DAVID ROONEY
AUTHOR
“For fifteen years I’ve helped to run the Antiquarian Horological Society, an international society of time enthusiasts – which every wristwatch fan should join! It was founded around a London dinner table in October 1953 by some of the brightest horological luminaries of the age. It was a time of great change: quartz clocks were replacing pendulums; the atomic clock was two years away; and the electric wristwatch was just around the corner. Seven decades have passed since that meeting. I often imagine being able to sit at the table and hear what they all had to say.”
Author and Curator, David Rooney has dedicated three decades to the history of timekeeping and technology. He began his career in 1995 at the Science Museum in London, later becoming the Curator of Timekeeping at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. David’s expertise spans the history of transport, technology, and engineering, culminating in his role as Keeper of Technologies and Engineering at the Science Museum until he went freelance in 2018.
His acclaimed book, About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks, published in 2021, delves into the profound impact of timekeeping on human civilization. David’s earlier biography of Ruth Belville, The Greenwich Time Lady, received high praise for its engaging narrative and historical insight. He has also contributed to publications like Vanity Fair on Time, Monocle, and The Patek Philippe International Magazine.
David holds a doctorate in historical geography and has been a Council Member of the Antiquarian Horological Society since 2009. He also chairs the society’s Electrical Horology Group and is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. His next book, The Big Hop, exploring the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic, is set for publication in 2025.