120 Years in 120 Objects
Join the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in celebrating the museum’s 120th year of orbiting the sun. Staff and guest curators have chosen one object or item per year of our existence to highlight to the public. Visit the website and our social media platforms regularly to see the latest object and keep an eye out for information about a physical exhibition later this year!
Today’s Object is from 1918
Braille Pocket Watch by Inandi Maree, Senior Exhibitions Manager
Many soldiers lost their sight in the First World War. In 1915, ‘Blind Veterans UK’ was established to cater for the needs of blind soldiers. The braille pocket watch was developed so that blind war veterans could tell the time, thus helping them to reintegrate into society. The numbers on the watch are indicated by raised dots, or braille, and the face of the watch is without glass in order to tell the time by touch only. Unfortunately, we have no further information on who this specific watch belonged to or how it came to the museum.
