The lessons that history teaches

Ugo Boncompagni* was elected Pope in 1572. Before his ascension he had been a lawyer and papal legate. He is better known to us as Gregory XIII. He was a reformer and is responsible for what became known as the Gregorian Calendar. In this regard he is sometimes confused with the sixth century Pope Gregory the Great.**

In 1575 he issued the Bull Non aliorum vere scio quod tempus sit*** which set certain parameters for time keeping in church services which is still used today (colloquially known as “how long do I really have to kneel?”) It also about this time that he became the first pope to receive emissaries from the feudal Japan of Oda Nobunaga. This cultural exchange resulted in Japan adopting red for the notation of Sunday that is seen on some Seiko models.

After his death a brief book of Gregory XIII’s aphorisms was published. Entitled Quae cogitabo (“Things I think about”), it contained many lessons for the watch (or clock) collector. I have a copy published by the small press Mendacium. I was thinking about this aphorism as I dressed this morning:

274. Instare velox occasus si multos.

I think that the lesson is clear for the collector with many watches containing a date function: insist on a quick set function. I enjoy winding as much as the next guy, but without a quick set some watches only get worn at the same time each month. I may not see this watch again until the same time next month. Live and learn.

*Hugo Good Companion

**This Gregory was known as a great chanter.

***Translated as “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” This is thought to be the inspiration for the hit song of the same name by the Chicago Transit Authority (later “Chicago”). My God, will I travel far for a joke.