Time Pieces

This article first appeared in IMCoS Journal 1993; Summer 2003; pp. 55-57. Revised December 2021.

 

I know that besides collecting maps, charts and atlases many collectors also accumulate a wide variety of Cartofacts', i.e. strange and unusual objects that have a map/chart connection. There have been several articles on various unusual objects in previous editions of the IMCoS Journal.

My own fascination is with watches. I can hardly resist a watch with a map motif if the price is not astronomical. In the course of the last ten years, I have managed to pick up about the same number of watches, each with a map motive, and a clock. 

A wall clock probably started the ball rolling (or should I say the clock ticking). My wife saw the reproduction of Bowles and Carver's `England Bewitched' turned into a clock at a market stall in Covent Garden and that became my next Christmas present (Fig. 1). Bowles and Carver's print, one of a series, was produced 1794. The clock is somewhat more recent!

My watches can be put into groups: 1. Fossil (Figs. 2 & 3); 2. Fossatti (Figs. 4 & 5); 3. `freebies' (Figs 6, 7 & 8); and 4. cheap market stall time pieces (Figs. 9, 10 & 11). The first group comprises those produced by an American watch company called Fossil. The watches by this company are very popular in Europe and I believe they enjoy a good reputation. The watches are not very expensive, averaging about 70 Euro/Dollars. I have three Fossil watches. The first has two separate watch faces within the dial against a map of north and south America. The second has only one dial but a similar background (not the same and sadly the hour hand is detached); and the third is a map of the United Kingdom and Ireland (but only Great Britain written on the face with the Union Jack; not shown). This last must have been produced as a mini-series as I know a map of Germany (which I had, but unfortunately lost!) was also manufactured but each country was apparently only on sale in its 'own' land.

 

A quick browse on the internet located a large number of this type of watch with American motifs. A few are north America or Central America but there also seem to be several of states of the USA; Texas and Washington DC came up frequently.

Fossatti, I am led to believe, is the Fossil 'cheap version'. They have different frames to the Fossil watches. One shows a large liner in the lower part with a world map (Africa central) in brown in globe representation. The second shows north and south America with the hands fixed somewhere in the Yucatan Basin with a sea monster and galleon also depicted.

My advertising gimmick watches, or so-called 'freebies', are perhaps my favourites. The first was given out to delegates at a conference and has `EUMETSAT POLAR SYSTEM' around the frame and 'EPS/METOP' on the face. The map is harder to identify as the illustration is of a satellite passing over the Earth's surface and what I make out to be the part of north America skirting the Gulf of Florida in the background. EUMET is an association concerned with weather satellites and is based in Darmstadt, Germany.

The other two give-away watches were both obtained from Stern magazine. In 1998 and 1999 they ran advertising campaigns for their magazine and by subscribing for 12 weeks one was presented with a free watch. One of these is a typical 'diver's' watch in style with fake moveable outer dial and a world map on its face, the second has a map of Germany on the face and is very different in design, the date being shown as well as the time.

 

Finally, I have two watches which I bought extremely cheaply; and one that may have been another “freebie”. The first was bought in a typical neighbourhood gas station: The shop section had a watch rack with each watch on sale for about 12 Euro/Dollars. It is cheaply made and the map is extremely crude and painted onto the face. The firm that made it is Image. The second was bought in a local Turkish store. There are many of these in Germany and they sell all sorts of goods at very low prices. The watch I purchased again has a map of north and south America and is inscribed what looks to be 'AMERICA 1092' (sic). I presume it actually reads 1992 and was an attempt to cash in on 500 years since Columbus' rediscovery of the Americas for Europeans. The final time piece in my collection is actually quite an attractive one with a map of the European Union surrounded by 12 stars. This was another favourite and was worn quite often.

It must be admitted that none of the watches is a great piece of engineering, all have quartz movement and are battery-operated and at least two do not actually work. The maps themselves are always simplistic but as a sideline to my `serious' collection I find it fun to browse in stores for the odd watch. My only problem is deciding which one to wear in the morning. And there's the rub! I hate wearing watches at work. As soon as I get into the classroom, the watch is put on the table!

The ten watches shown here are for sale: the complete collection (with no guarantee they all work - but most are, or were, in working order) for €100 with €20 postage world wide including tracking and insurance to €50 or free postage to EU countries.