Swiss Watch Found in 400-Year Old Chinese Tomb While some mysteries are occasionally solved, the majority tend to live on forever without the truth being revealed. One in the latter category concerns the recent discovery of a century-old Swiss watch discovered in an ancient Chinese tomb that has been sealed for more than 400 years. How did it get there? This is the question haunting the archaeologists who discovered the Swiss watch in an ancient tomb in Shangsi, southern China, they believed had not been opened since its occupant’s funeral, which occurred during the Ming Dynasty (15-16th centuries). The miniature watch, which is in the shape of a ring, is thought to be barely a century old. The mysterious timepiece was encrusted in mud and rock and had stopped at 10:06 am. On the back of the watch, the word, ‘Swiss’ is engraved. Its presence raises more questions than answers… like: Where did the watch come from? Could the watch/ring have been planted at the tomb, but if so, why and by whom? The known facts do not really help in this case. The Ming Dynasty did have its own unique age of watch making, but that does not explain why the word, ‘Swiss’ on the back of the watch is engraved in English. In Geneva, Switzerland, other languages were more common, namely French and German. In 1541 in Geneva, there was a ban on flashy jewelry, so the idea of a watch/ ring might make some sense, as a watch was considered practical and essential. Still, there is no record anywhere of ring/watches being popular in Europe until after 1780, which only deepens the mystery. The archaeologists were filming a documentary with two journalists when they made the puzzling discovery. The dig has been suspended and researchers are currently awaiting the arrival of some experts from Beijing to help them unravel this most unsettling mystery. Anyone know what time it is?
Phew.. Glad the back of the ring watch didn't have the word "Swatch" on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y
Interesting... maybe someone found the tomb beforehand and and lost the watch there. But, it's still strange. I guess it's going to be one of those odd mysteries.
Or maybe it was just a hoax. Wouldn't be the first time that someone tried something like that. On the other hand, it maybe it was the first of many Chinese knock offs?
Er... it was a watch ring. These things have been around for ages. Watch Ring from the Early 1900's, this one was designed for Doctors to use for measuring a patient's heart rate. Source (download PDF): Rings For The Finger From The Earliest Known Times To The Present, GFKunz, 1917, pg 352. Another view of the Watch Ring Assorted Watch Rings found available on EBay :biggthumpup: But, whether the ring supposedly found in the tomb is genuine or not is anyone's guess.
lol they talked bout this ages ago in so fab (903 hk radio show) apparently they think it was from the future ... :S
More than likely, someone had opened up the tomb about a century ago, dropped their ring, and resealed the tomb again. Since there isn't anything remotely like time travel, the most logical explanation is to question the veracity of the claim that the tomb has been sealed since Ming times. The next most logical explanation is that someone on the team that opened a sealed tomb, planted the item, and subsequently re- "discovered" it in front of other reliable witness sources. Inotherwords, an outright hoax. IMHO, this has got Piltdown written all over it. <_<
