This object was discovered in December 2008 by a team of Chinese archaeologists when they were excavating a 400-year-old Ming dynasty grave. The Si Qing tomb located in Shangsi County had been sealed off four centuries ago so you can imagine the surprise the archaeologists had when they discovered a small metal object that wasn’t supposed to be there.They believed they were the first to visit the Ming dynasty grave in Shangsi, southern China, since its occupant’s funeral.
But inside they uncovered a miniature watch in the shape of a ring marked ‘Swiss’ that is thought to be just a century old.The mysterious timepiece was encrusted in mud and rock and had stopped at 10:06 am.There is still much that is unknown about the story of the Swiss watch in China.
Was the tiny artifact an actual working mechanism with gears, and moving hands? Or was it simply a mold or pressing of a watch face into metal?
Ring-watches, fashionable jewelry pieces, are not unheard of but they were not popular until after 1780 in Europe. In 1588 Queen Elizabeth I is reputed to have worn a special ring-watch with a protrusion which would scratch her finger as a clever “alarm”. Additionally, in 1755 Caron, a Parisian watchmaker created a ring-watch that was wound with a key. However, this is all academic, as the ring-watches were not known to be in vogue during the Ming Dynasty,
WatchBazar thinks this strange find is evidence of time travelers leaving objects behind while it could also be a hoax. Maybe the future holds the key to this mystery but we definitely conclude that “If Its Still Ticking ….Has To Be Swiss” 🙂
