Clocking Culture: Today is the First World Watch Day!

Some of the watch world’s most illustrious organizations have collaborated to create the very first World Watch Day. The immersive, digitally-focused event starts today, 10/10, at 10:10.

Ten-ten, just think about; an alliterative repetition of a two-digit numeral, so foundational to modern civilization. And, for those in the know, the de rigueur style for photographing a watch most beautifully is to position the hands at 10:10.

Pretty cute, right?

With founding institutions like the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the Watch Library Foundation, the Horopedia Foundation, the Horological Society of New York, Arc Horloger, Hantang Culture, Le Figaro, and Europa Star, the goal of the first World Watch Day is to foster and recognize the cultural, historical, and social impact of watches and watchmaking.

In the weeks leading up to today, several international partners have joined the movement, from media to collectors’ clubs to watchmaking schools. Just FYI, keep this hashtag handy to get in on the fun yourself: #worldwatchday.
 

You do not need to be an “official” participant; the spirit of the event is barrier-free and open to everyone. Post a wrist shot, video, or watch anecdote today. The more the merrier, and the greater the impact will be.

Global in nature and spanning a 24-hour period, World Watch Day is focused on digital involvement for this inaugural edition. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a wealth of physical events around the world planned, many of them starting at 10:10 on the dot.

The Horological Society of New York opens its doors at 10:10 today for a festive open house. The bells of Saint-Maurice Church in the horologically important city of Besançon, France, chimed at 10:10 CET.

The enthusiasm and effort have been impressive to say the least.

For a full schedule of planned events, click HERE.