Sébastian Vivas, Heritage and Museum Director at Audemars Piguet (Le Brassus, Switzerland)

Founded in 1875, Audemars Piguet has a rich and complex history, with many chapters yet to be explored.

Sébastian Vivas, who has been director of the Audemars Piguet Museum since 2012, will explain how the small Heritage team organizes, enriches, and studies the brand's archives and historical collections. Some research reveals surprises that require a thorough review.

What is the genesis of the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet? What are the main principles behind restoration? What guides the brand’s purchase strategy at auctions? Who is behind the major anniversary exhibitions?

At the March 2026 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Vivas will take you behind the scenes of a brand that is as historic as it is dynamic, where the Heritage Department is responsible for publications such as “The Watch – Stories and Savoir Faire”, and the AP Chronicles collectors' platform.

Due to limited seating, tickets will be released according to this schedule:

Gold Members...............February 24 (3 PM ET)
Silver Members..............February 25 (3 PM ET)
Bronze Members............February 26 (3 PM ET)
General Public................February 27 (3 PM ET)

*A dedicated email with a unique code will be sent to each membership tier. Limit two (2) RSVPs per member.*

*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 Sébastian Vivas

In 2001, Sébastian Vivas obtained his Master’s in Modern History at the University of Neuchâtel. He went on to publish the history of the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, a study awarded by the Fritz Kunz prize. From 2001 to 2012, Vivas served as Heritage Manager at Jaeger-LeCoultre, where he contributed to several exhibitions, publications and to the creation of the in-house museum, named the Heritage Gallery, inaugurated in 2007. 

Since 2012, he has acted as Heritage & Museum Director at Audemars Piguet, where he oversees the study, structuring, preservation and communication of the brand’s heritage. He is assisted in this mission by a diverse team, which includes restoration watchmakers, historians and archivists.

Among his notable contributions, Vivas directed the book “The Watch” published for the 150th anniversary of the company. He also directed and co-authored the book “Audemars Piguet 20th Century Complicated Wristwatches,” published in 2018, and the web platform APChronicles, launched in 2022. He also managed the project of the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet, which opened its doors in 2020, and continues to curate its permanent and temporary exhibitions. Lastly, he has curated a variety of exhibitions for the brand, among which are “Beyond Watchmaking” (Shanghai 2016, Tokyo 2019) and “The House of Wonders” (Shanghai 2025, Dubai 2025).

Kari Voutilainen, Administrator, The Voutilainen Workshop (Saint-Sulpice, Switzerland)

Since 2002, the Voutilainen workshop’s evolution and its founder’s philosophy have been expressed through refined and robust in-house mechanisms, high-level finishing, distinctive cases, and hand-guilloché dials. This in-depth journey, presented by independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, highlights his workshop’s most exclusive timepieces, shaped by a unique blend of Finnish and Swiss influences, and showcasing mastery across complications such as minute repeaters, tourbillons, and emblematic in-house calibers, like the VINGT-8.

At the February 2026 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), discover the extraordinary hand-guilloché savoir-faire history through the Brodbeck Guillochage center of excellence, housed in the historic watchmaking school of Fleurier in Switzerland, where tradition and métiers d’art come together. Explore this unique heritage that inspires the creation of exceptional works of art, elevating every detail into a luminous expression of precision, mastery, and refined artistry.

Due to limited seating, tickets will be released according to this schedule:

Gold Members...............January 22 (12 PM ET)
Silver Members..............January 23 (12 PM ET)
Bronze Members............January 26 (12 PM ET)
General Public................January 27 (12 PM ET)

*A dedicated email with a unique code will be sent to each membership tier. Limit two (2) RSVPs per member.*

*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 Kari Voutilainen

Born in Finland in 1962, Kari Voutilainen has been passionate about horology for over 40 years. Independent since 2002, he creates timepieces that embody his philosophy with refined and robust in-house mechanisms, high-level finishing, stylish cases and hand-guilloché dials, a signature of his meticulous savoir-faire. His unique approach, blending Finnish and Swiss cultures, has given him a special place in the world of horology. 

From minute-repeaters, tourbillons to repurposing vintage, new-old-stock movements and in-house mechanisms, Kari Voutilainen has mastered a wide range of expertise. His exceptional skill in these areas has justly elevated him to the esteemed status he enjoys today. Only in this way can the Voutilainen masterpieces, based on solid technical foundations and featuring timeless classical design, be passed from generation to generation as the inheritance of a time-honoured and proudly maintained tradition.

Suzanne Dirks, Artist and Educator (New York, New York)

We walk past public clocks every day — on street corners, above doorways, and high on towers — often without noticing them. Yet these clocks once played a central role in organizing city life, offering shared reference points in a place shaped by schedules, movement, and collective rhythms.

At the January 2026 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), artist and educator Suzanne Dirks asks a deceptively simple question: Do public clocks still organize how we move through New York City, or have they begun to fade into the background? Through the history of public timekeeping, stories of clocks saved and restored through community action, and close observation of clusters of clocks across different neighborhoods, Dirks will explore what these timepieces help keep alive — shared time, civic care, and moments of connection in an ever-changing city.

*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 Suzanne Dirks

Suzanne Dirks is a New York City–based artist and educator whose work centers on time, memory, and the urban landscape. A West Village native, she is the founder of @NewYorkCityClocks, an ongoing project documenting public clocks across the five boroughs. With a background in fiber arts and early childhood education, her interdisciplinary practice blends historical research, photography, and lived observation to explore how public timekeeping shapes shared public life.