Pocket watch 1895 - 1905

Editor: Here we have a gold pocket watch, crafted between 1895 and 1905 by the Firm of Breguet et Fils. It's currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m struck by how luxurious it appears, a sign of status and precision. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: It's tempting to just admire the gold, but let's think about what that gold *means*. Consider the mines it came from, the labor involved in extracting and refining it, the social structures that made such an object possible. Gold wasn't merely "valuable"—its value was created and maintained through very specific and often exploitative systems. Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn’t fully considered. I was just seeing it as a pretty object. Curator: Exactly. And think about the firm of Breguet. What kind of specialized labor went into creating the delicate clockwork mechanisms within? Skilled artisans, working under specific economic conditions, creating a product for a select consumer base. The decorative arts weren’t just “decorative.” Editor: So, by examining the materials and their production, we can uncover deeper social and economic relationships? Curator: Precisely. This watch isn’t just a time-telling device or a sculpture. It’s a materialized symbol of power, of access, of a very particular historical moment fueled by industrial growth and unequal labor practices. Its form is directly related to the forces and relations of production at the time. Editor: That completely reframes how I see it. I’m less focused on its aesthetic beauty and more aware of its historical weight. Curator: And hopefully, it encourages us to critically examine the material world around us, understanding how things are made and for whom. Editor: I never thought a pocket watch could reveal so much. It makes you wonder about the stories behind all objects, big and small.