16 December 2008

Time travel? Swiss watch in 400-year-old tomb


Archeologists in China are baffled after finding a tiny Swiss watch in a 400-year-old tomb.

The watch ring was discovered as archeologists were making a documentary with two journalists from Shangsi town.

"When we tried to remove the soil wrapped around the coffin, a piece of rock suddenly dropped off and hit the ground with a metallic sound,? said Jiang Yanyu, former curator of the Guangxi Autonomous Region Museum.

"We picked up the object, and found it was a ring. After removing the covering soil and examining it further, we were shocked to see it was a watch."

The time was stopped at 10:06am, and on the back was engraved the word "Swiss", reports the People's Daily.

Local experts say they are confused as they believe the tomb had been undisturbed since it was created during the Ming dynasty 400 years ago.

They have suspended the dig and are waiting for experts to arrive from Beijing and help them unravel the mystery.

(I suspect they will conclude that this represents "bioturbation" - the disturbing of soil stratification by natural forces such as rodent burrowing, freeze-thaw heaves, plant growth/death etc. Personally, I would like to think that someone from the future with an then-antique Swiss watch travelled to the 16th century and left his watch there...)

update: it's a ring watch

3 comments:

  1. "these rings are typically for the 1950s and 60s" according to Marie Rochel, Musée International d´Horlogerie

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  2. ...:) in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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  3. This is what happens on Dec 26 2008 at 10:06 Am China Time. Which will be about 12 hours early here in America when the nukes blow, and this gets sent back in time to about 398 years ago. The nuke went off near a quantum accelerator facility, and the paradox and shift actually shrunk the man and the watch, and very thing else that went through..

    Yes it sounds way out there but you will in a few days

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