This object looks like a piece of jewellery, but it is in fact a watch, made to hang on a chain. The case is decorated with painted enamel, but when it is opened up, the watch face can be seen behind. It is no ordinary watch, but an astronomical one, with dials showing the months, the days of the week, the phases of the moon and the seasons.

 

Although it is very small, this watch is a status symbol, rather like an iPod today. The clockwork mechanism was made by an Englishman called Thomas Tompion who was the most famous clockmaker in Europe, but the case was made in Switzerland, where many skilled enamellers worked, providing the owner of the watch with the best of both worlds.

The workmanship is brilliant, given the size of the object. Every surface is decorated and it would have cost a great deal to buy. It was probably owned by a man, since the scene on the front of the case shows two lovers, Vertumnus and Pomona, who are from Roman mythology.

 

This watch would have been a prized personal possession for its original owner, and it continued to be so. It was bought in the 19th-century by Baron Anselm de Rothschild, who valued it so much he left it to his son Ferdinand, who later built Waddesdon Manor, which is where it is today.