The story
Waltham Watch Company, established in 1850 in Waltham, Massachusetts, was at one point one of the most productive watch companies on the planet; and one of their icons is the pocket watch.
These beautiful watches, prized for their reliability and craftsmanship, were widely used in industries like railroads, where accurate timekeeping was crucial and a mistake in timings could result in disastrous train crashes.
This piece has a beautiful porcelain dial, with elegant hour markers which had unfortunately cracked, was missing its crystal but had beautiful distinctive hands and a small seconds dial which gives a bit of charm.
To idea here was to use the subdial as another pocket watch, famously used by the “always late” white rabbit from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The subdial shows the seconds, meaning the rabbits watch will appear to pass time more quickly than the main watch, emphasising the time pressure.
Pocket watches of course are intended to be kept in the pocket, either or a waist coat or jacket, held on a chain. Modern fashion tending towards a more casual style favors the wrist watch. Of course recently non-smart wristwatches have faced at least one existential crisis and are often valued for their technical or decorative appeal. This watch will be intended to be worn as a pendant, so that both watch and painting can be visible and enjoyed, and hopefully to find a new use for the once fashionable and functional pocket watch