The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-04-12
SOME CURIOUS WATCHES.
Queen Elizabeth and Mary of Scot
land Had Remarkable Timepieces.

land Had Remarkable I1mep1eceS.
Two of the most elaborate and Gu
rious watches which the world has
ever seen belonged to Queen Elizabeth
and her unfortunate contemporary,
Mary, Queen of Scots. Good Queen
Bess had a watch made for her in the
form of a duck, with beautifully
chased feathers, the lower part Of
which opened The face was of silver
with an elaborate gilt design. and the
whole was kept in a case Of brass, COW
cred with black leather thickly stud
ded with big silver knobs.
The Inflated Mary was the possessor
of a watch in the form of a skull. The
dial was introduced where the palate
should have been and the works occu-
pied the place of brains in the era
mum. In the hollow of the skull.
moreover, was a bell, which had works
of it's own and by means of which a
hammer struck out the hours upon it.
One of the choicest rarities of the
Bernal collection was a book-shaped
watch. This curious time Indicator
was made by order of Bogislaus XIV,
Duke of Pomerania, in the time of
Gustavus Adolphus. On the face of
the book where the dial of the watch
is set there is an engraved inscription
of the duke and his titles and armorial
bearings, together with the date, 1927.
On the back the engravings are also
very finely and skillfulIy executed,
among them being the portraits of two
gentlemen of the seventeenth century.
The dial plate is of silver. chased in
relief, while the inSides are beautifully
chased with figures of birds and foil
age. The watch has two separate
movements and a large, sweet-tOned
bell. At the back, over this bell. the
metal is ornamentally pierced in cir
Gle, with a dragon and other devices,
while the sides are pierced and en-
graved with a complicated design of
beautiful scroll work
Watches often suffer from change of
temperature. After a watch has been
Worn next to a warm body all day it
should not be left over night on cold
marble or near an open window. The
cold is likely to contract the metal
pivots, and, however slightly, tighten
UP the works. The next morning, for
no apparent reason, ones watch will
be found to be losing time.
1t frequently happens that watches
are slightly magnetized by static cleo
tricity given off the human body. 1t
has been found that dark people are
more likely to exert this influence
over their watches. This influence is.
besides, more common among women
than with men. Persons of this sort
can never hope to carry the correct
time unless they carry their watches
in rubber or steel cases.
Never lay watch down for the
night in horizontal position, says the
Boston Herald. 1t should always he
hung vertically. as it is carried during
the day. If the pivot of the balance
wheel is in the least worn this change
of position tends to loosen the 'cap
jewel"
Everyone has had a watch stop for
no apparent reason. and go on again
when slightly shaken This may me-
happen once a year, but all watches
are liable to such an accident. This
is done usually by the catching of the
delicate hair spring. 1t is caused by
some sudden movement such as Jump
ing on or off a car. The jolt must
come at the exact fraction to catch so
that the chances of such an accident |
are very rare.
A watch should be oiled every eigh- .
teen months: the oil dries up in this
time as a rule. and if the mechanism
be run with the oil dry it will quickly .
wear out
In examining watch all jewelers.
follow the same plan. They first look
to see if the hands are caught: if the,
fault lies deeper they next take out I
The balance wheel and examine the (
pin and pivot Next they let down
the handspring and examine the
wheels. 1t sometimes happens that a
ieweler will not find the cause of the
trouble for days. The most difficult
disaster to locate is a slight burr on .
'ne of the wheels.
A watch should be wound early in
he day. and not, as is the common
practice, at bedtime. The reason for
his is that the spring is then tightest
turing the day. while the watch is he
ng carried, and is less sensitive to
Citing. AT night. when a watch is
1t rest. weak spring has no effect
All watches are compasses. point
he hour hand to the sun and tba
outh is exactly half way between the
lour and the figure XII on the
watch.
There exists nowhere ON earth
more beauteous thing than a SOM in
q ~ Wi i. GN.~.l