Movement by Guido Mocafico

About the project and book:

Time is naturally divided by astronomical phenomena, such as the seasons or day and night, which repeat themselves in a cyclical fashion. To divide Time into finer fractions, artificial means such as sundials which mark the movement of the shadows projected by the sun, or clepsydra based on water flow, were invented. Ever since 1657, when the first watch was created, we use oscillatory movements of a mechanical system to measure time. The photographer Guido Mocafico has explored these movements. He chose more complex and rarer mechanisms: a whole new world of know-how controlled by Master Watchmakers without any trace of electronics. A plunge into an unknown world, comparable to the exploration of living being.

Alexis Sachs’s charming repurposed pocket watches contain representations of cells and molecules.  

Hublot’s miniature replica of the Antikythera mechanism

Why on Earth would you want to strap one of these to your wrist? It barely tells the time, and it can’t take pictures, tweet or connect to your Facebook. In fact, very few people would have the faintest idea what it is, or why you’d want one at all. But for those that do recognize its intricate gears and dials, this tiny, complex piece of machinery tells a vivid and incredible tale. It’s a story of gigantic scientific upheaval, of adventure and shipwreck on the high seas, of war and death. A story of amazing intellect, lost riches and impossible chance - a sunken treasure that Jaques Cousteau once described as “more valuable than the Mona Lisa” - and it’s connected with an ancient celebrity whose star shone so brightly that he’s still a household name more than 2200 years after his death…  

Do go on…