On October 21-22, the 2022 Time Symposium hosted by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) will honor important past collectors of clocks and watches. These great collectors, including J.P. Morgan, recognized the enduring historical, technological, cultural, and aesthetic values of horology.
No previous conference has ever focused upon these collecting stars who deserve our attention, study, and everlasting gratitude. Their collections remain preserved in museums around the world or have been dispersed but are well-documented in books, pamphlets, and auction catalogues dating back to the 18th century.
The symposium programs, also of interest to scholars and students of collecting in general, will take place in mid-town Manhattan at The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York. The landmark building also is home to the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) which joins the NAWCC in presenting the event. The closing banquet will be directly across West 44th Street at the elegant Harvard Club of New York City. Eminent speakers from America, England, and Germany have been recruited; these include well-known experts and scholars Jonathan Betts and Oliver Cooke from England. Robert C. Cheney, Executive Director and Curator of the Willard House & Clock Museum, will speak about the extensive clock collection at Old Sturbridge Village which is generously underwriting his presentation.
Special field trip and guided tour of the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ
Sunday, October 23, 2022
The James Arthur Lecture, a feature of these annual NAWCC educational conferences, will be delivered by Daryn Schnipper, long-time head of Sotheby’s international watch department. Sotheby’s is the exclusive corporate sponsor of this historic event, and many great horological collections have been gaveled in its sales rooms.
The symposium’s printed program has been expanded to more than 80 pages and includes a deeply-researched annotated and illustrated listing of more than 200 watch and clock collectors from many countries and eras. Bonus sessions and tours include pre-symposium presentations honoring the late horological illustrator and animator John Redfern, a curator-led special tour of the watch collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a post-symposium day-long field trip to the Morris Museum in nearby New Jersey that holds world-class collections of antique automata and mechanical music.
All details and registration information are at www.greathorology.com. Queries may be directed to symposium organizer Bob Frishman at bell- time@comcast.net or 978-475-5001. A limited number of free registrations are available to students and young museum professionals.