Tolling the time

Press, 24 September 1983, Page 17

Tolling the time

In this modern world of instant electric light and self-illuminated digital timepieces, it is difficult to imagine the frustrations of the eighteenth century, when to find out the time during the hours of darkness, flint and steel had to be located, a spark struck, and a candle lighted, before a clock or

watch face could be read. In these circumstances a clock or watch which could repeat the time was a very popular addition to the household, so that by the early part of the nineteenth century thousands of repeating watches had been produced in Europe.

A repeating watch would sound the hours and quarters on steel gongs coiled around the watch movement, the usual design being two gongs of differing tones. With a push of the pendant, or a slide on the side of the case, the mechanism was wound and repeated the time on the unwinding. The base gong

would sound the hours, and strokes on the two gongs alternatively would sound each quarter.

More sophisticated types could sound the quarters, five minutes, or in the ultimate a watch could sound the time to the nearest minute.

While developing these practical improvements, watch-makers also turned their skills to the field of visual entertainment in the form of little figures on the dial which would perform various actions, most commonly striking bells in time to the repeating chimes, as in the example illustrated.

Also made at this period were fully automated watches with elaborate scenes in enamel which worked during the repeating action or when music was playing. These had rural scenes with waterfalls, domestic scenes with mother and her spinning wheel, the blacksmith and his anvil, or even barking dogs.

The invention of musical works towards the end of the eighteenth century allowed these automaton watches full scope. Many beautiful enamelled examples have survived.

One such is the Canterbury Museum specimen illustrated, an extremely rare table model of a Jaquemart repeating watch fitted to a stand, comprising a halfspherical “skirt" decorated with painted enamel and mounted on four silver-gilt claw feet enriched with translucent enamel, as are the paired male figures bearing aloft the watch movement.

The glazed front shows the quarter repeating work with its automata in the form of angels, and the back is enamelled both inside and out with allegorical scenes, which are repeated in the four vignettes on the skirt.

This fine watch is probably Swiss, made about 1810, and forms part of the James Jamieson collection presented to Canterbury Museum in 1917.

By GEORGE £ 1 FOSTER *