Two days of thought-provoking talks exploring how humanity measures, understands, and experiences time.
The Horological Society of New York (HSNY) announces today Chronometry Talks, a new annual symposium dedicated to exploring the history, science, craft, and future of timekeeping. Taking place December 3-4, 2026, at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, the two-day event will bring together eight distinguished speakers to examine the evolution in precision timekeeping that transformed navigation, enabled new scientific discoveries, and helped shape the modern world.
Chronometry Talks will explore the influence of timekeeping on scientific progress, technological innovation, and society. Topics will range from the invention of the pendulum clock and the race to solve the longitude problem to the golden age of American watchmaking, the evolution of industrial watchmaking alongside centuries-old traditions of independent craftsmanship, and the science behind modern time standards.
Designed for watch enthusiasts, collectors, historians, and curious minds alike, the Chronometry Talks is HSNY’s newest annual lecture series that will bring together leading voices across disciplines to examine one of humanity’s oldest and most consequential pursuits: understanding and measuring time.
“The ability to measure time accurately changed the course of history. It made navigation across oceans more precise, advanced science, and helped build the world we live in today,” said Gregory Brown, Executive Director of the Horological Society of New York. “Chronometry Talks is an opportunity to explore that story with people who have spent their lives studying, questioning, and advancing our understanding of time. We want to bring together these different perspectives, encourage conversations that expand understanding of the subject, and inspire a deeper curiosity about the role timekeeping has played in shaping our world.”
Among the featured speakers, Michael Friedman, founder of watchmaking brand Pattern Recognition and former Historian and Head of Complications at Audemars Piguet, will explore the contributions of Christiaan Huygens and John Harrison to the origins of modern chronometry. Alexander Barter, Director of Old Masters at A Collected Man and former Deputy Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s watch department with three decades of experience, will examine how both rivalry and collaboration shaped the development of the marine chronometer. Joshua Shapiro, founder of J.N. Shapiro and a leading figure in the revival of American watchmaking, will trace the golden age of American precision timekeeping. Christian Bizouard, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory whose research and international timekeeping work focus on variations in Earth’s rotation, will examine the evolution of time measurement from sundials and solar time to atomic clocks and the development of modern Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Additional speakers and lecture details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Chronometry Talks represents a further evolution of HSNY’s longstanding commitment to horological education and builds upon the direction outlined by Brown following his recent appointment as Executive Director, with a focus on expanding access to horological knowledge, strengthening connections across the industry, and creating new platforms for meaningful exchange among the people and disciplines shaping its future. Founded in 1866, the nonprofit organization has spent 160 years supporting the art and science of horology through educational programs, scholarships, grants, lectures, and the preservation of horological knowledge.
With Chronometry Talks, HSNY establishes a recurring lecture series that brings together respected historians, journalists, watchmakers, collectors, engineers, and thinkers to share their expertise and perspective to an audience of passionate enthusiasts from around the world.
Tickets for the two-day lecture series are $160 and are available at https://hs-ny.org/chronometry-talks.
CHRONOMETRY TALKS SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3
10:00 AM - Michael Friedman
Huygens, Harrison and the Interdisciplinary Origins of Modern Chronometry
Historian, designer and founder of Pattern Recognition, a horological brand combining science, history and craft, Michael Friedman previously served as Historian and Head of Complications at Audemars Piguet and Head of Watches at Christie’s New York. He will explore the groundbreaking contributions of Christiaan Huygens and John Harrison to modern precision timekeeping. From Huygens’ invention of the pendulum clock and its role in establishing horology as a scientific discipline to Harrison’s development of the H4 marine timekeeper and his solution to the longitude problem, the lecture examines how two extraordinary innovators transformed navigation, science and our understanding of time.
11:30 AM – Jack Forster
Precision: Before and after Breguet
Jack Forster, Global Editorial Director for The 1916 Company, is a longtime horological writer and historian whose work spans the history of watchmaking and the evolution of precision timekeeping. The author of thousands of articles and several books, he will examine the transformative period surrounding Abraham-Louis Breguet, when the pursuit of mechanical ingenuity and practical precision reshaped portable timekeeping. The lecture will explore how Breguet’s innovations, alongside advances in marine chronometry, helped redefine the role of mechanical watches and influence watchmaking for centuries to come.
2:00 PM - Alexander Barter
Rivals or Collaborators? Competition and Exchange in the Age of the Marine Chronometer
Alexander Barter, Director of Old Masters at A Collected Man, author of two books on watches and former Deputy Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s watch department, brings 30 years of experience researching and advising on historic timepieces. He will revisit the development of the marine chronometer through the lens of international competition and collaboration. Drawing on historical documents and surviving timepieces, the lecture explores how rivalries, shared discoveries and the exchange of techniques among leading European watchmakers helped advance precision timekeeping.
3:30 PM - Joshua Shapiro
The Golden Age of Precision American Watches
Joshua Shapiro, founder of independent American watchmaking brand J.N. Shapiro, holds a master’s degree in U.S. history and is working to revive domestic watchmaking through vertically integrated production. He will examine the rise of American watchmaking in the 1870s, when advances in mass production, interchangeable components and precision manufacturing enabled American watchmakers to challenge traditional Swiss and English methods and establish new standards for affordable, accurate timepieces.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4
10:00 AM – Tiffany To
George Daniels: The Making Of Independence
Tiffany To, Senior International Watch Specialist and Head of Sale, Watches Geneva at Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, has more than a decade of experience specializing in vintage and independent watchmaking. A licensed auctioneer and co-author of Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, she is currently curating GEORGE DANIELS 100: The Genesis of Artisanal Watchmaking, an exhibition celebrating the centenary of the watchmaker’s birth. Her lecture will examine the legacy of George Daniels and what it means to be an independent artisanal watchmaker in the post-quartz era, exploring his influence on contemporary independent watchmaking.
11:30 AM – To Be Announced
2:00 PM - Christian Bizouard
Understanding Earth’s Rotation Time, from Sundials to Extragalactic Radio Sources and the Genesis of Modern UTC
Christian Bizouard, astronomer at the Paris Observatory and Director of the Terrestrial Orientation Centre at the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, has published extensively on changes in Earth’s rotation and helps maintain the reference measurements essential to satellite navigation and global time standards. He will trace the evolution of time measurement from sundials and solar observations to the establishment of Greenwich Mean Time, atomic clocks and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The lecture will explore how modern scientific techniques, including very long baseline interferometry and observations of distant radio sources, allow scientists to monitor variations in Earth’s rotation and maintain global time standards.
3:30 PM - Danny Hillis
The 10,000-year Clock of the Long Now
Danny Hillis is an inventor, entrepreneur, and scientist who pioneered the development of parallel computing to advance artificial intelligence. He is co-founder of Applied Invention, an interdisciplinary group of engineers and scientists developing technological solutions across industries. Hillis is also the designer of the 10,000-Year Clock of the Long Now, a project conceived to encourage long-term thinking across generations. His lecture will introduce the clock’s concept and design, exploring how an instrument built to measure time over ten millennia can offer a different perspective on humanity’s relationship with time and the future.
TICKETS & INFORMATION
December 3-4, 2026
The Morgan Library & Museum, New York City, 225 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Tickets: $160; https://hs-ny.org/chronometry-talks
ABOUT THE HOROLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK
Founded in 1866, the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) is one of the oldest continuously operating horological associations in the world. Today, HSNY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the art and science of horology through education. Members are a diverse mix of watchmakers, clockmakers, executives, journalists, auctioneers, historians, salespeople and collectors, reflecting the rich nature of horology in New York City and around the world. https://hs-ny.org
