The idea and first steps to establish the Haegsche Tijd Foundation (SHT) had emerged during 2017. Here is a brief overview to its inception.

Museum thought

Mr Antoon Gaemers - certified watch expert - had been nurturing plans to set up a clock museum in The Hague for some 20 years. An initial plan was presented to the Municipality of The Hague in 1997 by architect Rainer Bullhorst. Unfortunately, these plans did not yield the desired result at the time. In his opinion, many collections exist in the Netherlands, which once brought together could form an impressive museum. Jeroen Trimbos - architect by birth - had been in contact for some years with the Stichting Tijdmeetkundige Collectie Nederland (STCN), which manages interesting horological collections, including the one on display until a few years ago at the then clock museum in Schoonhoven. Together with Joost Albers - an enthusiast in the field of timepieces - Jeroen has been working concretely from early 2016 as a "quartermaster" to bring these STCN collections to The Hague. And not surprisingly, a little later Antoon joined the "quartermasters".

Use of Huygens Hall

From 9 May 2017, the Huygenszaal was inaugurated at the Venduehuis der Notarissen in The Hague. This Huygenszaal is headed by Antoon Gaemers, who is associated with the Venduehuis as an ambassador and mechanical clock expert. The purpose of this Huygens Room is to familiarise people with the origins and development of clocks and watches over the centuries. Advice can also be sought on valuations, repairs, sales or how to bring timepieces to auction.

Exhibitions and lectures

Organising small-scale exhibitions and lectures on the phenomenon of time, for example, the three "quartermasters" also saw the Huygens Room as a prelude to their museum ambition. To give these activities a structured framework, work was then carried out from September 2017 to establish the Haegsche Tijd Foundation. A treasurer was found in the person of Jochem Beekhuizen - accountant - and Marjolein Larive-Bonsen - lawyer - completed the board.

The deed was passed before the notary on 31 January 2018.

Objectives of the Haegsche Tijd Foundation

The statutes describe the purpose of the SHT as follows:

(a) To preserve and develop the heritage Historical Hague timepieces and their makers through collection building'
(b) Promoting general and specific Hague timekeeping knowledge through education and exhibitions,
(c) Promoting understanding of the many facets of the phenomenon of "time" and the foundations of our current understanding of time,
d) Cooperation with governments, other institutions and market players in order to promote The Hague as a "city of time",
e) The performance of all further actions, which are related to or may be conducive to the above in the broadest sense.