Clock and watch collectors from around the world are in town this week for the 71st convention of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors.
Not a member? Not a problem.
Organizers promise the expo is still worth your time.
“This is much more than Pappaw’s pocketwatch,” says Glen Kitts, of Hixson, who is helping with publicity for the event, which continues daily through Saturday, June 20, at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Among the highlights, he says, is a must-see, museum-quality exhibit, “The Railroad Time Service,” that shows the integral relationships between the railroads and timekeeping, as well as the resulting contributions to and influences on society.
The exhibit includes:
* Displays about the development of standard time, time zones and highly accurate timepieces.
* A telegraph office and jewelry store, set up on-site.
* A collection of railroad standard clocks and watches.
* Models and movies depicting how mechanical pocketwatches work.
* A look at how modern railroad signaling systems, centralized traffic controls, radios and quartz watches have changed the industry and diminished the importance, though not the legacy, of early timepieces. The symbiotic relationship between the nation’s railroads and the railroad-inspired watch and clock industries followed the American industrial revolution into the latter half of the 20th century.
Also of special interest is an “Antiques Roadshow”-style event on Saturday. Renee Coulson, a NAWCC member from Ooltewah, says anyone may bring a watch or clock for an expert evaluation by NAWCC members, including information about the timepiece’s history, manufacturer, care and maintenance.
Coulson says a huge mart runs daily through Saturday where NAWCC members and the public can buy, sell and trade watches, clocks, tools, books and supplies. Entry to the Mart for the full duration of the show is $50 for nonmembers, which includes a free four-month introductory membership to the organization. Saturday, the public may choose a “buy only” option into the Mart for $5.
The convention also features a number of talks and workshops that are open to the public. An additional exhibit will display watch and clock making craftsmanship, featuring items created and restored by NAWCC members.
The convention began Wednesday, June 17, with a keynote address by Charles “Wick” Moorman, executive chairman of the board of Norfolk Southern Corp. Some of the railway’s historic timepieces are included in “The Railroad Time Service” exhibit of rare and unique railroad horological items.
Coulson says area residents may be familiar with the NAWCC through the Mid-South Regional meeting held each year around Labor Day. The national convention, last held in Chattanooga in 2007, is “much larger in scope and scale.”
Founded in 1943, the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors is the largest organization of its kind in the world. Headquartered in Columbia, Pa., the nonprofit has more than 15,000 members and more than 100 international chapters. About 2,000 are expected for the Chattanooga expo.
For more information, visit NAWCC2015.org.