This highly unusual and rare watch case is a Japanese-made direct copy of a European watch case of the mid-18th Century. One interesting feature is that the decoration is inverted so that when the watch is suspended it would be upside down, however, when the watch is picked up by the wearer it would be the right way up. It is likely that a European pair-cased watch was obtained in Japan and the owner asked a Japanese craftsman to make a new outer case using traditional Japanese methods, thus creating a curious hybrid of Western and Eastern styles. From early times the Japanese had learned how to make high quality bronze castings for Buddhist objects such as religious figures, bells, lanterns and incense burners. Bronze casting remained the most common way of producing metal objects until around 1600. With the rise of the merchant classes so there was a demand for smaller bronze objects that could be used in a domestic setting. Increasingly these objects were not only beautifully patinated but were decorated with engraved patterns or inlaid with silver, gold or other copper alloys.