Horology (via Latin horologium from Greek , from hra "hour; time" and

-o- interfix and suffix -logy; lit. "the study of time")[1][2] is the art or science of
measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, hourglasses, clepsydras, timers, time
recorders, marine chronometers, and atomic clocks are all examples of instruments used to
measure time. In current usage, horology refers mainly to the study of mechanical time-keeping
devices, while chronometry more broadly includes electronic devices that have largely supplanted
mechanical clocks for the best accuracy and precision in time-keeping.
People interested in horology are called horologists. That term is used both by people who deal
professionally with timekeeping apparatus (watchmakers, clockmakers), as well as aficionados and
scholars of horology. Horology and horologists have numerous organizations, both professional
associations and more scholarly societies.
Contents
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1 Horological museums and libraries

2 Horological organizations

3 World exhibitions

4 List of horological terms

5 See also

6 References

7 Further reading

Horological museums and libraries[edit]

"Universal Clock" at the Clock Museum in Zacatln, Puebla, Mexico

There are many horology museums and several specialized libraries devoted to the subject. One
example is the Royal Greenwich Observatory, which is also the source of the Prime
Meridian (longitude 0 0' 0"), and the home of the first marine timekeepers accurate enough to
determine longitude (made by John Harrison). Other horological museums in the London area
include the Clockmakers' Museum, which will re-open at the Science Museum in October 2015, and
the horological collections at the British Museum, the Science Museum (London) and at the Wallace
Collection.
One of the more comprehensive museums dedicated to horology is the Muse international
d'horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland). The Muse d'Horlogerie du Locle is smaller but
located nearby. One of the better horological museums in Germany is the Deutsches
Uhrenmuseum in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, in the Black Forest. The two leading specialised
horological museums in North America are the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia,
Pennsylvania, and the American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol, Connecticut.
In France, the Muse du Temps de Besanon is located in the historic Palais
Grenvelle in Besanon in the east of the country.
An example of a museum devoted to one particular type of clock is the Cuckooland Museum in the
U.K., which hosts the world's largest collection of antique cuckoo clocks.
One of the most comprehensive horological libraries open to the public is the National Watch and
Clock Library in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Other good horological libraries providing public access

are at the Muse international d'horlogerie in Switzerland, at the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum in

Germany, and at the Guildhall Library in London.
Another museum dedicated to clocks is the Willard House and Clock Museum in Grafton,
Massachusetts.

Horological organizations[edit]
Notable scholarly horological organizations include:

American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute AWCI (United States of America)

Antiquarian Horological Society AHS (United Kingdom)

British Horological Institute BHI (United Kingdom)

Chronometrophilia (Switzerland)

Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Chronometrie DGC (Germany)

National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors NAWCC (United States of America)