In the autumn of 1747 the ship S:t Mikael was sailing from Amsterdam to St Petersburg with luxury goods, and sank at Borstö Island outside the Finnish coast leaving no survivors.

In 1953 the very well preserved wreck was discovered at 42 meters depth, with all masts still standing up. Amongst the finds on the ship were gold watches, snuffboxes and a two-wheel carriage.
The author’s research on the find at the Maritime Museum in Finland has cast new light on the manufacturing of watches with false signatures.

The research material is unique since it represents a group of watches, from a very exact and limited time period, packed in the same box with the same destination.

These would otherwise free from this context have a restricted value of proofing their connection to both time and place as well as to their internal relationship.

The booklet does not only contain a thorough investigation of each of the 11 watches found onboard the ship, but also a list of all watchmakers active in the Augsburg / Friedberg area during the 17th to 19th century.

ISBN 978-91-633-3999-8

48 pages
Booklet, softcover

Richly illustrated

The booklet is now available for download as pdf, free of charge.