The Founding of Time-Related Organizations

1601, Genevan Corporation of Watchmakers (The Swiss Guild of Watch and Clockmakers) founded

1631, The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers established by Royal Charter granted by King Charles I

1858, The British Horological Institute formed

1860, The Observatoire de Neuchâtel issued the first rating certificates for watches.

1866, March 26 the New Yorker Uhrmachers Verein was formed by German immigrants

1876, Swiss Chamber of Watchmaking founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds

1878, First Swiss institution to test large numbers of watches for public sale, the Bureau officiel des chronomètres (BO)

1890, Canadian Horological Institute formed

1892, June the American Horological Society was formed by Chicago watchmakers

1901, Creation of the NBS (National Bureau of Standards, now NIST)

1907, The British Watch and Clockmakers’ Guild was founded in Clerkenwell

1913, Canadian Horological Institute closes

1916, Swiss trade fair MUBA held in Basel (first time in the history of wristwatches)

1917, August 13, Associated Watchmakers of America formed

1921

October 20-21, Horological Institute of America formed

The Swiss Laboratory of Horological Research formed

1924, Swiss Watchmakers’ Federation/Swiss Watch Manufacturers created in Bienne

1926 December 27, Ebauches SA was created

1930, Omega and Tissot joined together to form SSIH group

1931, ASUAG created to protect Swiss industry from financial collapse

1930s, New Yorker Uhrmachers Verein reorganized into the Horological Society of New York

1934, May, United Horological Association of America formed

1943, the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors comes into being

1949, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chronometrie was founded

1953, The Antiquarian Horological Society was formed

1954, the American Watch Association formed

1959, National Association of the Brazilian Clock and Watch Industry (Instituto Brasileiro de Relojoero)

1960, The American Watchmakers Institute (AWI) was formed from the UHAA and the HIA

1962, Center Electronique Horloger (CEH) created to spur development of electric Swiss watches

1973, the COSC is founded (contains the BOs)

1975, Chronométrophilia founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds

1980, SMH created from ASUAG and SSIH

1982, The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH founded by merger of two previous organizations

1983, the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology SA created in Neuchâtel

1985, Foundation of the Académie des Horlogers Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI)

1987, the Black Forest Clock Association or VDS was created

1989, the British Sundial Society is formed

1992, The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute becomes the new name for the AWI

1994, the North American Sundial Society formed

1998, SMH renamed the Swatch Group

2000, the Japanese Sundial Society formed

2005, Creation of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie

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