FROM NETSUKE TO TIMEPIECES: THE ERRANT GAZE
Human beings do not limit themselves to books or films; they have a propensity to carry their desires and erotic fantasies into almost all shared spaces. Various objects have served as mediums to illustrate scenes of a sexual and erotic nature, as can be observed in netsuke (根付), small Japanese sculptures whose function was to secure, by means of a cord, containers (inrō) used to carry medicine, seals, or other personal items. Although they featured numerous themes, religious, mythological, humorous, everyday life, and animals, a significant portion of this production was also dedicated to the representation of eroticism, establishing a direct dialogue with the tradition of shunga prints. In the West, we find an equivalent of this type of expression: erotic watches. Both pocket and table watches, these objects were conceived simultaneously as instruments for measuring time and as sophisticated supports for images and mechanisms related to pleasure, humor, and transgression. In this sense, the images incorporated into erotic watches present themes similar to those found in contemporary pornographic productions, representing couples, lovers, or female figures in sexual situations.
Fig.1 "Voyeur" watch (Ulysse Nardin)
Fig.2 'Skelett Movie' from the 'Taktlos' series by Greiner
Fig.3 Erotic watch "Let me kiss you tonight"
THE LIBERTINE ERA AND TECHNICAL REFINEMENT
The development of these watches must be understood within the European libertine culture of the 17th and 18th centuries. Rather than being simple curiosities, these objects emerged during a period marked by the perfection of Swiss, French, and English watchmaking, when the watch ceased to be merely a scientific instrument to also become an object of social prestige and cultural affirmation. The technical refinement achieved by watchmakers allowed for the production of cases ornamented in gold, enamel, and precious stones, almost always decorated with miniature paintings of great virtuosity. Not limiting themselves to creating tools that only indicated the hours, some artisans began to incorporate hidden compartments, movable covers, and automata capable of revealing images reserved only for the owner or a small circle of guests.
Fig.4 A rather unusual picture of the Rialto Bridge © ablogtowatch
Fig.5 Andersen Geneve Eros
Fig.5a
Fig.6 JACOB & Co. Caligula 18ct White Gold & Diamonds Unique Piece
THE ART OF OCULTATION AND REVELATION
By opting for this secret dimension, as occurred in various libertine artifacts of the 18th century, pleasure resided not only in the hidden image but in the mechanism of concealment and revelation itself. In many examples, the exterior face presented delicate pastoral scenes, elegant portraits, or idyllic landscapes, compatible with the decorative codes of the Rococo. Only opening the cover revealed another iconographic layer, accessible exclusively to the holder of the object. In some more sophisticated models, automatic mechanisms integrated into the movement of the watch caused small figures to move upon the striking of the minutes, demonstrating the extraordinary integration between mechanical engineering, miniaturism, decorative arts, and eroticism.
Fig.7 Pocket watch extravagant, big triple case verge watch with hidden erotic enamel painting, with date, Wilter London, ca. 1740
Fig.7a
Fig.8 In 2019, Ulysse Nardin, in collaboration with the Italian erotic comic artist Milo Manara, created a series of ten erotic watches
Fig.8a Artwork by Milo Manara
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- Satire and Social Critique in Georgian England
- Global Trade and Clandestine Signatures
- Victorian Decline and the Bourgeois Watch
- the Late 20th Century Resurgence
- Modern Experimentation: Ulysse Nardin and Milo Manara
- Artistic Craftsmanship and Silicon Technology
- Textual Eroticism and Contemporary Secrecy
- Time, Art, and Representation
- and numerous additional examples of these enticing erotic timepieces
Click HERE for a publication about the erotic sculptures from the Floating World: The Shunga Netsuke
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