Tour the NAWCC Museum with RGM's Roland Murphy

RGM’s Roland Murphy will be hosting a free tour of the NAWCC Museum on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 9:30 am. The NAWCC is the “National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors”. The address is 514 Poplar St. Columbia, PA 17512. No reservation is needed, just show up and mention you are there for Mr. Murphy’s tour.

The last tour Mr. Murphy gave was 4 years ago in 2019.


Mr. Murphy has arranged for the regular museum fee to be waived so this is a totally free event. Of course, we always encourage donations to the museum, which you can do in person if you desire. You might also want to consider becoming a member.

The tour will take about 2 hours or so, and Mr. Murphy will feature items in the museum that he personally likes and feels are significant. There are many items of interest in the museum including clocks, watches, complicated watches, watchmaking tools, machinery, and much more.

Also, after the tour if you have an old watch you would like to show Mr. Murphy he will be glad to look at it and give you his comments about it. Mr. Murphy has many years of experience restoring and collecting vintage and antique watches.

Video tour we made in 2011

The Story Behind the RGM Terra Nova Watch

In 1910, Robert Falcon Scott embarked on an ambitious expedition to Antarctica aboard the Terra Nova.

An intriguing story, beautiful images, things that I like…. Throughout my career that’s what inspired me to create many RGM models. The Terra Nova is a perfect example.

I came up an idea to make a multiple-piece dial that featured very classic elements, like a chapter ring with an engine-turned Breguet line, but with the center of the dial being fashioned from different materials, depending on the watch I wanted to make. But I needed a focal point for my idea.

Like most people, I searched the Internet and stumbled upon one of the most majestic maritime scenes I’d ever seen—a painting of the Terra Nova. When I dug into the ship’s background and mythology, I became even more fascinated. And the name was perfect, too.


The Inspiration

I’ve made several nautical-themed watches over the years. Sailing ships are strong, graceful, imbued with the mysteries of the deep. The Terra Nova painting evoked movement, and I wanted the dial miniature to do the exact same. I decided to use Mother of Pearl. Its multifaceted luster is a great canvas for this style of painting because, when you turn the watch, the background refracts light in various directions, reflecting the illusion of depth and motion.

The completed miniature painting

I visualized the finished piece over and over in my head as we set to work on creating our take on the Terra Nova. Once the in-house design was complete, we sent the art off with the Mother of Pearl for the miniature hand-paining work to be completed by a master artist. When the dial came back to us it was more beautiful than I’d imagined! I knew it was going to be one of the most captivating watches we’ve ever made. “It’s one of those watches you just keep looking at; I can’t take my eyes off it.”

I didn’t just want to make a watch, though. I wanted to tell the story of Terra Nova’s expedition through seldom-charted territory. The case-back gave me a place to do just that. During my research I found a 20th century map of Scott’s trek to the South Pole. The map had a lot of detail, which was great, but we had to draw it to scale, taking care to keep the integrity of the map intact while fitting it into onto a round case-back. Recreating the map proved just as technical as making the art. After 3 weeks of redrafts and edits we had a rendering of the map that was to be engraved onto the case-back.

I must say—it is very satisfying to watch a project like this take shape, to see the finished watch in your hand looking better than envisioned. Currently, there is only one Terra Nova watch, but we may make a few more pieces. I miss this watch already, but I know it’s in good hands.

If you have an idea, let RGM help you make it a reality that will last for generations.


Roland Murphy and the RGM Team


Click here to read more about Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition