Hillwood’s ‘On Time’ Exhibit Proves Punctuality Has Glamour

DC may be waiting for Spring to… spring, but the city also finds a more sumptuous sense of time unfolding at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. On view through June 14, 2026, “On Time: Giving Form to the Fleeting” is a polished, period-spanning parade of clocks, watches, and objets d’art that prove punctuality can be positively glamorous.

This is horology with hauteur. For the first time, Hillwood gathers its formidable assembly of 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century timepieces into one chronologically choreographed showcase.

The exhibition begins with a brisk but brainy primer on early timekeeping, from antiquity to the Renaissance, before ticking forward into the centuries when craftsmanship and culture collided in spectacular style.

The 18th and 19th centuries steal the spotlight. As Rococo rooms reveled in ornament and Neoclassical salons sought symmetry, clocks kept pace, designed to harmonize with gilded drawing rooms and grand domestic schemes. A stately long-case clock commands attention, while minutely detailed, bejeweled watches crafted from precious metals and punctuated with pearls and gems showcase opulence for a waistcoat or wrist.

Here, gears and gems coexist, each tick a testament to technical virtuosity. And jewelry houses turned time into treasure. Masterworks by Fabergé shimmer with imperial extravagance, while refined designs from Cartier and Tiffany & Co. showcase the marriage of mechanics and magnificence.

The 20th century introduces a sleeker sensibility. During the lifetime of founder Marjorie Merriweather Post, modern minimalism gained momentum, functional clocks became more widely accessible, and in 1953 the digital clock decisively disrupted the decorative dominance of its analog ancestors. The exhibition’s final galleries contemplate our present-day predicament: a life lived by glowing screens and split-second updates, balanced against a renewed reverence for traditional watchmaking and horology’s role in contemporary art.

“On Time” is a reminder that before time was texted, tapped, and timestamped, it was chased, cherished, and exquisitely crafted.