Now imagine living in a time when there were no screens. Some had a mechanical clock but this literal “time machine” would be quite loud. How would you fall asleep again if every tick of the clock is like the irritating sound of a leaky faucet? Easy to ignore at first, but it can keep you up all night.
In the middle of the 17th century, Pope Alexander VII commissioned a watch that was silent, since he was plagued by sleeplessness. To the rescue came three brothers from Rome, all belonging to the Campani family. As skilled craftmen they came up with the “wandering hours” complication, which allowed the watch to be silent and where the time display was lit up from the back with a candle.
Knowing where the wandering hours complication came from, the following watch will appear like an absolute spaceship to you.
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