UBS House of Craft Inaugurates with Hodinkee in New York

In 2024, UBS launched the inaugural edition of House of Craft in New York, a global initiative celebrating excellence across disciplines from horology and haute couture to gastronomy and design. For its first chapter, UBS partnered with Hodinkee, one of the most respected voices in watch journalism, to produce a special programme dedicated to the art and culture of watchmaking. Held in the crisp October of SoHo, the event drew over 500 attendees and was open to the public by RSVP. Visionnaire was part of the team that brought it to life.

The three days were structured around the Hodinkee editorial team’s instinct for what makes watchmaking interesting to both the initiated and the curious. The space in SoHo served as exhibition, stage and social venue in equal measure, with a live illustration station where artist-in-residence Julie Kraulis rendered timepieces in graphite on paper throughout the event. A broadsheet produced for the occasion gave visitors a tangible record of the week to take away.

The programme was built around conversations that moved between the personal and the industry-wide. The panel and those in attendance sat down with actor Daniel Dae Kim, legendary industry figure Jean-Claude Biver and Audemars Piguet’s Americas CEO Ginny Wright, among others. Evening programming extended the occasion with cocktail parties centred on limited edition and independent watchmaker pieces, giving collectors the opportunity to examine and discuss watches outside the usual retail or auction context.

For UBS, House of Craft reflected a philosophy the bank has long associated with its wealth management practice—that craft, at its finest, is a form of long-term thinking. The result was an event that held both UBS and Hodinkee’s identities intact, and set a strong precedent for the editions that have followed, and would follow.

Visionnaire is a leading event management agency specialising in premium brand experiences for luxury marques including LVMH, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Porsche, Volkswagen and other global icons. Guided by a commitment to excellence, we create purpose-driven design and immersive storytelling that forge meaningful, lasting connections between brands and audiences. Our work is grounded in eco-conscious and socially responsible practices, supported by ISO 20121 Certification, a Gold EcoVadis rating, and our ongoing commitment to the United Nations Global Compact.