Could this be evidence of T i m e travel?

[Sticks]

From the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1096959/Mystery-century-old-Swiss-watch-discovered-ancient-tomb-sealed-400-years.html)

Archeologists are stumped after finding a 100-year-old Swiss watch in an ancient tomb that was sealed more than 400 years ago.

They believed they were the first to visit the Ming dynasty grave in Shangsi, southern China, since its occupant's funeral.

But inside they uncovered a miniature watch in the shape of a ring marked 'Swiss' that is thought to be just a century old.


Or perhaps someone got in and resealed the tomb in question :think:

Quite a number of people posting comments were talking about time travel, I suspect, due to the laws of physics, which "Yer canny break" there must be another explanation.

Pity though, the idea of a Victorian Dr Who did seem appealing :D

[Buttercup]

Or perhaps someone got in and resealed the tomb in question :think:

Intriguing. :) I think it's likely that. Could they do some sort of chemical testing on the watch, to see how old the crusted gunk on it is? If the watch in the pic is as it was discovered, that does look like 100 year's accumulation of "stuff"...doesn't it? Wouldn't it be more encrusted with "stuff" if it'd been there 400 years?

[mahesh]

part quote, DM :

...The mysterious timepiece was encrusted in mud and rock and had stopped at 10:06 am...

firstly, being an analogue piece, how would any one know if it was a.m. or p.m. when it stopped....
i don't belieeeve it, that i am actually typing, or have typed this post...

secondly, a bit frivolously perhaps, most pictures of watches, that i've ever seen, have always displayed near enough 10:06...10. whatever...i remember asking about that, as a little kid and being given a most rational answer...

but i don't remember anybody giving anyone a watch, as a parting gift to take on a voyage!
may be it happened during my bedtime!

[sabianq]

i would be willing to bet it is a hoax

[Buttercup]

i would be willing to bet it is a hoax

:doh: Yep...could be that too. Someone seeking that 15 minutes of fame in an unscrupulous fashion. Ugh!

[jokergirl]

part quote, DM :

...The mysterious timepiece was encrusted in mud and rock and had stopped at 10:06 am...

firstly, being an analogue piece, how would any one know if it was a.m. or p.m. when it stopped....
i don't belieeeve it, that i am actually typing, or have typed this post...

secondly, a bit frivolously perhaps, most pictures of watches, that i've ever seen, have always displayed near enough 10:06...10. whatever...i remember asking about that, as a little kid and being given a most rational answer...

but i don't remember anybody giving anyone a watch, as a parting gift to take on a voyage!
may be it happened during my bedtime!


That's because 10:06 is the watch vendor's equivalent of a smiley face: :)
Seriously. Watches with that time on them look "friendlier" to people hence they get sold more likely than watches with different times on them.

;)

[kleindoofy]

... I suspect ... there must be another explanation. ...
I think "suspect" is a slight understatement. ;)

[Buttercup]

That's because 10:06 is the watch vendor's equivalent of a smiley face: :)
Seriously. Watches with that time on them look "friendlier" to people hence they get sold more likely than watches with different times on them.

How cool! :D I've not known this, will file away for future reference. Thanks for sharing that.

[Fazor]

That's because 10:06 is the watch vendor's equivalent of a smiley face: :)
Seriously. Watches with that time on them look "friendlier" to people hence they get sold more likely than watches with different times on them.

;)

Does that make me a pessimist? Every time I have a clock in a peice of art, unless the time is relevant and thus portrayed specifically, I tend to use configurations more along the lines of 8:25. I also like 2:00.

[Van Rijn]

I would get interested if they found something that couldn't be built yet. Say, a pocket computer with specs far beyond what is currently possible, or a robot head with a positronic matrix. :whistle:

[jokergirl]

How could you tell if it were something that can't be built yet? If you can't understand what it is and how it functions?

;)

[Fazor]

How could you tell if it were something that can't be built yet? If you can't understand what it is and how it functions?
;)

... A data device with a version of windows that doesn't have any bugs, and is operator friendly; that'd be proof enough for me. ;)

[kleindoofy]

... A data device with a version of windows that doesn't have any bugs, and is operator friendly ...
Now, now; let's not go off on the ATM trail. ;)

[captain swoop]

... A data device with a version of windows that doesn't have any bugs, and is operator friendly; that'd be proof enough for me. ;)


A Mac?

[Fazor]

I said "Windows". If it's by MS, 100% compatable, and free of the "We assume you're a moron so let us automate this easy-to-do thing, but screw it up" features, then we know it's from years and years in the future. :)

[NickW]

If that were the case, it just wouldn't be MS, now would it :)

[Roving Philosopher]

That's because 10:06 is the watch vendor's equivalent of a smiley face: :)
Seriously. Watches with that time on them look "friendlier" to people hence they get sold more likely than watches with different times on them.

;)I'd actually heard a different reason for this. The hands are set in this position so as to "frame" the manufacturer's name, which usually appears on the top portion of the watch.

[kleindoofy]

... to "frame" the manufacturer's name ...
Cheap forgeries often have the hands covering parts of the 'manufacturer's' name, cloaking the fact that it's a "Ralex" or a "Rolix" and not a "Rolex."

[Chuck]

A version of Windows that worked would convince me that the latest crash finally drove me insane and I'm really sitting in a padded cell somewhere, imagining the whole experience.

[Swift]

Did they also happen to find Data's head?

[McFluffy]

I would get interested if they found something that couldn't be built yet. Say, a pocket computer with specs far beyond what is currently possible, or a robot head with a positronic matrix. :whistle:


(my bold)

I have an invisible android in my anterior holo-deck, prove me wrong! ;)

[some dumb kid]

well that would explain the subspace fracture behind my couch thats eating my house :D

[McFluffy]

well that would explain the subspace fracture behind my couch thats eating my house :D


Have you tried meta-phasic caulking?

[KaiYeves]

Weird. I'm leaning toward hoax, though.

[Jay200MPH]

Sounds like viral "buzz generation" for a movie coming out.

[Fazor]

Well, look at the other articles on the website. Even from the headlines you can tell they don't appear to be the most skeptic publication out there.

[man on the moon]

/Insert snarky comment

Does it count as time travel if the time device is traveling through space?

/End snarky comment

[sarongsong]

:doh:
Wonder what happens when you wind it?

sideview (http://bbs.beijingww.com/attachments/forumid_15/20081212_fdbb33b95ef7ea4fb32eSIUKE6Wxxq8K.jpg)

[jokergirl]

I wonder whether anyone's considered the possibility that the tomb could be the hoax. There have been a rash of faked fossil finds in China, this could be another iteration of that with archeological artifacts rather than paleontological ones.


Tes

That was my immediate thought as well. Faking of archeological artifacts is not unheard-of in any part of the world.

;)

[man on the moon]

The watch looks very small to me, and thin. If I had to guess, the watch is the fake--something you might find in a cracker jack box.

Does anyone here know if time pieces were made that small back then?

[captain swoop]

back when? 100 years ago or back in the Ming?

[man on the moon]

back when? 100 years ago or back in the Ming?

I guess 100 years ago, I'm pretty sure that sort of thing was NOT around in the Ming. I know there were watches 100 years ago, and for longer than that. But were they ring size, with the watch part being so skinny as to be thinner than my car key?

[sabianq]

hoax

[Trebuchet]

I don't think it's even a watch. It's a ring made to look like a watch. Probably no more than 60 years old. Likely much less.

[mahesh]

The watch looks very small to me, and thin. If I had to guess, the watch is the fake--something you might find in a cracker jack box....
no, it's not a fake. i wouldn't say..

...Does anyone here know if time pieces were made that small back then?yes, i do. one of my aunts had a watch, a miniscule one like that. rectangular. i used to be fascinated that she could tell the time, just by looking at it without a 'magnifying glass', whose magic i had then, just discovered.

i can't remember the name of watch. can't ask her either. my aunt has passed on.
gee. now you started me off...i'm thinking of wonderful times and my fun, delightful aunt...you have a nice weekend too MOTM!

[sabianq]

the name for this type of find is called an OOPART or out-of-place artifact
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-place_artifact

ooparts are not uncommon
most are hoaxes
like the dropa stones??

some are unexplained
like the Klerksdorp Spheres
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_Spheres

and some actually change the way we look at history
like The Baghdad Battery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery
a bit like the UFO phenomena

as for the tiny watch found, i do believe it is a hoax, but for the question, the watch is called a "ring watch" (you wear it like a ring) and i believe they have been around for at least 100 years now.

[sabianq]

while i can not find supporting documents showing the history of the ring/finger watch
you can find a bunch on ebay is you search for "antique ring watch"
Cheers!

[sabianq]

the reason i think it is a hoax (besides the time travel aspect) is that the watch is to corroded for it to be what they say it is.
if the watch was made 100 years ago, then it would be likely it would be made out of gold.

[mahesh]

while i can not find supporting documents showing the history of the ring/finger watch
you can find a bunch on ebay is you search for "antique ring watch"
Cheers!
oh noooo...pullleeeaase....don't mention ebay....i just had a grump about it, in a corner of my room...

[mugaliens]

How could you tell if it were something that can't be built yet? If you can't understand what it is and how it functions?

;)

Well, if the obviously mechanical head starts picking up a conversation with you...

[astromark]

'IF' They found a 100 year old watch in a tomb unopened for 400 years... I would start looking for the other way in., its rubbish. I vote the later.

[Fazor]

the reason i think it is a hoax (besides the time travel aspect) is that the watch is to corroded for it to be what they say it is.
if the watch was made 100 years ago, then it would be likely it would be made out of gold.

I thought the same thing; except along the lines of the eveness of the corrosion. It seems odd that the band, the body, the face, and the arms are all corroded identically; how often is a watch made from 100% the same metal? Not saying that in and of itself means it couldn't happen; but most suspicous.

[captain swoop]

a bit like the UFO phenomena
What?

As for thin watches. I have a Rotary dating from the 1930s It's the slimmest watch I have ever seen and keeps lovely time.

[Sam5]

The watch looks very small to me, and thin. If I had to guess, the watch is the fake--something you might find in a cracker jack box.

I agree. See the side view in post 28. That type of open end on the loop that fits over the finger was the type used on cheap toy rings back when I was a kid. A real ring watch would have a solid loop.

Someone has suggested that a packrat might have found a lost watch and carried it into a burrow, depositing it inside the tomb.

[Sam5]

The green color of the corrosion indicates a lot of copper, rather than silver or gold, further suggesting this is a cheap toy. I’ll still go with the packrat theory.

I’ve dug up a lot of metal and coins while digging for old bottles, going back to the 1850s. 90% gold and 10% copper (gold coins) would generally not corrode at all. Sterling silver (92.5% silver and 7.5% silver) would corrode blackish. A small ring watch from 100 years ago would probably be expensive and would not have an open band for the finger and would not have a copper case or band.

[sabianq]

my wife has a theory
some time in the past 100 years, a long gone archeologist opened the tomb and for what ever reason decided to leave the contents undisturbed and resealed the tomb. the oppart was left behind, it was an accident.

that is the reason the tomb was apparently un opened.

[Neverfly]

my wife has a theory
some time in the past 100 years, a long gone archeologist opened the tomb and for what ever reason decided to leave the contents undisturbed and resealed the tomb. the oppart was left behind, it was an accident.

that is the reason the tomb was apparently un opened.

It's possible, I think. If he wanted to return with a team- wanted Full Credit for the discovery and Wanted to ensure no one entered...

But that lil Ring Watch looks feminine to me.

I'm willing to bet that it's just a lost item that managed to get into an odd place.
I'm surprised they didn't find a pile of socks, none of which match the other.

[hewhocaves]

Hey! Someone found my watch!

[sabianq]

It's possible, I think. If he wanted to return with a team- wanted Full Credit for the discovery and Wanted to ensure no one entered...

But that lil Ring Watch looks feminine to me.

I'm willing to bet that it's just a lost item that managed to get into an odd place.
I'm surprised they didn't find a pile of socks, none of which match the other.

what precludes the archeologist from being a she?

[edit] as my wife told me her take on it, i was imagining an older woman of the scholarly type finding the tomb and deciding that it should be resealed for some reason. maybe to like you suggest to return with a team, before she left, in her excitement, she lost her time piece. Something tragic happened to her before she could tell anybody. the tomb was lost for another 100 years only to be rediscovered again.

seriously, are any other explanations just as crazy?

[Neverfly]

what precludes the archeologist from being a she?

[edit] as my wife told me her take on it, i was imagining an older woman of the scholarly type finding the tomb and deciding that it should be resealed for some reason. maybe to like you suggest to return with a team, before she left, in her excitement, she lost her time piece. Something tragic happened to her before she could tell anybody. the tomb was lost for another 100 years only to be rediscovered again.

seriously, are any other explanations just as crazy?

Or it wasn't an archeologist at all that found it and wanted to return with a team.

Or it was a man, had that ring watch in his pocket as a gift for his wife (Or mistress:p) and happened to lose it there (Much to his chagrin...)

We can come up with crazy ideas, without resorting to time travel;)

[sabianq]

Or it wasn't an archeologist at all that found it and wanted to return with a team.

Or it was a man, had that ring watch in his pocket as a gift for his wife (Or mistress:p) and happened to lose it there (Much to his chagrin...)

We can come up with crazy ideas, without resorting to time travel;)
yes we can... makes one more creative. lol

time to consult the Akashic Records? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashic_records)
:D

[man on the moon]

I agree. See the side view in post 28. That type of open end on the loop that fits over the finger was the type used on cheap toy rings back when I was a kid. A real ring watch would have a solid loop.

I was noticing that as well, but initially kept it to myself. (Emphasis mine)

Someone has suggested that a packrat might have found a lost watch and carried it into a burrow, depositing it inside the tomb.

Not impossible, not by a long shot.

PS--I also agree gold does not corrode much. I would put my money on copper or something else corrodable.

There is a cat rubbing against my computer, perhaps I should send it to chase the rats down. It is rubbing and demanding attention, so I shall return later.

[Halcyon Dayz]

From the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1096959/Mystery-century-old-Swiss-watch-discovered-ancient-tomb-sealed-400-years.html)
Archeologists are stumped after finding a 100-year-old Swiss watch in an ancient tomb that was sealed more than 400 years ago.

They believed they were the first to visit the Ming dynasty grave in Shangsi, southern China, since its occupant's funeral.

But inside they uncovered a miniature watch in the shape of a ring marked 'Swiss' that is thought to be just a century old.


What I see in that picture is a corroded ring that happens to look a bit like a watch.
It might be pure coincidence.

Also Swiss watches aren't marked with the text Swiss, they have a brand-name on it.

[sarongsong]

2008 interpretation? (http://georgjensen.com/English/Collections/Watches/Woman/Vivianna%20Diamonds.aspx?pagenumber=1) http://www.bautforum.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[hhEb09'1]

I'd actually heard a different reason for this. The hands are set in this position so as to "frame" the manufacturer's name, which usually appears on the top portion of the watch.Yeah, I watched (eh) this evolve over the decades. That "friendly" interpretation is a new one.

At one time (eh), people claimed it was supposed to be the time when Lincoln was shot. Palpably ben trovato.

[sabianq]

browsing the comments,
i am floored at how many people jump to the conclusion that the watch is evidence of time travel.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1096959/Mystery-century-old-Swiss-watch-discovered-ancient-tomb-sealed-400-years.html

[Sticks]

browsing the comments,
i am floored at how many people jump to the conclusion that the watch is evidence of time travel.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1096959/Mystery-century-old-Swiss-watch-discovered-ancient-tomb-sealed-400-years.html

So was I

Hence this thread :D

[Maha Vailo]

I'd say it's either a hoax or possibly the remains of a murder victim dumped in the tomb to escape discovery.

- Maha Vailo

[Chunky]

I would get interested if they found something that couldn't be built yet. Say, a pocket computer with specs far beyond what is currently possible, or a robot head with a positronic matrix. :whistle:

Data!

[Chunky]

i say its not time travel. because if it were. wouldn't the watch be Just as old as the tomb. because if i were a time traveler i wouldn't go to visit a tomb 300 years after it was sealed. id get there when everything was still fresh!

[Chuck]

Maybe the watch fell out of the time machine while he was on his way back.