NAWCC Chapter 135

01/26/2026

Chapter 135 is hosting a Zoom meeting on February 8th at 1PM. Keith Scobie-Youngs, who restored the Big Ben tower clock in London, is giving a virtual walk through of the Tower Clock exhibit at the Museum in Lancaster PA. Event details here:

Seattle Zoom: Narrated Tour of Public Time Gallery National Watch & Clock Museum Narrated Tour of the Public Time Gallery at National Watch & Clock Museum Hosted by Chapter 135 Mt. Rainier Sunday, February 8th @ 1:00 PM Pacific Coast Time Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 833 8484 5746 Passcode: 529291....

10/30/2025

Reminder: November 9, 2025 - In Person Chapter Meeting
WHEN:
SUNDAY, November 9, 2025
WHERE:
Norwest School of Horology
Shoreline Center
18560 1st Ave NE
Shoreline, WA 98155
Click here for map
TIME:
11:30 for socializing and Mart buy/sell/trade
12:30 business meeting followed by the program

PLEASE NOTE: This is an in-person meeting only. No zoom.

PROGRAM:
Rob Apsel will present The Joy of Collecting Russian Watches.

Imperial Russia relied on Swiss companies such as H. Moser & Cie and Paul Buhre to supply watches by appointment of the Royal Court. Ordinary people had almost no chance to own a timepiece. But in 1917, the playing field was leveled, along with Imperial Russia, by the Bolsheviks.

Under Lenin, they attempted to make deals with several Swiss and German companies to build watch factories in the USSR, but Lenin found no takers.

Then came Stalin. Rejecting the Swiss, they were forced to set their sights on an up-and-coming world power - the United States of America.

With the purchase of the Dueber-Hampden Watch Company, the Soviets founded First State Watch Factory, and for the first time, produced Soviet-made watches.

The movements weren't pretty. The cases were garbage. The watches weren't state-of-the-art. Quality control hadn't been invented yet. But they were cheap, robust, and reliable. From 1930 to 1991, the Soviets made interesting, unusual, and just plain cool watches. Savvy collectors know that Russian watches have an undeniable "It" factor and can be found at bargain prices.

10/09/2025

Seattle Zoom: Narrated Tour of Hamilton Display at National Watch & Clock Museum

Narrated Tour of Hamilton Exhibit at National Watch & Clock Museum
Hosted by Chapter 135 Mt. Rainier
Sunday, October 19 @ 1PM Pacific Coast Time

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89645474521?pwd=vRvBttzfWplaDctwaoqC3v8pbXjczP.1
Meeting ID: 895 4547 4521
Passcode: 083304

In 2023 the Hamilton Watch Company donated funds to upgrade the Hamilton Gallery at our Museum at the NAWCC Headquarters in Columbia. On display are many important artifacts from the company’s beginnings in the early 1890’s in Lancaster, PA through their eventual move to Switzerland. We will take this Zoom opportunity to have Rhett Lucke, a Hamilton enthusiast, narrate and comment on these Museum pieces via Zoom as Alex Simpkins provides real time video of the collection. This is an opportunity for those who have not been to the Museum to see the collection with full commentary and the ability to ask questions.

06/03/2025

Automaton: More than Timekeeping Clockworks with Bob Pritzker
Hosted by Chapter 135 Mt. Rainier

Sunday, June 8 @ 1PM Pacific Coast Time

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86975856053?pwd=Jsb99rC3aurJEMVjR72DYoWebHOYlH.1
Meeting ID: 869 7585 6053
Passcode: 405950

An automaton is a mechanical object that is relatively self-operating after it has been set in motion. Since antiquity, people have desired to have devices to replace manpower for doing chores as well as having inanimate objects come to life. The result has been a development of machines that are exquisite in their artistry and ingenious in their mechanics. The presentation will include demonstrations of some of the finest automata form different time periods and cultures.

Bio: Bob Pritzker has been a member of the NAWCC since 1997. He has been President of Chapter 33 (Toronto) and Chapter 159 (British Horology). His horological interests are driven by his fascination with the ingenuity of invention and creativity others have brought to the creation of timepieces. Bob and his wife have enjoyed traveling with others in the NAWCC to various parts of the world to discover all manner of horological objects and experiences. He has spoken to many different groups and written articles about a wide range of horological topics.

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02/03/2025

From Concept to MicroBrand with Matt Zinski

Hosted by Chapter 135 Mt. Rainier February 9, 2025 @ 1PM PST

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 812 4544 1783
Passcode: 493454

Matt Zinski, founder of Typsim Watches, offers an insider's guide to starting a watch company from conceptual sketch to manufacturing and marketing to sales. Never before have the resources for designing and manufacturing a watch been more accessible than they are today. But even with the ubiquity of companies ready to help, the process is filled with complex challenges and compelling opportunities - in the case of Typsim Watches some self-imposed. Come learn how Matt approached this process with his uncompromising design vision and eye for details.

12/04/2024

Rare Seth Thomas Precision Clock with John Cote

Please join us on zoom, December 8, 2024 @ 1PM PST
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89733834880?pwd=zVTAK0iVaEkCeloKpgu0fJWrX9Qd8d.1

Background:
John Cote will give a presentation on the Seth Thomas Precision Clock with gravity escapement, recently acquired by the NAWCC's National Watch & Clock Museum. John wrote an article about this extraordinary and rare clock for the March/April 2021 issue of the NAWCC Bulletin, but significant new information has come to light since this article was published. A lot of the mystery behind this clock is becoming clear due to the diligent work of some of our members and with some help from the good people at the US Naval Observatory, but more work remains to be done.

John's talk will be a preview of a presentation he will give at the Museum Open House during the 2025 National Convention in York, PA. The plan is to have the clock cleaned up and running for the first time since it arrived at the museum for this event.

John has been interested in watch and clock collecting since he was a little kid, going out to look for watches with his father, who was a long-time NAWCC Member. John has been an NAWCC Member for over 30 years and a Board of Directors Member since 2017.

10/06/2024

Russian Dive Watches with Rob Aspel

Please join us on Zoom, October, 13th PDT
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86537707079?pwd=KGEMGBiR3y4EtO1CxTPR0nRXcS5fq4.1

Background:
In the early 1950's, the swiss watch industry produced the first "dive" watch; the Blancpain 50 Fathoms, quickly followed by the Rolex Submariner and the Zodiac Sea Wolf. All three were waterproof down to about 100 meters, an unheard-of capability at the time.

This did not go unnoticed by the Soviet Union, who did not have a true dive watch for their ever-growing cold war Navy. This Western threat to their sovereignty could not go unanswered.

Designers Mikhail Novikov and Vera Belova of Vostok Watch Factory were tasked with creating the Soviet counter to the West's upstart technology. Unfortunately, they found that they couldn't replicate the efforts of the Swiss due to inferior materials, low quality machining tools, and a lack of funding.

But by thinking completely out of the box, Novikov and Belova defeated the Imperialists with a watch that doubled the waterproof ratings of the Swiss. How did they do it?

Rob Apsel is a longtime IT professional currently working as the Digital Forensics Investigator for a large school district. A watch enthusiast since acquiring his first Seiko at age 12, he's a collector of vintage watches, especially Swiss and Russian Brands. His formal watch training has been with the Norwest School of Horology, and he now assists with beginner students in Watch 101. Rob's extensive and detailed knowledge of watch design and manufacturing helps to broaden students' perspectives of watch service and the industry as a whole.

07/30/2024

All About Trolley Watches with Philip Sauerlender
Presented by Chapter 135 Mt. Rainier

Please join us on August 11, 2024 @ 1PM PDT
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81240745758?pwd=bZdMFkvCAjZaCD0IvY0JAJGrEZRtI9.1

Background:

Trolley watches were pocket watches intended for operators of electric interurban trolley cars between cities. They were required so cars could safely follow timetable instructions. Failure to meet opposing cars at specific times and locations could have deadly consequences. The major watch companies made pockets watches to meet this demand. They were similar to railroad standard watches but with 17 (rather than 21) jewels and adjusted to fewer positions. Phillip will show examples from his collection. The first electric interurban in the country opened in 1892 between Portland and Oregon City. A vast network of interurbans rapidly grew until it became the fifth largest in the industry in the country. A number connected the cities of the Pacific Northwest. They filled the need for rural transportation of people and goods. Growing popularity of automobiles and paved roads killed the industry and most were gone by the end of WWII.

Philip Sauerlender lives in State College, PA. Philip was trained as a graphic artist with an MFA from Penn State University. He is a volunteer at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in PA. He became interested in trolley watches initially as a fashion accessory to his motorman uniform. He is an active member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors.

07/02/2024

Our July in-person meeting will be on SUNDAY, JULY 14 at the Norwest School of Horology in Shoreline, WA. Doors open at 11:30 for mart setup, socializing, complaining, bragging, etc. Business meeting starts at 12:30, followed by our program. We will have coffee, but need volunteers to bring snacks.

The talk will be on “Vostok Amphibia: Legendary Soviet Technology”. This includes the history of Vostok, and the Amphibia, the official Soviet Navy Diver watch. The presentation focuses on the brilliant designers who managed to build a watch with greater water resistance than the Rolex Submariner or the Blancpain 50 Fathoms for a tiny fraction of the price. And they did it without having money, adequate machinery, or advanced technology.

See you there!

06/04/2024

Our Zoom-only meeting will be on Sunday, June 9th at 1:00 PM PDT.

Our speaker will be Mike Bovarnick, who will tell the story of his involvement with the Atomichron, the first commercial cesium clock.

Here is the link to join the Zoom meeting:

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04/26/2024

Our next meeting will be on SUNDAY, May 5th, 11:30PM-3PM PDT at the Norwest School of Horology in Shoreline. We are incredibly fortunate to be presenting a talk by Mike Bovarnick. Mike led the development of the first commercial atomic clock.

Read “Magic Numbers” in the NAWCC Bulletin:

02/24/2024

Our next meeting will be on SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 11:30PM-3PM PDT at the Norwest School of Horology in Shoreline. Long-time chapter member, Hans Dahlke, will present a program on the E. Howard Watch Company and its advertising. Have a Howard watch? Bring it along to share! This is a map to the facility if needed.