For 157 years, members of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) have listened to the tick-tock, tick-tock of clocks. Founded in 1866, the HSNY is one of the oldest operating horological associations in the world dedicated to the study and measurement of time. Since 2018, the society has been housed in the General Society Building on “Club Row,” a strip of Manhattan so named for its high concentration of clubs such as the Harvard Club, New York Yacht Club, and others. On November 28th, you can go inside the HSNY library and classrooms on an exclusive tour with Untapped New York Insiders!
Photo Courtesy of the Horological Society of New York
On this tour, we’ll explore the recently completed research library, see historic workbenches in the classrooms, and examine artifacts from the current exhibit, Pocket Genius: The Watch Collection of Alex Ku.
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The HSNY’s current exhibit, Pocket Genius: The Watch Collection of Alex Ku, “explores the evolution of timepieces ranging from time-only pocket watches to inventive escapements, gem-encrusted cases, and highly complicated pieces.” Visitors to the exhibit will see how the use of pocket watches changed throughout time, from their practical use in navigation to their use as ornate status symbols and intricate works of art.
Early genius: this silver champlevé dial with an engraved gilt edge in a silver and tortoiseshell case was made by Daniel Quare in 1690. A similar Quare pocket watch with a tortoise case was in the collection of J.P. Morgan and can now be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image credit: HSNY
Highlights of the exhibit include a dumb quarter-repeating jump-hour pocket watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet, a co-axial escapement by Charles Fasoldt, complicated timepieces like Louis Chanson’s skeletonized perpetual calendar with a lunar indicator, and enameled masterpieces by Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co.
The more than 50 timepieces on display are on loan from Alex Ku, a California-based watch aficionado. They represent eras from the 1690s to the 1990s and are the work of some of the world’s most prominent watchmakers. You can see each piece in detail inside the exhibit’s fully illustrated catalog, available for purchase in HSNY’s shop. Proceeds from the sales go towards meeting HSNY’s mission of advancing the art and science of horology.
Photo Courtesy of the Horological Society of New York
In addition to rotating exhibits, the HSNY hosts classes taught by professional watchmakers. Working at new state-of-the-art desks alongside historic workbenches that once belonged to watchmakers like Henry B. Fried (1907-1996), “the dean of American watchmakers,” students can learn about mechanical watch movement, watchmaking tools, terminology, and more. The accompanying library, one of the largest and most comprehensive horological libraries in the world, houses an extensive collection of rare and important texts related to the field.
You can visit Pocket Genius Monday through Friday from 10AM to 5PM. Admission is free and it will be on view until December 2023. Join Untapped New York Insiders for an in-depth look at the exhibit, as well as a tour of the library and classrooms, on our upcoming tour of HSNY on November 28th!
