Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-10-04
TIE FIRST WATCH MADE.
1T WAS ABOUT AS LARGE AS AN
ORDINARY DINNER PLATE.

Some of the Early Wonders of the Watch
makers Art-Ingenious Gifts to Kings.
The Famous Timepiece Which Mary
Queen of Scots Gave Her Maid.
Nuremberg, Bavaria, the European cradle
of invention, claims the dignified honor of
being the birthplace of the Individual in
whose fertile brain the ''larum," or ''pocket
clock" revolved as a thing of fancy long be-
fore it became material object of beauty
and utility.
The first watch was a curiosity that could
be viewed in at least two different lights.
Its wilderness of wheels was an everlasting
source of wonder and amazement, while its
size was something awful to contemplate;
some of the first measures as much as nine
inches in diameter, OF about the size of a COM
mon dinner plate.
Think of carrying such thing in pocket
which the old Nuremburgers surely did, for
they called them 'pocket clocks"
Great size was absolutely necessary, both
on account of the makers inability to con
strucr anything of intricate or delicate work
manship and from the fact that weights
were used instead of springs.
1t was in 1477 that the old clockmaker of
Nuremberg finished the first of his wonder
full ''pocket clocks, after twenty -two months
of almost ceaseless labor.
Within seventy OF eighty years after the in
vention of the ''pocket clock'' its use had spread
to England; but, of course, the carrying of
such oddities had not become general. In the
accounts of Edward VI, of England, we find
mention of the pocket timepiece, and also
the first recorded instance of the use of the
word watch" The account, which bears
date of 1862, says that he chad one 1arum
or watch of iron, the case being likewise of
iron gilt, with two plummets of lead"
The writer of the account goes on to say
that it was of the finest possible workman
ship; that it had an "arn1" which pointed to
figures on a brass dial; that one winding
every five hours was all that it required to
keep it going finely" and lastly that it was
only six inches in diameter, "being on that
account quite neat and handy" The farm"
mentioned was, without doubt, the little
pointer known nowadays as the hand; but
note the fact that it had but one, and that it
had to be wound five times in twenty-four
hours in order to keep it ''going finely"
| RARE LUXURIES.
For more than two hundred years after
watches had become part and parcel of the
royal paraphernalia they were such rarities
and the prices were SO fabulous that few
could afford such luxuries. Before the watch
making art had passed the first century
mile post designers and constructors of oddly
shaped timepieces had become quite numer-
GUS. In 1910, when the Widow Diana, of
Poictiers, was the mistress of Henry II, Of
France, she was presented by the courtiers
with a remarkable collection of curiously
shaped and strangely designed watches One
of these, in shape of coffin, would only run
when standing on the small end or foot
of its CHASTITY looking case The crys-
| tal which correspondent with the face
plate of a coffin, opened directly over a
ghostly death head watch face, upon the
bony cheeks, forehead and chin of which
were painted the numerals indicating the
hours Of the day.
Into the empty eyesockets one could gaze
like into the wells of despair and see the
twisting, writing motion of the wheels. A
post protruded from the fieshless nose to
which was attached an arm or hand. As if
to add to the general horror of the whole
machine, the grinning teeth slowly opened
five minutes before the end of each hour and
closed with the opening of the hour following
Lugubrious styles seem to have been the
fashion of the day, her entire collection be-
ing comprised of watches in such shapes as
skulls, coffins, etc. Besides being fashioned
into various uncanny shapes many of the
collection were provided with panoramic
views Of hell, Ia Dante's Inferno" Col
Letting watches was not confined to royalty
of continental Europe alone, but was also a
great fad among the aristocracy of the Brit
| iSh isles.
| LIKE SKULL
In 1857 Mary Queen of Scots presented her
maid, Mary Letoun, with the famous Me
mento Mori," silver watch of rare work
manship, shaped like skull. This famous
relic is still in existence and was on exhibit
bition at the Peterborough England exhi-
bition, which was held in memory of the
three bundredth anniversary of the execu-
ton and burial of Mary. A description of
the relic can best be given in the language
of one of the many letter writer's who saw it
| upon the occasion mentioned.
THE watch" says the writer, "has silver
casing in form of skull, which separates at
the jaws so as to expose the dial, which is
also of silver, occupying about the position of
the palate and is fixed in golden circle with
the hours in Roman letters. The movement
appropriately occupies the place of the brains,
DuO Is luClOSeu III q Dtlij UI0 uOl1OW Oh
the skull, which bell is struck by the hammer
to sound the hours. The case is highly orna-
mented with fine engravings, showing on the
front of the skull, Death, standing between a
cottage and palace; in the rear is Time, de-
vouring all things, on one side of the upper
part of the skull are Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden, with the serpent tempting
Eve; on the opposite side the scenes of the
| CT +oI al
or lid is the holy family in the stable, with
| the infant Jesus in the manger and angels adj
ministering to him. In the distance are the
shepherds with their focks, etc." The case
and works are said to be in as good repair
now as they were 800 years ago, when the
Queen of Scots placed it in the hands of her
favorite of the four Marys who were her
maids of honor.
The invention Of the watch dates but llO
years before the death of the Queen of Scots,
for her collection contained many rare exam
Piles of the jewelers. skill She had watches
in the lids of her snuff and perfume boxes, in
the pommels of her saddles, in the heads of
hair pins and in various other unlocked for
places.
Charles v after his retirement from the
throne to monastery, became a watch col
lector and spent great deal of his time in
vain attempts to make his watches correspond
with each other in the matter of timekeeping.
A monk who had entered the cell of Charles
to pay him a friendly visit accidentally upset
the table upon which the collection was al
ranged, whereupon Charles cried with de-
light: 'Ahal you have accomplished that
which | have spent years trying. You have
made them all so together. John M. Wright
in ST. Louis Republic.
Anecdotes of the Prince of Wales.
Stephen Fiske gives in his "Half a Life, -
published in The American Musician, remi-
niscences of the Prince of Wales and the St.
James theatre, London. After the perform
ance of "La Belle Savage" the prince in
vited Mrs. John Wood into the room reserved