There are designated days to celebrate introverts, search and rescue dogs, letter writing and much more.
Now there is a day for watches, too. The first World Watch Day is scheduled on Oct. 10, a date chosen because watch hands are traditionally set to 10 past 10 in photographs.
“We are convinced that watchmaking needs a highlight,” said Aurélie Streit, a vice president of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, an industry organization that is one of the nine founding members of the nonprofit association behind the event. “There are initiatives scattered around the world, but we decided to do something more organized and to put everyone together.”
Some of the association’s members include the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, an annual industry awards event; the Horological Society of New York; the Chinese media group Hantang Culture; the French newspaper Le Figaro; and Europa Star, the Swiss watch industry magazine. (Official World Days are designated by the United Nations or UNESCO to raise awareness or to marshal action on important topics; organizers said UNESCO had been asked to recognize the watch event and they were waiting for a response.)
Nicholas Manousos, the executive director of the Horological Society of New York, said the day would be “a reminder that time connects us all,” noting that it offered “a moment to celebrate the art and science of horology.”
A 24-hour streaming event is planned for the inaugural World Watch Day, although the platform has not yet been determined. Featuring segments submitted by watchmaking professionals and enthusiasts and curated by the association, it is to begin at 10:10 a.m. in the world’s easternmost time zone — which, at 18 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (E.D.T.), means the observance actually will begin Oct. 9 in New York — and is to end at 10:10 p.m. in its westernmost time zone.
The association also anticipates that brands, retailers and enthusiast groups will stage events showcasing the ways in which watchmaking shapes culture.
“It’s about showing to the world that watchmaking is still a question of passion,” Ms. Streit said. “The day isn’t commercial: We encourage people to participate for free.”
The association’s vision is for World Watch Day to become an annual event. “We think it’s going to stay for the long term,” said Serge Maillard, the chief executive and publisher of Europa Star. “Many watch shows are closed and people cannot go to them. World Watch Day is a universal celebration.”
Mr. Maillard said funding would be provided by association members and from donations, adding that volunteers already have created the event’s branding, communications materials and website. “A lot of people give time for free because they believe in the project,” he said.
Organizers acknowledged that one of their challenges would be to make the event feel truly global. “The idea behind World Watch Day is not to be Swiss,” said Martine Depresle, a co-founder and chief executive of the Watch Library Foundation, another founding member.
In 2020, mechanical watchmaking was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity after a campaign by Arc Horloger, a group concerned with the preservation of watchmaking skills, and another watch day co-founder.
“It will pick up on the cultural dimension of the UNESCO listing and be really diverse,” Ms. Depresle said of the upcoming day. “That will be its strength. We’re targeting a broad audience, not just experts, and want to showcase watchmaking in all its dimensions, and to show how unique this field is.”
The post Watches Get Their Own Special Observance appeared first on New York Times.
