An auction, on Nov. 6 by Sotheby's included several creations by George Daniels, the British watchmaker who invented the double-wheel coaxial escapement.
While some watchmakers are experimenting with new materials, others rely on traditional techniques to bring the measure of time to heights only dreamed of by the master, Abraham-Louis Breguet.
But despite their high-profile sponsorships,most golfers do not wear mechanical watches when they play because their movements are too violent for the sensitive instruments.
The Swiss watch firm Greubel Forsey has joined with a "micro-sculptor" to fashion of $5-million item that will effectively be a miniaturized art gallery made to fit your wrist.