Collecting antique watches and clocks holds a particular fascination for us because they mark our special days - our rites of passage - as no other object can. Those milestones in most people's lives which have great significance to both themselves and others - graduation, 21st birthday, retirement are often marked by the gift of a watch. The sociological aspect of ritualized behaviour, or Life in its 'Ordered" sense, is manifested in the importance man has always placed on his ability to measure the passing of time, and it is this sense of holding not only a beautiful timepiece in your hand, but a part of time itself, that makes collecting them so compelling.

Reflecting simultaneously the aesthetics and technology of their time, watches making easily portable collections of societies' achievements through history. Able to be concealed on one's person, they often became a form of travelling currency in times of hardships - small valuable items are much more easily traded across frontiers than the currency of one's own country during times of war or economic depression. Above all, they are worn close to the body and become clothing, man's most intimate form of artistic expression.

As most watches are small objects, they appeal to that sense of delight we take in the human facility to miniaturise, especially if our curiosity is heightened by the presence of mystery. Watches of the sixteenth century about with "secret doors", indeed they have an almost "Jack in the Box" quality of surprise. True to the principles of the Leisure Class, multiple coverings increased the opportunities for the watchmaker to embellish his creations with exquisite pierced goldwork and precious jewels; they became more than mere timepieces, they were elevated to the rank of a work of art. The unusual shapes which were created in the late sixteenth century were completely characteristic of their times, rarely appearing in subsequent periods. Seashells, tulips and other flowers, butterfly and insect shapes offered such variety that Elizabeth I selected her watches to complement each special costume.