The state herald., 1892-03-25
THE FIRST WATCH MADE.
WHEN AND BY WHOM is A HIS
roRlcAL PUzzLE.
Its Namo In It's Early Days Was Pocket.
Clook.-Its Invention Claimed by
tho Ancient German city
of NurcmburG.

utOuCS uEO DCllCNCu Dy lllbtOIluuS
TO have boon used us early as 1470.
The word watch is derived from tho
Saxon w9ccan-to wake; tho Swedish
Yacht to watch, and the Danish vaght;
tho English watch has tho same mean.
ing taken. probably from the watch
OF the night The actual name in its
earliest days was pocket.clock. 1t
was the perfected invention OF tho
neurological science of many centuries
and included the sun-dial. the clepsydra
or water clock. tho hour or sand glass
and wheel clock. by actual gradations
OF experiments and skill.
The ancient German city Of Nurcm-
burg claims Tho invention of tho
pocket clock. says tho Detroit FREQ
Press, and it is fact that these first
clumsy watches were from their oval
shape called Nuremberg eggs and
that tho town was famous for their
production.
A noble Milaneso poet alludos TO
watches in n sonnet written by hlmin
l495. so that watches had thon reached
Italy. And that country has tried to
faston,the triumph of their invention
upon IA Florentine astronomer. but
without success. Tho Emperor Charles
", OF Spain, possessed u watch or. us
1t was then called, n small table. clock.
He amused himself with several OF
these in his retirement in the monas-
terry OF ST. Juste. II is said he could
not make them record tho time, and
one day he broke out in this impatient
moral reelection on his past conduct:
What an egregious fool must have
been TO have squandercd so much
blood and treasure in nn absurd at-
tempt to mike all mon, think alike
when cannot even mako few
watches keep timo together
Upon another occasion careless
monk entered his room and over
turned the timekoopors. Tho emperor
only smiled at the accident and snid
pleasantly:
II have been laboring for somc time
TO mako these clocks go together, and
now you have accomplished it in an
instant"
Watches wcre introduced into Eng
land during the reign OF Henry VIII,
who possessed n watch that went for
n week. A watch belonging to this
monarch was on exhibition in London
ut the worlds fair In 1851.
A large oval watch which was
owned by Mary Queen OF Sc6ts is still
in good order in the museum OF tho
Andcrsonian university. IL has II
mixed metal case like that OF n hunt
ing watch, aQd is much larger than
our present watches Tho dial plate
is deliberately engraved with the rep
rcscntation of some continental city.
The interior has cord OF cat-gut in
stead OF "A chain. Tho cat-gut is not
found in watches later than the six
toenth century.
given watch by Queen Mary Mt n
time when she wished TO caiolo him
into an approval OF her schemes II
Is OF octagonal oblong shape an inch
and u half in length and one and two
tenths in breadth. II has two eases
or lids which arc concavc silver
plates each opening by itself upon n
brass hinge. Under the upper lid is
tho brass front OF the watch with n
| sniali SILVER piui- -platc Iii Tie middle
The dial plate is only ninc.tcnths OF
an inch in diameter Under tho 9th
or case. or back. OF tho watch are
carved on tho brass plates those words
IN. forsaict Paris" The interior
seems 10 be disposed nearly In the
same mode us later watches 1t has
n crown cscapemcnt. Instead of the
chain of tho fusec there is fine therm
band. The balanco-whcel has no
spring.
The manufacture OF tiny watches,
so minute that they could bo worn In
ring, is mentioned rs early us 1900.
A musical watch now exhibited in
the St Petersburg Academy OF Science
performs n religious chant with scenic
nccompanlmonts 1t Is about the size
OF an egg. Within II is n representa-.
tion OF Christ with Roman scntinels on
watch, On pressing spring tho
stone rolls from tho tomb tho sonti.
nels fall down, the angels appear the
holy womon enter tho sopulcher and
the same chnnt which is sung in the
Greek church on Eastor Evo Is actually
performed. This watch was invented
by an ingenious Russian peasant dur.
ing the reign OF Catharint of Russin.
The silver clock watch OF the un-
fortunate king. Charles l.. Is still In
existence. II Is most olabOra,ely en-
grnyed with pastoral scenes on tho
dial and u border Of flowers aud Is n
very interesting relic OF that unhappy
monarch.