Here’s a timepiece that’s a blast from the past and in tune with the future. Yes, it’s a Victorian-styled pocket watch, powered by the sun.
This lovely bit of steampunk finery (which comes to us by way of Red Ferret) by Ezekiel Empire Rosenstein of Alchemy Jewelry features classic brass styling in pewter and brass and actually uses the power of the sun to wind itself.
That’s right: this lovely gizmo is solar powered, but not in the usual sense. That’s because the rays of the sun don’t actually charge a battery.
This watch is the old fashioned, wind-up kind — with the added bonus that it can be wound up by the sun, via two turbine blades on the outside of the watch that actually spin in the sunlight. (Of course, if the sun isn’t shining, you can always use old fashioned elbow grease). The piece features a quartz movement and magnetic fastening hatch, so you can can look quite dapper, snapping it open to ensure your precise punctuality.
And lest you think that Alchemy Jewelry is an outfit trying out its metallurgy skills in someone’s Midwestern basement, unknown to the world except for Etsy, let it be known that Alchemy Jewelry is a company of artists and craftspeople hailing from Sheffield, England, that has been making fine pewter jewelry for over three decades.
Oh, and they’re a member of The Worshipful Company of Pewterers (yes), granted charter in 1474 by King Edward IV for the legal manufacture of pewter finery throughout England. How’s that for a conversation piece?
At $149.00, the EER Patent Solar Powered Turbine Steampunk Fob Watch is certainly a bit of an investment (especially in an era where most of us have these handy timepieces already riding around with us, called cell phones). Still, you’re unlikely to find finer craftsmanship in a steampunked model.
