The watch, retrieved from the wreckage of a warship that sank off the coast of Scotland in 1643, was a mass of corroded metal when brought to the surface, but computed tomography scans reveal the exquisite workmanship inside.
Any parts made of steel, including the watch’s single hand as well as the studs and pins that originally held the mechanism together, have corroded away. But most of the components are brass, and in excellent condition… The top and bottom plates are held together by square-section Egyptian tapered pillars, first used around 1640. Other parts of the mechanism are engraved with a floral design. The clockface itself is marked in Roman numerals with what appears to be a fleur de lys on each half-hour, and an English rose in the centre.
Here you can view a video “flythrough” of the serial CT images.
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