees return to the water, gain self-confidence, and find their place through swimming. 

As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and two-time Olympian, Mardini has a unique story of hope, purpose, and change for the better. Join Mardini at the November 2024 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), and learn how Oris approaches sustainability as a leading climate and carbon-neutral watch brand, along with their role as a maker of sustainability-focused watches that transcend just a marketing initiative and help to impact real change.

*Doors open at 5:30 PM ET, lecture to begin at 6 PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Yusra Mardini

The story of how Yusra Mardini fled civil war in Syria, a terrifying ordeal that involved extraordinary hardship, was told beautifully in her book Butterfly and the Netflix film The Swimmers. Having swum to safety as a 17-year-old refugee after the outboard motor on her small boat failed, she would realize her dream of swimming at the Olympics, qualifying for the Refugee Olympic Team at both the Rio and Tokyo Games.

At just 17 years old, she was appointed a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, the youngest in the refugee agency’s history, and in 2023, she founded the Yusra Mardini Foundation with a mission to bring hope and purpose to refugees whose stories mirrored her own. Yusra is an ambassador for Independent Swiss brand Oris Ambassador and her foundation is an Oris Sustainability Partner.

Follow Yusra on Instagram: @yusramardini

Rémi Maillat, Founder, Krayon (Neuchâtel, Switzerland)

We all depend on the sun rising and setting each day and generally know the times it does so. But determining those times with a mechanical watch is complicated. With a deep understanding of that issue, Rémi Maillat, Founder of Krayon, has invented a mechanical timepiece that can display sunrise and sunset times nearly anywhere in the world.

At the October 2024 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Maillat will offer a deep dive into the brand, unveiling the complexity behind their timepieces. Maillat will explore not only the mathematical and mechanical aspects but also the astronomical implications embedded in what appear to be simple designs. In addition, Maillat will highlight the artistic importance that remains at the heart of all Krayon creations.

*Doors open at 5:30 PM ET, lecture to begin at 6 PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Rémi Maillat

Born in 1984 to a family of scientists (his father is a microtechnology engineer, his mother an associate mathematics professor), Maillat graduated as a Micromechanical Engineer from Applied Sciences University of Le Locle in Switzerland. 

He began his horological career developing for various well-known high-end brands, including the Rotonde de Cartier Grande Complication, among others.

More than a watchmaker, Maillat has the ability to materialize mathematical calculations and transform them into fantastic watchmaking creations.

Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, (4th) Managing Director, Fears Watch Company (Bristol, UK)

What does it take to bring an old family watch brand back to life? From the planning, research and trademarking to working out how to actually make the watches, there are many aspects to consider. At the September 2024 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, (4th) Managing Director of the Fears Watch Company will discuss how three British watch companies were restarted by a member of the founding family in the past decade: Duckworth Prestex, Fears and Vertex.

*Doors open at 5:30 PM ET, lecture to begin at 6 PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

Nicholas Bowman-Scargill

Nicholas Bowman-Scargill is the (4th) Managing Director of his family's British watch company, Fears, that he restarted in 2016 after 39 years of dormancy. He works from the company’s head office in its original home city of Bristol in the western part of the UK. Alongside the dedicated team at Fears, he oversees the creation of elegant and understated watches that are hand built in England acting as a modern interpretation of what Fears made before. Nicholas has been a longtime watch enthusiast since receiving his first watch at the age of six and spending 5 years as an apprentice watchmaker at Rolex.

PLEASE NOTE JUNE’S LECTURE WILL begin at 6pm.

Jack Forster, Global Editorial Director, The 1916 Company (New York, New York)

The world of horology, of timekeeping and calendar reckoning, is based on the assumption that in the world around us, there are orders that can be reflected in watches and clocks. This includes everything from the simplest precision timekeepers, which rely on the stability of mechanical, electromechanical, and quantum oscillators, to highly complex calendars and calendar systems that reflect cycles in the physical universe, including the motion of astronomical bodies. Beginning from an examination of the simplest ideal classical oscillator – a pendulum with a massless rod, swinging in a vacuum on a frictionless bearing – this lecture will look at the gaps between ideal systems and their physical manifestations.

At the June lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Jack Forster, Global Editorial Director of The 1916 Company, will look at factors affecting the stability of oscillators and also at the behavior of longer natural cycles that determine the structure of calendars. In both cases, the great challenge is for horologists to understand that it is fundamentally and axiomatically impossible to ever duplicate the behavior of idealized systems – but the challenge is to get as close as you can. What connects the simplest and the most complex horological mechanisms, is their attempt to capture the ideal – whether an ideal oscillator or a perfectly harmonious calendar – in a mechanical form. 

*Doors open at 5:30 PM ET, lecture to begin at 6 PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

PLEASE NOTE JUNE’S LECTURE WILL begin at 6pm.

About Jack Forster

Jack Forster has been interested in watches, clocks, and the problems involved in precision timekeeping for many years. He has written for numerous publications, including The 1916 Company, Hodinkee, Forbes, Vanity Fair, and many others. He is the author of several books, including Cartier: Time Art; Accutron: From The Space Age To The Digital Age; Watches: A Guide By Hodinkee (contributor and editor); MING: The Quest For All Positions;  and an upcoming history of the first 100 years of the Citizen watch company.

PLEASE NOTE MAY’S LECTURE WILL TAKE PLACE ON WED, MAY 15.

Joseph Kirk, Brand Curator and Director of Marketing, Grand Seiko Corporation of America (New York, New York)

Grand Seiko design adopts its ethos from Japan itself, embodying elements of nature, light, and shadow, and even from architectural design to bring to life a unique sensibility in the watch industry. While Grand Seiko established its design code in 1967, the design traits of the brand have continued to evolve over time.

At the May lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Grand Seiko Brand Curator and Director of Marketing Joseph Kirk, along with special guest Junichi Kamata, Grand Seiko Design Director, will discuss how the brand has mastered its manufacturing and craftsmanship, attained through years of experience and today defined by its unique dials, Zaratsu polishing, and even movement designs that reflect the natural beauty surrounding the studios where the watches themselves are made. 

*Doors open at 6PM ET, lecture to begin at 7PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Joseph Kirk

Joseph Kirk is the Brand Curator and Director of Marketing for Grand Seiko Corporation of America. Kirk has worked in the watch industry for over 18 years, in retail, media and educational formats. His knowledge of timepieces was gained through hands-on experience and time; along with the help of many watchmakers, engineers and designers from the industry overall, as well as the brand itself.

Special Guest: Junichi Kamata, Grand Seiko Design Director. Kamata began his current role as Design Director in 2019. Finding beauty in the natural world and changing of the seasons, he and his team evoke the brand’s philosophy of “The Nature of Time.”

Malaika Crawford, Style Editor, Hodinkee (New York, New York)

Many see high-end watches as a token of forever, but view fashion as a fleeting fad. Malaika Crawford, Style Editor at Hodinkee, argues that both are fundamentally expressions of personal style. The gap between the two comes down to a dichotomy of permanence and obsolescence. But, ultimately, fashion and pop culture both do influence watch design - as well as the way we collect, consume, and wear watches.

At the March lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Crawford will explore the intersection of fashion and watches by looking at the design links between them through decades past. The use of black as a symbol of extreme modernity, or the similarities between Yves Saint Laurent and Gérald Genta, for example. In examining the parallels, we can better understand the impact and significance of fashion on the world of horology. 

*Doors open at 6PM ET, lecture to begin at 7PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Malaika Crawford

Malaika Crawford is the Style Editor at Hodinkee, focusing primarily on style-related content in hopes of broadening the watch space and converging fashion and watch audiences. Malaika is also a Wardrobe Stylist who has previously worked with celebrities such as Rihanna. Prior to her position at Hodinkee she was the Watch and Jewelry editor at Highsnobiety and Fashion Editor at Interview Magazine. Malaika co-hosts a watch and pop culture podcast called “Killing Time.”

Laurence Bodenmann, Head of Heritage at ZENITH (Le Locle, Switzerland)

History is not stationary. It is the ever-evolving result of research based on existing material, made alive by continuous questioning. This research is entrusted to ZENITH’s Heritage Department, which can take advantage of the exceptionally rich historical assets of the nearly 160-year manufacture.

At the February lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Laurence Bodenmann, Head of Heritage at ZENITH, will present a behind-the-scenes look at the brand whose collection spans over 3,000 linear feet of archives and 5,000 timepieces. Learn about ZENITH’s storied heritage, how they secured their spot in the world of watchmaking, and how they are shaping the ‘making of’ watchmaking history at large.

*Doors open at 6PM ET, lecture to begin at 7PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Laurence Bodenmann

Laurence Bodenmann is an anthropologist and historian specializing in the documentation and patrimonialization of horology and the broader evolution of objects from the 19th century onwards, approaching them from a technical, stylistic, and social point of view.

Bodenmann has curated horological exhibits and conducted scientific research on key horological collections within the Musée international d'horlogerie (Switzerland), National Watch and Clock Museum (United States), and Deutsches Uhrenmuseum (Germany) notably. Since 2015 she is the Head of ZENITH’s Heritage Department and teaches the history of objects to conservators and restorers at the Haute-Ecole Arc Graduate School in Switzerland.

Artur Akmaev, Founder of Artur Akmaev Watches (Santa Monica, CA)

Embarking on the journey of mastering the art of hand engraving is a rewarding and intricate process that requires dedication, patience, and a keen eye for detail. But how can one start practicing hand engraving and what is the process?

At the January lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Artur Akmaev, founder of his eponymous watch brand, will share his experience working with different hand-engraving styles and techniques that he has learned and applied to his watches, culminating in his recent collection complete with fully engraved dials showcasing craftsmanship at its finest.

*Doors open at 6PM ET, lecture to begin at 7PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.

About Artur Akmaev

Artur Akmaev is a Russian-born craftsman and a wristwatch designer who moved to America seven years ago. He currently resides in Santa Monica, California, working part-time for fellow HSNY alum Josh Shapiro, and runs his own business — Artur Akmaev — crafting unique timepieces using his skills of hand engraving, enameling, and high-end finishing.

At a very early age, Akmaev’s parents exposed him to museums and art galleries and bought him books with images of art pieces from a wide range of cultural eras. By the time he started middle school, Akmaev exhibited a strong ability to paint and draw with decorative stencils. After a few tryouts, he was invited to join an evening school for the Arts, and though attending two schools at once could feel overwhelming at times, immersion in the disciplines of sculpturing, painting, architecture, and art history was very exciting.

Years later, Akmaev went to a college of Arts and Crafts named after Carl Fabergé where he took jewelry design and fabrication classes. In the final year of college, he arrived at the discipline of fine hand engraving using very traditional sets of tools, some of which Akmaev learned to make from scratch.

After college, Akmaev continued his education at the University of Applied Arts in Moscow and took a part-time job at the local watch repair shop — his introduction to movements and the operations of basic cleaning and restoration. On occasion, the shop had high-end watches with hand engraving and it was there that Akmaev became fascinated by the meticulous engraving and how it influenced the design.

This was a huge inspiration to bring his skills to the level where Akmaev would start his eponymous brand, designing with engraving movements and fabricating original dials and hands.