Horse-Power
2026 marks the Chinese Year of the Horse – a symbol of energy, transformation and passion. The perfect occasion to present some of the most compelling horse-themed timepieces from the Beyer Watch and Clock Museum.
“GOTTHARD POST” IN MINIATURE
Travelling the Gotthard Pass by five-horse stagecoach was once a gruelling journey of 15 hours. Rudolf Koller’s 1873 painting “Gotthard Post”, created for Alfred Escher, remains one of Switzerland’s most iconic images. A masterfully executed enamel miniature of this scene adorns the cover of this pocket watch. It is a unique piece: Patek Philippe gave it to Beyer in 1985 to mark the company’s 225th anniversary.
SAINT GEORGE ON HORSEBACK
The savonette pocket watch (1896) by Patek Philippe in 18-carat gold is a feast for the eyes: floral and foliage decorate the bezel, while the back shows Saint George in relief fighting the dragon and the inner cover a ship in a storm. Inside, a complex movement ticks, including a Patek Philippe precision indicator patented in 1891.
RACING AGAINST TIME
The idea that such chariots were used for military purposes in the Roman Empire is a myth: they appeared solely for the amusement of the masses, for example in the Circus Maximum, and also in combat against gladiators. The maker of this table clock is unknown. The dial bears only “Beyer Zürich” and the movement itself offers no clues. What remains striking is how easily the driver seems to guide the horses – and how heavy the clock actually is on its massive marble base.
A STEP COUNTER IN A SADDLE WATCH
Anyone who thought the pedometer was an invention of the control-obsessed modern age is mistaken: as early as 1799, a patent was registered that recorded the number of steps taken by horses. This fire-gilded pocket watch with pedometer was developed around 1860 by Ralph Gout. The base plate is attached to the saddle, the counter moves up and down with the horse’s motion and thus measures its steps.
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
When the mechanism strikes the full hour, life comes into the Renaissance tower from Nuremberg (around 1580): mounted warriors and infantrymen move on different levels. Heads look out of embrasures and disappear again. Such mechanical automata have existed since the antiquity when they were usually still powered by water.
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