I did an all forums search here and there were only five posts under the topic NAWCC
I became aware of the NAWCC just last night while googling a vintage Longines watch I read about right here.
Then I saw there will be a NW Regional show very close to me next month and that is why I am posting this inquiry to get some input about the organization?
Thanks

 

I went to the NAWCC conference here in florida years ago and it accelerated my interest in time pieces by light years. These guys are seriously into the mechanics of time. I walked in accidentally through the vendors entrance and experienced a world I'd never seen before. Holy cow. That being said, our local NAWCC group sucks...bunch of old men criticizing each other. I'll wait til the next conference.

 

I would go with my dad to these as a kid and sell Girl Scout cookies at a corner of his table. Around the late 90s, the attendence had dropped so low that it wasn't worth him going. He's starting to go back as interest in vintage timekeeping has picked up and more people are moving off of eBay.

 

*Raises hand*

 

I been a member for years. When I lived in the Bay Area chapter 5 had a mart every other month. Use to find deals remember buying a Eterna kontiki super a early one wished I kept it the way prices shot up think I got it for 700 bucks. There was a small munch of vintage wristwatch collectors. But most were clock and pocket watch collectors. I think if the NAWCC supported vintage wristwatch collectors there membership would pick up they sort of missed the boat. You read the NAWCC bulletin a magazine they send out once a month all on clocks a little on pocket watches and once in a while wrist watches. It’s like us wristwatch collectors are forgotten. Been living in MT no NAWCC chapter we are the forgotten state for the NAWCC. I collect any thing time piece related clocks wristwatches or pocket watches. But a main part of my collection is wristwatches but I have a few clocks and pocket watches why I am still a member the Pasadena regional had a lot of vintage wristwatches for sale years ago got a vintage speedy for 1400 don’t know how good it is now. Been years since I been to a mart or regional held by the NAWCC. The regional still mite be good and a good place to sell or buy what I like you could see what you were buying not like buying it off the net site unseen.

 

I was a member for 33 years. I am no longer a member. There is a chapter in Montana. Chapter 115, based in Bozeman. The NAWCC website makes locating a chapter very easy. In fact, just about everything you want to know about NAWCC is available on the website. And resources on the website as available to full members are (IMO) un-rivalled anywhere. So even if you aren’t near a chapter, membership is very worthwhile based on what is available on the website. At one time, access to NAWCC marts was available only to members. But I believe they have loosened that up a bit which means access to marts is now available to non-members.

https://nawcc.org/index.php/chapter-information/find-a-chapter-near-you

If you open the above link, chapters based in the U S are featured, but if you scroll down, international chapters can be located.

I joined originally in the pre-internet days (1984). With the advent of the internet, attendance at regionals is a fraction of what it was back when I joined.

 

It died just before I moved to MT about 6 years ago. Dave the owner of the last windup a vintage watch store in Bozeman ran it but got tired of running it over the years. They only had one meeting a year when it was operational made it to one when visiting my Dad who lived in MT before I moved there. They need to remove that chapter from there web site. One winter I was bored and drove to Idaho for there NAWCC chapter meeting since it was the closes one to me they move the meeting around to different parts of Idaho so when one was close to the MT border I checked it out still a long drive not sure I will do it again.

 

Chapter 115 on life support? That I didn’t know. We have a chapter (145) locally which I was a charter member of, and belonged to until 1995. Haven’t been involved in that chapter since 1995 (long story). But I maintained my membership in NAWCC for over 20 years after I walked away from the local chapter. Last I heard, chapter 145 is also on life support. NAWCC membership is still very worthwhile, even if you never attend a chapter meeting.

 

Here is my old chapter in the bay area got spoiled from the web site you can see a lot of mart tables you never knew what you would find.
http://sfchapter5.org/

 

Thanks to all for the thoughtful responses

 

Not a thoughtful response, but I had considered joining when I learned about NAWCC. Thought a watch show would be a fun thing. Further investigation found that both the shows and the organization are moribund here in Texas.

I like clocks and have to restrain myself from also getting into pocket watches, but wristwatches are my primary interest and they seem to play second fiddle to clocks and pocket watches in NAWCC.

 

They are very much a clock and PW organization...

 

Mostly clocks and pocket watches. Even in Florida where wristwatches rule as with most any other place NAWCC sticks to its
clocks and PW's mostly. And their membership shows that.

 

If they don’t want it to go by way of the dodo extinct then they should give equal billing to vintage wristwatch collectors to get younger people into the NAWCC with out younger people getting into the NAWCC there won’t be any one to carry it on. All they need to see is the watch forums and other stuff on the net over the last 20 years and the way prices shot up on vintage wristwatches and the drop in prices on clocks and pocket watches to see were watch collecting is going. On the NAWCC forum I tried to get a military watch collecting section they wanted no part of it so backwards.

 

The regional I went to here in florida was absolutely huge, but yes it was almost exclusively clocks and pocket watches. Still, there were some AMAZING clocks and pocket watches. Old world craftsmanship at its finest. Like I said above though, my local chapter looks and acts like an old mens club. Hard to talk to them. Honestly I think they like it that way. The chapter will die out soon enough (literally and figuratively). What a shame us younger folks aren't felt welcome.

 

I'm just gratified to be a comparatively "younger folk" in a social circle. Maybe I ought to join after all.

 

I do like vintage clocks but if you collect to many you run out of space in the house. Why wristwatches are better. One thing wrong with pocket watches easy to drop and damage on concrete than a wristwatch that stays on the wrist why I got into vintage wristwatches I dropped one once. I remember when a Seth Thomas no. 2 regulator clocks used in railroad stations and public buildings and schools were expensive now you can get one for about 900 bucks and they been stuck at that price for over 7 years only large clock I got on the wall wanted one for a long time got one when the price dropped.

 

If you never went to a chapter meeting or a regional, having open access to the NAWCC website is worth the price of a membership.

 

I've been a member since 1995. I have met many nice watch (and clock) people through their events. The membership has dropped off and aged quite a bit since I first joined. When I first went to the Mid Winter Florida Regionals in Orlando there were over 1100 tables!!! I think it was around 350 when I went in Feb? My closest local, Lakeland, used to have around 100 table holders every other month and sadly I rarely go. Last time I went there 15 - 20 tables (maybe less?). It is always fun to meet new people that are interested in all aspects of horology and I have contacts all around the country and have sold many watches to members in US and from around the world at the shows.

 

I've been meaning to go to their museum. It's near Lancaster, PA which is not too far from Gettysburg. Their membership pricing tiers are somewhat interesting:

• Diamond Membership: $5,000/year (International Members add $24 postage fee for mailed Bulletin & MART)
- Standard member benefits
- One Associate membership
- National donor reception
- Chairman’s event at national
- Level recognition button or pin
- Recognition at national events and the museum
- Recognition plaque
- Three NAWCC memberships to give as gifts