Watch with chain 1770 - 1780

This silver watch with chain was crafted by John Wilter, a London maker active in the late 18th century. The face of the watch features a stylized floral motif, almost reminiscent of a blooming flower, but also a wheel. We see this symbolism of the wheel across various epochs: think of the Buddhist Dharma wheel, representing the cycle of life and enlightenment, or the wheel of fortune, a medieval symbol of fate's capriciousness. The watch’s hands, relentlessly circling, speak to our own inescapable journey through time. Consider the psychological weight of such a symbol. Does this watch, with its inescapable reminder of time's passage, evoke anxiety? Or does it, perhaps, offer a sense of control, a means of quantifying and ordering our existence? The relentless, cyclical nature of time is a force that has been both a source of comfort and torment throughout history.