Pocket Piece

As you may or may not have guessed from our punny clues yesterday, we have a pocket watch. Pieces of the device were found in Unit 83, which is inside the foundation of the Swann House. It was probably part of the trash and debris that was pushed into the basement by earth-moving equipment. Only the lid and 3 pieces of inner gears were recovered, but the lid has an 'R' scratched into it with another indistinguishable letter next to it .

Pocket watches were invented around the 16th century. The earliest models were square and somewhat larger than later circular ones. In the 17th century clockmakers became artists with distinct designs and signed their watches. In the last half of the 18th century the use of three hands became the industry standard, making telling time considerably more accurate. In the 19th century the manufacture of pocket watches was industrialized. The winder knob at the 'top' of the watched was also introduced around this period. After World War I, and the advent of wristwatches, pocket watches fade from popularity.

~Anne