Mr. Jones’s Watch Paper

Before the days of the Apple Watch, there was often a piece of paper between the mechanical pieces and the hands of a pocket watch. Known as a watch paper, it normally showcased the name of the watchmaker, reminiscent of modern Swatch or Bulova faces. When a shop performed a repair or maintenance on a watch, the paper was often replaced with a new one featuring the shop’s logo or design. 

Such was the case with the watch papers, like the one at right, from the Stephen Manheimer Dominy Family Collection, which were removed from watches in the Dominy family shop in East Hampton. Many of the watch papers in this collection carry notations about the owner, service cost, or date on the reverse side. This watch paper bears the notation “Mr. Jones 8.2.7,” which may indicate something about the account or the repair work being done.

The front shows a typically elaborate image, this one bearing the name of Jno. E. Hyde, who sold watches, clocks, and jewelry out of a shop on Broadway between Maiden Lane and Liberty Street in Manhattan. Most likely, the watch that had this paper was purchased at this shop and then brought to East Hampton by the owner. 

The decorative image on the paper features a classical female figure with an anchor and a pocket watch on a chain. She may symbolize time. The image was probably engraved by a prominent engraver named Peter Maverick, given the P. Maverick signature at the bottom.

The watch paper is part of a private collection of materials originally from the Dominy family and purchased from an antiques dealer in Southampton. The materials were lent to the Long Island Collection to allow the items to be scanned and made accessible to the public.

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Andrea Meyer is a librarian and archivist in the Long Island Collection at the East Hampton Library.