Peter Henlein Nuremberg Egg Junghans 1st Pocket Watch World Replica Mechanical

Facsimile Junghans replica of the world's first pocket watch by Peter Henlein from 1590, the famous "Nuremberg Egg" on display in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, with a very rare mechanical hand-wound movement.

Original size, original dial, original engravings on the dial as on the case back: "PetrusHele me f. Norimb. 1590"

There are two different versions of these replicas available on the collector's market: a very rare one with a mechanical movement and one with a Junghans quartz movement. The model offered here is the rare mechanical version.

Description of the item:

A magnificent and unique piece of German and watchmaking history par excellence: the "Nuremberg Egg" by master watchmaker Peter Henlein

Built in 1590, this example represents the world's first portable pocket watch and can, of course, only be admired in a museum.

In 1971, the Nuremberg-based company Diehl, with the permission of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, produced a small number of facsimile reproductions that were true to detail.

This facsimile watch has a hand-wound movement, which of course has nothing in common with the original masterpiece that changed watchmaking history; this one filled the entire case.

Like the original by master Peter Henlein, the facsimile has no seconds display but only a 24-hour display.

Dial diameter: 50mm, case height: 45mm; the facsimile case, like the original, is not cast but elaborately turned from brass.

High-quality, rare collector's item in original material, in facsimile quality with preserved age patina and engravings.

Clock starts and runs (accuracy not tested)

EZ: 2 - normal, age-related signs of use and storage, starts and runs

Peter Henlein and the "Nuremberg Egg" (Source: Wikipedia):

Pocket watches with a spring mechanism and an oval shape were formerly known as "Nuremberg eggs." Nuremberg was home to some of the world's finest craftsmen and metalworkers during the late and late Middle Ages.

The name "Ei" (egg) probably does not derive from the shape of the clocks, but is likely (as "Eierlein") a corruption of "Aeurlein," meaning "little clock." Although they were often (even in fictional literature) attributed to the Nuremberg precision mechanic Peter Henlein , since he produced the first wearable clocks around 1510.

However, there are doubts that he is the originator of the Nuremberg eggs, because the first dates are around 1550, after his death (1542). Peter Henlein made clocks in the form of tall cylindrical boxes as well as small spheres shaped like pomanders . The well-known egg-shaped clocks only date from the second half of the 16th century and cannot be associated with Peter Henlein.

Gait regulation with torsion pendulum 

The portable clock only became possible with the invention of the mainspring before 1430. This allowed the large weight-driven clocks to be reduced in size and, for example, to fit on a table.

The exact timing of the further miniaturization is disputed. There are accounts from late 15th-century Italy that suggest portable clocks existed. What is certain is that since Peter Henlein, they could be housed in a case no larger than a hand.

The invention of the tension spring and the torsion pendulum as timekeepers were often attributed to Peter Henlein , but such timekeepers were already in use in the early 15th century. However, it was Henlein who ultimately brought about their miniaturization.

The regularity of the oscillation determines the accuracy of the clock. However, because the deflection of the torsion pendulum is influenced by every movement of the wearer, the clock's timekeeping was quite irregular.

It was only the escapement mechanism patented by Christiaan Huygens in 1657, using a balance wheel and spiral spring, that improved the daily rate of a watch to about 10 seconds.