TheHorological Society of New York (HSNY) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the art and science ofhorology.[1]
The Horological Society of New York was founded on March 26, 1866, and is one of the oldest horological societies in the world.[2][3] A group of German immigrants including George Schmidt and Frederick Ruoff founded the group as theDeutscher Uhrmacher Verein, or German Watchmakers Society, with all meetings and business conducted in that language.[4] As aguild for working watchmakers, it offered life insurance and training to members.[4]
The Society switched to using English around the time ofWorld War I to accommodate a more diverse membership, and was renamed the Horological Society of New York in 1930.[5][4] After a high point in membership followingWorld War II, the Society declined during thequartz crisis in the 1970s and 1980s.[4]
In recent years, as mechanical watches have once again increased in popularity, the Society has expanded and now includes members from all over the world.[5] It became a501(c)(3) organization and serves watch collectors, hobbyists, and researchers interested in horology, as well as watchmakers and watchmaking students.[4] It is an affiliate chapter of theAmerican Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI).[6]
The Society moved to its premises on “Club Row” in midtown Manhattan in 2018, where other private clubs include theHarvard Club of New York City and theNew York Yacht Club.[7] It is located in theGeneral Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen Building, a New York City Landmark.
In the 1930s, the Society began publishing a newsletter,The Horologist's Loupe, which is still distributed digitally as of November 2025. The Society holds monthly lectures on various topics related to watchmaking and horology.[4]
The Society offers watchmaking classes in a classroom at the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen Building on West 44th Street.[1] Working watchmakers teach classes to the public on evenings and weekends.[4]
Every year, HSNY offers financial aid to watchmaking students and institutions in the U.S.[2] By funding living and other expenses for watchmaking students, HSNY aims to address the current shortage of watchmakers in the country.[8] HSNY hosts an annual gala and a separate charity auction to raise money for its scholarship program.[9][10]
In October 2022, HSNY opened theJost Bürgi Research Library, containing over 25,000 items related to time and timekeeping.[1] While HSNY has possessed a small collection of books since its origin, the vast majority of the material in the present collection was donated by collector Fortunat Mueller-Maerki, a former chairman of theNational Clock and Watch Library.[1][11] The HSNY library includes periodicals, ephemera and rare books dating back to 1652.[2] It is named afterJost Bürgi, a Swiss clockmaker, astronomer and mathematician.[2] It is open to the public and also hosts rotating exhibits.[12]
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