American Clock & Watch Museum

06/23/2026

06/20/2026

We enjoyed having members of the NAWCC New England Chapter 8 (Clocks and Watches) in Bristol to have their meeting at the First Congregational Church United Church of Christ Bristol, Ct and then to tour the museum! Thank you so much for visiting and we hope to see you back soon!

06/19/2026

An Exciting Announcement on National Watch Day!
Two new exhibitions, The Story of American Watchmaking and Time Zones and Railroad Time, will be opening in February 2027.

Help support the research and installation of these two exciting exhibitions! Visit https://www.clockandwatchmuseum.org/watch-project to learn more.

For the first time in the museum's 70-year history, the Museum will have a permanent exhibition dedicated to the story of American watchmaking. This exhibition will present a thorough narrative of American watchmaking and manufacturing, from early handcrafted pocket watches through the rise of industrialized mass production, the development of affordable “dollar watches,” wartime manufacturing, and the continued production of watches today.

"Time Zones and Railroad Time" will explore how railroads inspired the creation of standardized time zones and highlighting the importance of precise timekeeping in this effort.

06/17/2026

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

06/13/2026

What a fun day at the museum! We had visitors from China, Canada, and all across the state of CT! Thank you to John for being in the clock shop today talking about repairs, Tom for your engaging demonstration about your lathe and antique tools, and Bruce for sharing your knowledge with visitors of all ages!

06/13/2026

A great weekend of activities!
Visit the museum for CT Open House Day on Saturday the 13th from 10-5. Free admission all day and lots of fun activities for all ages.
Then from 1-4 on Sunday the 14th, visit the museum's booth on Bristol's Federal Hill Green as we take part in the city's America250 celebration. The museum will also be open for visitors.
We look forward to seeing you!

06/12/2026

Join us for CT Open House Day, this Saturday, June 13th!
* Free admission all day!

* Chat with a clock repairer in our clock shop gallery from 10:00 to 12:00

* Clockmaker Tom Vaughn gives a demonstration of his reproduction 18th century lathe, used for turning the pinions and posts of wooden clocks.

* Drop-in activities for children to coincide with the America250 celebration:
Make your own paper Fortune Teller​

* Take part in a specialty themed scavenger hunt - can you find the eagles on our clocks and watches?

* Get a free copy of The History of the American Revolution by Emma Carlson Berne. This book introduces the American Revolution to kids aged 6 to 9 (while supplies last).

06/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Meeting last night! The museum elected Francis Rexford Cooley and re-elected Mark Blum to our Board of Directors. We look forward to working with them!

Director Brian Beckwith rolled off the board after serving two terms. We are very grateful to him for all of his support and guidance, and look forward to continuing to work with him on future projects.

06/02/2026

Early 20th century poster stamp for the Elgin Watch Company.

These colorful, collectible advertising labels resembled postage stamps but had no actual postal value. Also known as "cinderellas," they were historically used by private companies, cities, and organizations to advertise events, fundraise, or promote products. Use of these stamps started in the mid-19th century and quickly became very collectable, growing in popularity until World War I but then declining by World War II.