NAWCC NewsWelcome to the NAWCC Newsroom. Below you will find all current year news releases.
Please visit the Newsroom Archives to view other years: 2009 / 2008 / 2007
February 2, 2010
Contact Name: Kim Craven - Communications Dept.
Phone: (717) 684-8261 - E-mail:
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ADVANCED HAIRSPRING REPAIR COURSE
COLUMBIA, PA: The NAWCC School of Horology will offer, “Advanced Hairspring Repair for the Watch Industry” May 24 -28. This course will focus on the repair and manipulation of damaged and misaligned hairsprings, as follows:
Triage for cost-effective repairs
Round & Flat
Repairs in the watch
Repairs with balance complete
Repairs off the balance
Repair at collet in and out of the watch
Repair of Collins curve along with Z-Bend (crinkled hairsprings)
Repair of Breguet overcoil
Spiral helix or stacked
Tangles
Required tools and items include:
Two pair of #3C tweezers
One pair of #5 tweezers
One pair of #2 tweezers
Optional tool:
A hairspring holder Bergeon part #30105
Book: Bench Practices for Watch and Clockmakers by Henry B. Fried
The cost for this 5-day course is $699 with an additional $100 lab fee. To register for this course, contact Katie Knaub, the Director of Education at 717-684-8261, ext. 237, or email her at
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January 19, 2010
Contact Name: Kim Craven - Communications Dept.
Phone: (717) 684-8261 - E-mail:
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WHAT’S THAT OLD CLOCK WORTH?
COLUMBIA, PA: Whether you’re a professional or a hobbyist, with “lots of time on your hands,” there’s now a clock course to help you identify and discover the history and value of your treasured timepieces.
The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors has responded to the vital need for trained horological consultants in the appraisal field by offering a second in-depth 40-hour Clock Appraisal Course on April 12-17 at NAWCC headquarters, 514 Poplar Street, Columbia, PA. Students will be will introduced to the identification of clock types, key characteristics, and components; the role of construction and materials in the proper identification of clocks; basic understanding of clock conservation, restoration, refinishing, and repairs; and subsequent impact on value.
Course content includes an overview of the evolution of clock types, appropriate terminology, and criteria for making value judgments based on comparative analysis. Participants will learn clock examination techniques, what to photograph on a clock, and research tools and methods. They will also learn how to apply critical appraisal skills, such as qualitative ranking, classification, rarity determination, and how to write accurate descriptions.
This course also includes a one day focus on appraisal report writing and an overview of USPAP requirements, methodology, and practices. USPAP training and testing will be explained to non-appraisers.
This course was held last October and was attended by members of all three major Appraisal Associations. The class proximity to the national campus of the NAWCC, gives students the unique opportunity to use the world-class National Watch and Clock Museum, take a tour of the horological conservation department at the Museum, and receive an introduction to the NAWCC School of Horology. During the course, students had ready access to the most comprehensive Horological Research Library in the world. Rare and unique historical records, research materials, and actual examples of collectible clocks of all types were near at hand and available to the instructor and students.
Students from the class commented:
- • “It was great and definitely met my expectations!”
- • “I’d definitely recommend this course to others!”
- • “I found the course to be a golden opportunity!”
- • “This course is one-of-a-kind. If you want to appraise clocks, you’ve got to take this course!”
Joe Cohen, instructor and Star Fellow of the NAWCC explains, “When appraisers asked me 15 years ago whether such a clock course existed, I developed an 8-week course which has been an unqualified success locally, but it did not fulfill the greater need nationally. Now with the support of the NAWCC, this 24-hour course has been revamped to a five- and-a-half-day appraiser course, which is more convenient for working appraisers and is the only such program offered across the country. Three of the main appraisers’ associations have unanimously agreed that such a course is long overdue and definitely needed, and with this course I am greatly looking forward to fulfilling that need!”
The cost for the full five-and-a-half-day registration is $1,000; the four-and-a-half-day clock examination portion for appraisers is $900. Both registrations include all necessary course books and handout material. The NAWCC Museum, Library, and School of Horology will be available to participants. All class participants will need to have a laptop computer and a digital camera for use during this course. Rentals can be provided for laptops, but digital cameras cannot be provided.
Please note that class size is limited to 10, so be sure to register early. This is an intense course and will require evening reading, use of the NAWCC Library, and research assignments. For further information and to register, contact Director of Education Katie Knaub at 717-684-8261 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
January 11, 2010
Contact Name: Kim Craven - Communications Dept.
Phone: (717) 684-8261 - E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
TIGERS, TAE KWON DO, AND TANGRAMS - ALL AT THE WATCH AND CLOCK MUSEUM!
COLUMBIA, PA: It’s the Year of the Tiger! The National Watch and Clock Museum will be the place to find them on Saturday, February 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us to celebrate the Chinese New Year, with family activities including:
- Racing dragon boat puppets
- Tangram puzzles
- Wish upon the wishing tree
- Discover the animal sign for the year you were born
- Chinese yo-yos!
- AND, of course, look for the hidden tigers to bring good luck!
In addition to all these fun ongoing activities, the following are planned:
- 10:30 a.m. Japanese tea demonstration
- 11:30 a.m. Tae kwon do demonstration – U.S.A. Martial Arts and Fitness Studio from Columbia
- 12:15 p.m. Chinese folk dances – Chinese Cultural & Arts Institute of Harrisburg
- 1:00 p.m. Chinese Flower Arranging
- 2:00 p.m. Japanese Tea Demo
Also come to see demonstrations of Chinese paper folding and learn about Eastern timekeeping methods such as incense clocks and water clocks.
“In planning our programming, we decided to once again include a celebration of the Chinese New Year, because it was so successful when we held this event last year ago. It’s fascinating for visitors to see how different cultures developed their own calendars and ways of keeping time through the years. Even though through time many technological changes have taken place, there is always a curiosity to learn how timekeeping got its start,” commented Katie Knaub, director of education.
The Chinese New Year Celebration is being held in conjunction with the special exhibit, A Sense of Time, which runs through April 30. Financial support has been provided by a generous donation from the Donegal Insurance Company and an NAWCC private donor.
The Chinese New Year celebration is included with Museum admission. For additional information, call Katie Knaub, the Director of Education at 717-684-8261, ext. 237.
January 4, 2010
Contact Name: Kim Craven - Communications Dept.
Phone: (717) 684-8261 - E-mail:
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BULLETINS NOW ONLINE!
COLUMBIA, PA: Just a few years ago, placing the Bulletin archives online seemed like wishful thinking, but thanks to months of effort, a high speed scanner, and open source content management software--donated by generous benefactors to support this project--this wish has come true.
Members may now use a Single Sign On (SSO) username and password to access the Bulletin archives on nawcc.org, the NAWCC community site, and also individual account information.
To use the Bulletin archive users should go to Publications--> NAWCC Bulletin--> then Past Issues. Member Login (in the upper right corner of the NAWCC website) is necessary before accessing the Past Issues page.
After nearly a decade of planning and developing the resources to complete this project, our Members now have 67 years of scholarship, observation, and historical documentation about timekeeping immediately accessible via the Bulletin archives!
Everything came together last year when the National Watch & Clock Museum accepted the donation of a Canon High Speed Document Scanner to be used for the scanning of finding aids, loose documents, etc. intended to be made available to members and users through the NAWCC's website.
Canon's Image Filing Systems division donated the scanner along with installation and training (approx. $10,000 in product and services) through one of their vendors in the Columbia, PA, area. This fantastic contribution, and the digitization of the complete BULLETIN archives, represents the first step in a long range goal of digitizing and providing access to as much of the museum and library's paper records as possible.
Special thanks to Canon USA and IMR Digital (their local vendor) for their incredible generosity, and to our dedicated corps of volunteers who made this possible.