Swiss Watch found in 400 year old tomb

A new oopart I just ran across

Annanova - Watch in 400 year old Tomb

Article includes a picture of the watch.

Is it just me or does that look like its one tiny watch? The small size of it almost makes it look like replica of a watch..

I've been looking but haven't found anymore on this yet.

They were obviously wrong about the tomb being "undisturbed". Obviously somebody beat them too it.

It said in the article the watch was a ring.

[edit on 12/15/2008 by Blaine91555]

Time travelers. That's the most obvious answer to this mystery. Somebody went back in time at least 400 years and lost their watch ring. It could have been much longer than 400 years. The time traveler could be from the distant future, and happened to own an antique watch, or the watch had been kept in the past as a mystery object for who knows how long before it was buried in the tomb.

reply to post by Nohup


Pfff, time travelers?

Its obvious that the Swiss had watch making technology back then.....and the Chinese had technology to make those crappy fake Swiss watches they sell

Originally posted by Nohup
Time travelers.

Yeah, I'd say that's the most obvious answer to this mystery!

That is one of the smallest watches ive seen, and it looks like its been there for quite some time. Could it be since the Nazi´s were opening all tombs in search of ancient artifacts?

Originally posted by Frogs
Is it just me or does that look like its one tiny watch? The small size of it almost makes it look like replica of a watch..

"We picked up the object, and found it was a ring. After removing the covering soil and examining it further, we were shocked to see it was a watch."

It was a ring watch So it's 'normal' size... Mind you that must be some fantastic craftsmanship - if it is clockwork, 400 years ago was a great era for clockwork, but it could easily be more modern and lost somehow. Could be priceless.

Edit.. hold up.

Local experts say they are confused as they believe the tomb had been undisturbed since it was created during the Ming dynasty 400 years ago.

Ming dynasty 400 years ago?? Thats some dodgy reporting! Or a typo - interesting....

[edit on 15/12/2008 by Now_Then]

Originally posted by Now_Then

Originally posted by Frogs
Is it just me or does that look like its one tiny watch? The small size of it almost makes it look like replica of a watch..

Ming dynasty 400 years ago?? Thats some dodgy reporting! Or a typo - interesting....

[edit on 15/12/2008 by Now_Then]

The Ming Dynasty (Chinese: 明朝; pinyin: Míng Cháo), or Empire of the Great Ming (traditional Chinese: 大明國; simplified Chinese: 大明国; pinyin: Dà Míng Guó), was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by Nohup
Time travelers. That's the most obvious answer to this mystery. Somebody went back in time at least 400 years and lost their watch ring. It could have been much longer than 400 years. The time traveler could be from the distant future, and happened to own an antique watch, or the watch had been kept in the past as a mystery object for who knows how long before it was buried in the tomb.

That's no watch ring. That is clearly the watch of time traveling elves. Sheesh! Get it right, nohup .

Kudos to Armitron for making a timepiece that truly withstands the test of time.

I expect to see this story used in all of their new ads.

Or, did someone just get a $5 Chinese knock off and say its from the tomb?
To try and get more for it on eBay?
I think we might see many more tomb watches around soon.

the Chinese will copy anything.

some time traveler was waring a watch and the chinese saw it and the next thing you had were Chinese counterfeits watch rings.

since they did not take it apart they just made look a like rings that looked just like watches

OK Ok

Now
"Spoken in Ricky Ricardo voice"

Somebodys got sum splaning to do!

Originally posted by hikix

Originally posted by Nohup
Time travelers.

Yeah, I'd say that's the most obvious answer to this mystery!

It's Occam's Razor. Or Sherlock Holmes. I forget which. "Once you eliminate all the mundane explanations, the remaining explanation, no matter how nutty, is the correct one."

Makes me wonder who originally worked the site, and didn't leave any records of the digs.
Also makes me wonder what they may have made off with.

Why would there be "SWISS" being written on the back of the watch? The swiss speak either german, french, italian or romanic. English??? Their national pride 400 years ago would choose one of their mother languages. HOAX!!!

[edit on 15-12-2008 by Benarius]

Well if you look at the time line given (1368-1644) for the Ming Dynasty and the age of the tomb (approx 400 years) then it's possible that watch has been there for that long. Like mentioned above that time period was a unique age in watchmaking.

In 1541, reforms implemented by Jean Calvin and banning the wear of jewels, forced the goldsmiths and other jewellers to turn into a new, independent craft : watchmaking.

By the end of the century, Genevan watches were already reputed for their high quality, and watchmakers created in 1601 the Watchmakers' Guild of Geneva, the first to be established anywhere.

So just on the surface we do have the Ming Dynasty and a highly skilled set of watch makers in Geneva 400 years ago.

And in my opinion the ban of flashy jewelry in 1541 might have given them a reason to put a watch on a ring in the time frame given 1541-1600. After all a watch was considered a practical and essential tool.

Originating in the sixteenth century, ring-watches became newly fashionable after 1780.

What I mean to say is it's remotely possible it's hundreds of years old.

sou rce


[edit on 15-12-2008 by beaverg] *edited for links, quotes, and paragraphs*

[edit on 15-12-2008 by beaverg]

Originally posted by RuneSpider
Makes me wonder who originally worked the site, and didn't leave any records of the digs.
Also makes me wonder what they may have made off with.

What grave/tomb robbers where a finger ring watch?


Those things are so cheesy maybe the Swiss company was so embarrassed they tried to hide it in the hardest place to find so nobody remembers them making them and along came this NooB and now the secret hiding place is out.

[edit on 15-12-2008 by SLAYER69]

Fascinating. It's a modern style of watch -- by which I mean it's not 16th or 17th century work. (Too "plain" looking for that era, where the Swiss began making watches in response to prohibitions against wearing jewellery. So they got around it by making beautiful-looking and very elegant watches. True story!) So, being a modern type of watch, it's a bit of a puzzle how long it's actually been there. Either it's not been too many years or there's some kind of time anomaly as some have suggested. Errrm... Assuming that the story is true, that is. It's in several places on the Web now but it's just the same story, word for word, with no additional info I've been able to find. Be nice to see if there's any follow-up on it.

Okay, assuming for now that the story is genuine...how do you lost a ring watch? It's more difficult to lose a ring than just have a watch band break. (I know some will have anecdotal stories of losing rings but I'm just speaking generally.) Or, was it put there by tomb robbers in the not-too-distant past just to mess around with a bunch of scientists whom they knew were due to show up soon? Unlikely, but hey, it takes all kinds...

By the way, though this thread is in the "Ancient and Lost Civilizations" section, should it be in "Ancient and Lost Property"?

Just kidding...

Mike

reply to post by Benarius

I quite agree that 400 years ago, the Swiss would most likely have used one of their native languages if they were going to inscribe a watch. Seeing as in those days their timepieces, clocks and watches were all pretty much made by hand, they definitely wouldn't just inscribe "Swiss" on the back. But the watch is modern. There is no way that is a design from 400 years ago.

As for it being hoax, it might be if the original report itself is a hoax and there is no such team of scientists who found a watch ring in a tomb. If, however, the report is accurate, it could mean that the scientists have been tricked. In that case, the story isn't a hoax but a report of an event that may turn out to be a hoax.

On the other hand, it just might be one of those odd things that will remain unexplained, either temporarily or permanently.

Main thing is, it's not a hoax by the OP. The OP is only reporting something found on the web, for which he (or she?) has my thanks.




[edit on 15/12/08 by JustMike]