The National Watch & Clock Museum

The National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, PA, is a treasure trove of scientific and cultural knowledge. It has a collection of over 13,000 international items ranging from wristwatches and alarm clocks to monumental and atomic clocks, and a Library & Research Center with more than 30,000 books and thousands of feet of archival material. Funded in part by thousands of members of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. (NAWCC), a community of 224 chapters worldwide, this nonprofit organization’s humble origins are hard to imagine today. The Museum began as a small collection of timepieces housed in one man’s living room, and now it spans a half-city block dedicated to horological education and research.

The National Watch & Clock Museum is a must-visit destination for any watch or clock collector, enthusiast, or maker. Founded in 1977, it is the largest museum dedicated to the art, history, and science of horology in North America.

If you’re unable to stop by the Museum, check out the collections virtually by visiting nawcc.org and going to Collections/Search. The public has free access to search the Museum’s entire collection database and archives that grow daily as new information and objects are added. Not only can you search general topics or brands (e.g., “self-winding” or “Rolex”), but an advanced search feature allows for more granular inquiries.

The Museum maintains a presence on major social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to spread its mission to preserve, encourage, and stimulate interest in the art, heritage, and science of timekeeping to the public. NAWCC members have additional online access to every issue of the Watch & Clock Bulletin (published since 1944) and offers on educational courses and merchandise offered by the organization.

The Museum itself is like an orchestra: each timepiece a player, the story they tell a symphony. To highlight a few single pieces or sections cannot do the Museum justice, but here are just a few intriguing pieces at the Museum:

• The first replica of the Antikythera Device, the original of which was discovered over 100 years ago in an ancient shipwreck. This device has been the subject of public interest and intense scientific debate. It is believed to be the earliest mechanical calculator ever created and was used to predict the movement of the moon, planets, and stars.

• The Engle Clock was dubbed as the Eighth Wonder of the World and is a delight for the ears and eyes. Stephen Engle worked on his creation for 20 years, finishing around 1878. He then took it on tour throughout the United States, to the delight of audiences everywhere. At 11’ high and 8’ wide, the clock demonstrates two organ movements and 48 moving figures and movements that reveal the days and months of the year and the positions of celestial bodies.

• The pocket watch collection includes watchmaking machines from the Waltham Watch factory, a Breguet pocket watch (once owned by Napoleon’s sister and the King of Prussia), and an Adolph Lange & Söhne multi-complicated pocket watch.

• The Hamilton Watch gallery has a large display of Hamilton pocket watches, wristwatches, chronometers, desk clocks, and even the first-ever electric watch.

The National Watch & Clock Museum not only houses an amazing collection of horological objects but also tells an ongoing story—the story of time. All over the world, through time and space, we are united by it, from our most ancient ancestors puzzling at the night skies to our children tapping their phones to check the time.

The Museum has something to offer everyone—from accomplished makers to new watch and clock enthusiasts. Visit the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, PA, or online at nawcc.org to journey through time.

Content provided by NAWCC.