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.