Watch-Winder Fob
Its winding up to be a great Tiny Tuesday!
This ornate little artifact is an early Victorian gold-filled watch winder fob. The key is ornamented with bright cut engraving and a foliate band, surrounding a faux citrine gem. The key would have been attached to a chain or chatelaine, readily available for the owner to wind their pocket watch.
Pocket watches first emerged during the 16th century, allowing people to personally keep track of the time without needing a public clock. Yet pocket watches had their own drawback, as they needed to be wound and reset daily. Because of this, watch keys became a necessity. The keys were made from various metals and in an array of designs. Some were simple, while others featured jewels, engraving, and were even fashioned into elaborate shapes. By the mid-1800s, the pocket watch key began to decline in popularity.
In 1842, Adrien Philippe patented the first stem-wound pocket watch; instead of using a key, a small shaft, called the stem, was turned to wind the clock, with the knob at the top of the stem used to adjust the time. The stem-wind watch was commercialized by Patek, Philippe & Co. during the 1850s, signaling the end of the key-wound pocket watch.