The dawn of watchmaking was a lesson in miniaturisation. Clock towers of the era were brought down to a portable level, generally worn around the neck instead of carried in a pocket. Invented by German locksmith Peter Henlein in the early 16 th century, these original “pocket watches” were called Nuremberg Eggs as they were often egg-shaped and from Nuremberg, Germany. Most components were borrowed from their clock tower cousins, like the verge escapement and foliot, and an exposed single hour hand without a crystal (protected by a hinged cover). However, the first game-changer was introduced to make these miniature clock-watches possible – the mainspring.…