Hidden Message Inside Lincoln's Pocket Watch

Two watchmakers managed to engrave secret messages inside President Lincoln's watch. It seems even the watchmakers were divided during the Civil War.

Jonathan Dillon, an Irish immigrant and a watchmaker, was repairing Lincoln's watch at the time when he heard the news that Fort Sumter was attacked. So he unprofessionally dared to scratch in some of his personal writings on the watch of a very important client. The message reads as follows:


Jonathan Dillon April 13, 1861. Fort Sumter was attacked by the rebels on the above date. J Dillon
April 13, 1861 Washington Thank God we have a government. Jonth Dillon

Then another watchmaker came a few years later and wrote his counter message:

L.E. Grofs Sept 1864 Wash D.C.
Jeff Davis

The messages are cleverly etched on the back of the movement, so when the dial is assembled back in, nobody really can see them.

These messages were only rediscovered after Dillon's descendent, Doug Stiles, contacted the Smithsonian about his family legend. An elderly watchmaker named George Thomas did an honor of reopening the watch on March 10th, 2009, while Dillon's descendent and others excitedly waited to witness "the moment of truth".

President Lincoln probably would never have known that his watchmakers had intentionally damaged his watch, or that the name Jeff(erson) Davis was so close to him during the war.

Another bitter yet intriguing sidenote in history, I suppose.

The Watch of Korea's Last Emperor

Just recently this gold pocket watch, crafted by the legendary watch manufacturer Vacheron Constantin of Geneva, Switzerland, was offered and sold at an art auction in Seoul. What makes this valuable watch extremely fascinating is that it once belonged to Korea's last emperor, Sunjong (순종; 純宗; also known as the Yunghui Emperor).

Made in 1910, the watch weighs 75g and is 49mm in length. The back of the watch case has an engraving of Ihwamun (이화문; 李花紋), the Imperial Seal of the Korean Empire; the name of the master watchmaker is also engraved inside the case. This suggests that Sunjong specially ordered this watch from Vacheron Constantin back in 1910. Because the watch is identical to the one that appears on the photo album of Sunjong's funeral, it is without doubt genuine.

Back in the late and the early 20th century, mechanical pocket watches and clocks were viewed by Koreans as one of the mesmerizing and exclusive modern marvels offered by the western civilization. It may be not so surprising, then, that Sunjong had great affection towards them.

According to historic records, Sunjong collected great number of timepieces and went on to creat his own private clock hall in Changdeokgung Palace. He was said to greatly enjoy the moment when all his clocks and (repeater) watches simultaneously sounded their hours with different sounds.



During the time when Korea was controlled and dominated by the Japanese, Sunjong, dismally the last monarch of the nation that longer existed, might have found bitter solace by letting his timepieces to measure the flow of history that was no longer under his control. He died in 1926, but the watch survived.

Sold at 125,000,000 won (112,750 USD), the watch is now at the hands of an unnamed private collector. I hope he does appreciate the sadness behind this special relic.

Sagrada Familia

Gaudí was a genius.

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Happy 200th Birthday, Chopin!

Portrait of Chopin by Eugène Delacroix
Today marks Chopin's 200th birthday. I celebrate his birth; he was a great artist who fully deserve my admiration.

A Century-Old Chickering Upright

While web surfing, I spent today eyeing this old relic for sale: an upright piano. It was made in 1885 by famed Chickering & Sons (serial #71147).

Adorned with traceries and beautifully crafted in rosewood, it reticently echoes a romance, perhaps, of La Belle Époque. I particularly like its fallboard letterings.

They just don't make them like they used to.