Wertz Gallery: Gems And Jewelry

Pittsburgh ketchup and sauce magnate H.J. Heinz (1844-1919) amassed an extensive collection of timepieces during his lifetime. These chronometers offer an array of incredible artistry and amazing mechanical ingenuity.

Through this collection, it is possible to study the evolution of watches as machines, tracing the steps in development from portable sundial to more modern sophisticated mechanical watches. Examples include a gold mechanical "repeating watch" with figures that strike the hour; a watch owned by Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar; and a music box watch with a feathered singing bird.

The Heinz Collection is regarded as one of the most important timepiece collections in the United States. H.J. Heinz donated the collection to Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1917.

A total of 28 watches will be on display in Wertz Gallery.

History of Watchmaking

Though watchmaking originated in Germany, the craft soon advanced in France, and by 1600 was a flourishing Gallic industry.

The earliest watches were fitted with only one hand, which indicated the hour. The subdivisions of the hour were roughly calculated by the position of this hand between the points marking the hours. The figures were often raised, and many of the earlier watches were provided with a knob above each numeral so that the time could be told in the dark by feeling.

Watches with two hands did not appear until somewhat later, and it was not until the middle of the seventeenth century that dials painted in enamel became the fashion for the most costly watches. Shortly afterwards, dials of gold and silver featuring figures in relief came into vogue.

At this time, watches were expensive and could only be owned by the very wealthy. The extravagance of dress in the Elizabethan period was clearly evident in watches. Gold and other precious metals, crystal, tortoise-shell, and enamel were lavishly used to decorate watch cases. Only the most skillful artists were employed to make them. As a glass watch face had not yet come into general use, many of the watches had double or pair-cases. These outer cases had no connection with the watch proper, but was a box in which the watch was carried.

The mechanical skill of the Swiss began to reveal itself in the manufacture of watches. In modern times, Switzerland became the recognized center of the industry, a status it enjoys to this day. -- www.cmoa.org