atchmaking schools often ask their students to create a school watch before graduation, allowing students to showcase the multitude of skills learned in watchmaking school. Making school watches is important, and the finished product can be the first step towards independent watchmaking - an art that preserves traditional watchmaking techniques.

HSNY wants to help motivate watchmaking students to go the extra mile in their last school project with this new award, named for Simon Willard (1753-1848), a pioneer in establishing the American horological industry. Willard’s skills were exceptional, producing mechanisms with a margin of error of just thirty seconds over the course of a month and making timepieces that were as good as those being produced in Europe.

Any student enrolled in a full-time watchmaking school in the U.S. is eligible for the Simon Willard Award for School Watches. Students must submit a mechanical watch or clock that was utilized as their school watch project and must certify that the entry was designed and made by themselves.

As is the tradition with school watches, students should at minimum manufacture the bridges. The application period is January 1 to January 31 of every year and awards up to $10,000 are available.