Men's Watch c. 1727 - 1750

Peter Harmsen crafted this men's watch out of metal sometime in the mid-18th century. During this era, watches were more than mere instruments for telling time; they were potent symbols of status and masculinity. Consider the implications of wearing such an item. For whom was time a marker of social position or of economic power? For those tracking time at sea, or in service of the burgeoning merchant class, time had a different valence than the agricultural rhythms of the rural poor. Watches from this period are not only objects of utility but also tell us a lot about gendered expectations and social hierarchies. Who was afforded the luxury of marking time, and what did that signify about their place in the world? This watch allows us to meditate on the experience of time itself, who controls its measure, and how it defines our lives.