The Horological Society of New York (HSNY) awarded $125,000 in financial aid to twenty watchmaking students and four U.S. watchmaking schools during its 157th anniversary Gala & Awards Ceremony on April 15. The organization also raised an additional $25,000 toward its mission to advance the art and science of horology during the annual event.

During the gala, HSNY Director of Education Steve Eagle presented a ceremonial $125,000 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 recipients.

“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.”

Also during the event the HSNY’s auctioned a 2023 Lifetime Membership Card, raising an additional $20,000. Top bidder Benjamin Nelson will enjoy lifetime membership privileges at HSNY, including all aspects of current and future membership tiers. Proceeds from the sale benefit HSNY’s ongoing financial aid initiatives.

Prior to the event, 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.

In June the organization will host its annual Charity Auction online, hosted by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo.