The HSNY, which was founded in 1866, holds weekly educational lectures in New York exploring different aspects of horology, including technical and historical topics. In 2016, it introduced a Traveling Education program to bring its watchmaking classes to participants beyond the US.
It has previously conducted courses in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada.
Vincent Robert, HSNY director of Traveling Education, told Jeweller the organisation had received numerous calls to visit Australia in the past few years.
“Australia takes the cake for the furthest destination HSNY has travelled to. We are excited to bring our Traveling Education program to Australia and take pride in embarking on this long journey,” he added.
The event – presented by luxury watch retailer The Hour Glass – will take place at The Westin Melbourne hotel on Collins Street, on Saturday 29 February and Sunday 1 March.
Lead by HSNY director of education Steve Eagle, each four-hour class covers disassembly and reassembly of a complete mechanical movement, as well as gear training, and winding and setting.
Robert said the class would benefit retail jewellers who stock a range of timepieces, as watch collecting and appreciation are increasingly popular with consumers.
“A watch collector will often engage in a good conversation about a watch, be it its provenance, its design or its level of craftsmanship and ingenuity – and the most daunting part of such a conversation is when it is led to the mechanism,” Robert explained.
“With its hands-on approach, our four-hour watchmaking class brings each participant to disassemble and reassemble a complete mechanical watch movement and truly understand the timekeeping mechanics. This is a personal experience upon which further knowledge and confidence will build – two key components in the retail world.”
He added that the class would give jewellers “a deeper appreciation for watches and watchmaking”.
Classes are limited to eight people and are designed for all levels of watchmaking experience, including beginners. Tools and benches will be provided.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite, and two tickets to a Sunday class will be auctioned for the Australian Bushfire Appeal at the Time+Tide Watch & Act! World Watch Auction Wrap Party on Saturday 29 February.
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