Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-29
THE FIRST WATCH MADE.
1T WAS ABOUT AS LARGE AS AN
ORDINARY DINNER PLATE.
Some of the Early Wonders of the Watch
makers Art-In.enious Gifts to Kings.
The Famous Timepiece Which Mary
Queen OF Scots Gave Her Maid.

Nuremburg, Bavaria, the European cradle
Of invention claims the digniied honor Of
being the birthplace Of the individual in
whose fertile brain the ''larum," or pocket
clock" revolved as thing Of fancy long be-
fore it became a material object OF beauty
and utility.
The first watch was a curiosity that could
be viewed in at least two different lights
It's wilderness of wheels was an everlasting
source Of wonder and amazement, whilo its
size was something awful TO contemplate;
some of the first measures as much "a nine
inches in diameter, or about the size Of com
mon dinner plate.
Think of carrying such thing in pocket
which the old Nurem burgers surely did, for
they called them pocket clocks
Great size was absolutely necessary, both
on account Of the makers inability 10 con-
struct any thing Of intricate or delicate work
manship and from the fact that weights
were used instead Of springs.
It was in 1477 that the old clocHInaker OF
Nuremberg finished the first of bis wonder
tul pocket clocks, after twenty-five months
of almost ceaseless labor.
Within seventy or eighty years after the In
vention of the pocket clock its use had spread
70 England; but, Of course, the carrying of
such oddities had not become general la the
accounts OF Edward VI, of England we find
mention Of the pocket timepi and also
the first recorded instance OF the Use Of the
word watch" The account, which bears
date Of l5j2, says that he had one larum
or watch Of iron, the case being Likewise Of
iron gilt, with two plummets Of lead
The writer OF the account goes On 20 say
that it was Of shs finest possible workman
snip; that 1t had an arm which pointed 70
figures on a brass dial. that one winding
every five hours was all that i. required to
keep il going finely and lastly that j; wa,
only SIX inches in diameter, being On that
account quite neat and handy" The arm"
mentioned was, without doubt, the little
pointer known nowadays as tie hand: bu,
note the fact that it had but one, and the. il
had 70 be wound FIVE times in trsn.y-four
hours In order TO keep il going finely
RARE LCxCKTEs
For more than two hundred years after
watches lad become part and parcel u The
royal psraphernaIia they were such rsrii4es
and the prices were % fabulous tia. fe~
could afford such lErurlss Before toe wa.1h-
making art had pasSs1 the frs: century
NILS post designers and constructors Of o<s1Iy
shaped tirDspiecss had become quite nnrae--
o9z- In $40, when the widow Diana. q.
Poic-aers. was the mistress Of Henry II, q
Francs, she was presented by tns coslrti~ys
with remarkable collection Of ezrior.siy
shapsd and strangely designed watches. Ots
II these, II shape Of coffin, wouid oniT rr1a
when Standing Oh toe ANAL cad or foys
q ia CHASTITY looking case. TIE erys
tai, which corrssgooded with the face
plsse II coffin, opened diryrtlT over $
ghosslT death bead ra.ch face, upon tbs
bocy cheeks, forensad and chin Of which
we're painted tie numerals indicating tks
hours II tee DAY.
inso the eEnpsy syezocksts one couh gaze
Ike into tie wells q despair AID - tSs
twisting. rritaing racssoa If tbs wheels. 4
pos TS-o.rDdsd from t5s S><hba< ncss .
which ~ax attached aa arm or hand "A Il
70 add 10 t1e genera! horror q the sLcls /
machine, To- zrfnnlng t<r.h slowly of,cnssd /
five minutes before TIE end q each boz-r AID /
cso~ss ~i;A iAs ofsning q toe hoag foilo~iag i
Lggubrfza s.5les s-s-s t. Asys bssa the ].