The WIS Guide to Visiting Manhattan

For the first time, Horology Forum – the travelling, education-based edition of Dubai Watch Week – will be held in New York City for its 8^th edition. Many of those who plan to attend will be travelling into New York from various cities around the globe; some, for the first time. And while there is a plethora of activities to do in the Big Apple, there are a handful of destinations worth visiting if one is a watch and/or clock enthusiast. Here are a few of our “must-see” recommendations: 

The ”Horological Highway” (aka, Madison Avenue) 

If you take a stroll on Madison Avenue from 50^th Street all the way up to about 69^th you’re in for a spending (or at least, window-shopping) feast. The world-famous row is home to flagship stores and brand boutiques such as Chopard, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breitling, Bremont, Grand Seiko and several others. Not to mention a quick side trip headed west up 57^th street will take you past Vacheron Constantin, Richard Mille, and Audemars Piguet before you venture down 5^th avenue to visit Bulgari, Hublot, and the iconic Cartier building. 

Breguet Tourbillon Clock at Carnegie Hall

For the history buffs in attendance, the Carnegie Hall box office is home to a Breguet Tourbillon clock, modelled after the original Tourbillon invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801. Breguet is the official timekeeping partner of the concert hall, and the box office clock was the first clock ever made by the brand to be installed in a building in the United States. No ticket necessary to view the clock, but you’ll have to get to the box office Monday through Saturday between 11 A.M. and 6 P.M. and on Sunday after 12 noon. 

Hudson Yards 

While Hudson Yards is known for its views, its “Vessel,” and its branded boutiques of both the clothing and watch varieties, it also has a beautiful Watches of Switzerland location; the second to open in Manhattan after its original flagship store in the SoHo neighborhood. The Hudson Yards WoS is located on the ground floor and houses brands such as Patek Philippe and Rolex amongst many others, and the black granite “hospitality bar” is open to those looking to have a refreshment while shopping. (Side note: for an even better experience before you go, call, and see if Kelly Yoch is in that day. You’ll thank us.)

The Clocks at Grand Central Station

Yes, you read that correctly. “Clocks.” Meaning, there are more than one historic and extraordinary timekeeping mechanism at which to gawk when both standing outside as well as entering New York’s Grand Central Station. 

Looking out at an always bustling 42^nd street and welcoming riders, shoppers, and tourists from the outside is the Grand Central Terminal “Tiffany” clock. The clock I itself (not including its surrounding sculptures) measures roughly fourteen feet in diameter and uses more Tiffany glass in its dial than any other structure in the world. 

On the inside of Grand Central Station is a clock that has appeared in multiple movies over the years. Known as the “Information Booth Clock,” the multi-sided brass and opal timepiece is set by the atomic clock in the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., and according to the official Grand Central Station website, is “accurate to within 1 second every 20 billion years.” 

A New York Red Bar Event

The largest and most well-known watch enthusiast group in the world got its start in the great city of New York over a decade ago. If you’re a Red Bar member (or if not but you’re interested in joining), reach out through the group’s website to see if there are any events happening leading up to Horology Forum and how one might be able to attend if so. 

And… if you happen to have a car available… 

There are two clock and watch museums within driving distance from Manhattan that are worth a visit. The first is the Hoffman Clock Museum inside the Newark Public Library (located in Newark, NEW YORK, not Newark, New Jersey) which is about a five-hour drive from Manhattan. But if you’re up for something interesting and a little closer (about 3 hours away by car), research the National Watch and Clock Museum in Lancaster, PA to see the largest collection of nineteenth-century American clocks and watches, plus so much more.