Design for Watch Case: Rebecca at the Well

The watch destined for this watchcase was probably unreliable: watches kept poor time until Dutch mathematician Christian Huygens invented the minute hand in 1675. In this scene, Abraham sends his servant Eleazer to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Appropriate for a timepiece, Eleazer comes to a well and waits, deciding that the woman who offers water to him and his camels will be Isaac’s bride (Genesis 24:10-20). The precision of Rebecca’s dress betrays Michel Le Blon’s training as a goldsmith.