The Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers has some way to go before it reaches the esteemed heights of its American counterpart, The Horological Society of New York (HSNY), but the two organisations have shared aims: to develop watchmaking as a discipline and business in their respective countries.
HSNY held its most successful Gala & Awards Ceremony in its history last month, where it awarded a record-breaking $125,000 in financial aid to 20 watchmaking students and four US watchmaking schools.
It also raised an additional $25,000 on the night toward its mission to advance the art
and science of horology.
“The 2023 gala broke records in every way for the Horological Society of New York,” said
Carolina Navarro, HSNY deputy director. “An increasing demand to attend allowed us to max out capacity and draw crowds from top watch brands, VIPs, influencers, and even celebrities, who showed up in style to support our now 157-year-old society.”
HSNY presented its largest offering of financial aid to date, and awarded more students than ever before.
Steve Eagle, HSNY’s Director of Education, presented a ceremonial $125,000 giant check to Mary Raso, student at the Lititz Watch Technicum, and Jose Weinberger, student at the Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking School, who accepted the award on behalf of all 20 student beneficiaries.
“For context, in 2017 we awarded one scholarship to one student, and this year we awarded 20 students and four schools,” said Nicholas Manousos, HSNY Executive Director.
“This is made possible through the generous donations from our sponsors, our dedicated members, and gala supporters.”
Earlier this year, HSNY introduced three new financial aid opportunities for watchmaking
students across the country — The Charles London Scholarship for Watchmaking Students, The Charles Sauter Scholarship for Innovation in Horology, and The Simon Willard Award for School Watches.
HSNY 2023 Financial Aid contributions were awarded to:
The Henry B. Fried Scholarship for Watchmaking Students ($5,000 each)
- Adam Barry (Paris Junior College Watchmaking Program)
- Kent Beckley (North Seattle College Watch Technology Institute)
- Alex Ciesielski (Lititz Watch Technicum)
- Samuel D. H. Mallow (North Seattle College Watch Technology Institute)
- Andy Park (North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking)
- Jonathan Vasquez (Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking School)
- Kevin Zamani (North Seattle College Watch Technology Institute)
The Benjamin Banneker Scholarship for Black Watchmaking Students ($5,000 each)
- Mary Raso (Lititz Watch Technicum)
- Jose Weinberger (Nicolas G. Hayek Watchmaking School)
The Grace Fryer Scholarship for Female Watchmaking Students ($5,000 each)
- Ariane Anderson (North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking)
- A Reum Im (North Seattle College Watch Technology Institute)
- Vanessa Loor (North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking)
The Charles London Scholarship for Watchmaking Students ($5,000 each)
- Ryan Austin (Lititz Watch Technicum)
- Tanner Caraway (Veterans Watchmaker Initiative)
- Michael Davanzo (North Seattle College Watch Technology Institute)
- River Pryor (North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking)
- Harrison Siegling (Lititz Watch Technicum)
The Howard Robbins Award for Watchmaking Schools ($25,000 in total)
- Gem City College School of Horology ($7,500)
- Veterans Watchmaker Initiative ($7,500)
- North Seattle College Watch Technology Institute ($5,000)
- Paris Junior College Watchmaking Program ($5,000)
The Charles Sauter Scholarship for Innovation in Horology ($5,000 each)
- Nicholas Chin (Lititz Watch Technicum)
- Thomas Dunphy (Lititz Watch Technicum)
The Oscar Waldan Scholarship for Jewish Watchmaking Students ($5,000 each)
- Chris Tullos (Veterans Watchmaker Initiative)
Watch Faces at the HSNY Gala and Awards Dinner
