Clocks and watches, Room 39

A watch has to bring a mechanism into a space small enough to carry. In the gallery shared by Rooms 38 and 39, that demand sits alongside clocks made for houses, public buildings and navigation. Cases, dials and movements all have different jobs. The dial turns the mechanism’s work into something a person can read. Decoration and shape can also make a timekeeper a display of taste or wealth. Working exhibits in the combined gallery let you see and sometimes hear the measurement taking place.