Nathan George Horwitt (Hurwitz)

from the website:http://www.cooperhewitt.org/COLLECTIONS/library.asp

Nathan Horwitt Collection

A Russian emigré, Nathan George Horwitt had a New York-based industrial design practice that was grounded on form and function as well as on the phenomena of new visual experiences. In the 1930s, Horwitt was the first to experiment with the digital clock, reinventing at once a form of measurement and communication. He also developed the “Braquette,” a system of mounting pictures and paintings without the traditional decorative picture frame, which was then used by the Museum of Modern Art. One of his most noted designs is the black and gold numberlesss timepiece produced by Movado in 1958, which remains a familiar and dramatic modern icon.

In 1947, American designer Nathan Horwitt manufactured the first Museum Watch. The design was one with an uncluttered dial and with a simplified gold dot marker at the 12:00 position. He attributed this design to the sun-dial. In later years Movado teamed up with great designers such as Andy Warhol to create a one-of-a-king limited edition watch which can be view in galleries and museums today.

In 1947, Nathan Horwitt designed a watch face with only one dot located at the 12 o'clock position on the face, referred to as the Museum Dial. Horwitt likened the dot to the long standing sundial with the time being high noon. Some call this unique design the "boss's watch" as a reference to the boss not needing to pay close attention to the time during the day.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~doensen/c14.html

Nathan George Horwitt

Nathan Horwitt is a man of many talents. He was a writer, inventor, farmer, photographer and designer of graphics, advertisements, interiors, chairs and books. He invented an adjustable picture frame of which his company 'Braguette' (1933-1980) sold several millions.

1889 Born in Russia.

1892 Comes to New York.

1933 Designs the 'Roto Refrigerator' with rotating compartments.

1947 Designs the famous watch with the black dial and the golden dot, probably the first modern design wrist watch ever produced by any artist.

1956 From 1956 until 1960 Horwitt tries to raise interest for this design among at least fifteen watch companies, without success.

1958 Initially denied a patent, Horwitt appealed and was granted patent no.183485 in the United States. It was the third patent he obtained on his watches, however, the only one that was actually produced.

1959 The Museum of Modern Art in New York buys one of the three prototypes for their collection. The first modern design watch to feature in a museum collection.

1960 Only a few watches are sold from the Neiman-Marcus Christmas Catalogue. The manufacturer of the watches in this catalogue remains unknown.

1961 Movado acquires the design and officially registers the name 'Museum Watch'.

1962 The first Movado Museum Watches are sold.

1969-1979 The Howard Miller Clock Company manufactures the 'Museum Clock'.

1990 Horwitt dies. The first Museum watches manufactured by Movado have a mechanical movement: Movado 246.

Copyright � by Pieter Doensen