WHO:
Name of association or organization: National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc.
Name of convention: Mid-South Regional Meeting
Location of event: Chattanooga Convention Center
Date(s) of convention: August 30-31, 2013
Estimated attendance: 300
Economic Impact: $107,460
Website: www.nawcc.org
Open to public? Yes, events on Saturday. See schedule below.
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION:
Founded in 1943, The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc., is a nonprofit scientific organization that serves as a unique educational, cultural, and social resource for its membership and the public at large.
Members include hobbyists, students, educators, casual collectors, and professionals in related retail and manufacturing trades. The one common bond (and main membership requirement) is a fascination with the art and science of timekeeping (horology).
The NAWCC’s headquarters in Columbia, PA includes the NAWCC’s Library and Research Center, one of the largest horological libraries in the world. Housed within the National Watch and Clock Museum, the collection consists of over 30,000 books, catalogs, and periodicals dealing with all aspects of the study of time and timekeeping. Special collection material includes 231,000 American patents; postcards dealing with horological subjects; postal stamps showing timekeeping devices; ledgers and drawings from the Hamilton Watch Company; the Whitaker Westclox collection; and the personal papers of such noted horologists as Jesse Coleman, Orville Hagans, Barclay Stephens, Robert Franks, James W. Gibbs, Albert Potter, and Charles Alvah Smith.
The National Watch and Clock Museum was officially opened to the public in 1977 with fewer than 1,000 items, and since that time, the collection has increased to over 12,000 items. The museum is a journey through the history and science of time. Museum visitors experience a fun and fascinating trip into the world of timekeeping that is international in scope and covers a wide variety of clocks, watches, tools, and other time-related items. The major fraction of the collection consists of nineteenth-century American clocks and watches, with significant examples of early English tall case clocks, Asian timepieces from Japan and China, and timekeeping devices from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Russia. Chronologically, the exhibits take you on a tour through the entire history of timekeeping technology from early non-mechanical devices to today's atomic and radio-controlled clocks.
SCHEDULE FOR PUBLIC DAY: SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 9 AM-3 PM
During the Public Day, attendees will have the opportunity to experience the excitement of the MART, where there are typically 200+ tables of clocks, watches, parts, tools, books and other time-keeping materials on hand for sale to the public. This is a great place for you to add items to your personal collection, or your inventory if you are a dealer. The day will be fun with silent auctions, door prizes and the opportunity to have your timepiece valued.Cost to attend the MART is $10 per person, under 18 free. There are also several FREE events for the public – noted below.
All Functions are in Exhibit Hall B except for the Lecture at 10 am that is in Room 19.
MART open ($10)
9 am – 3 pm
Clocks, watches, parts, tools, books, etc. for sale
EXHIBIT open (FREE)
9 am – 2 pm
Exhibit Theme: “Horological Craftsmanship”
Lecture: “Surprises and Joys in Constructing My First Clock” (FREE)
10 am
Room 19. Presenter is Russ Youngs.
Antique Watch & Clock Road Show (FREE)
10:30 am – 2 pm
Free Evaluations for the Public
Exhibit Walking Tour (FREE)
11:30 am
Host is Richard Pack.