‘Dead Man’s Chest’ (aka ‘Fifteen Men On The Dead Man’s Chest’ or ‘Derelict’) is a fictitious sea shanty from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1833 pirate novel ‘Treasure Island’. This Rum Watch by Speake Marin totally captures the atmosphere of this classic novel, as the watch features a capsule containing a drop of Harewood Rum from 1780, which makes it the oldest rum in the world.
“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
But one man of her crew alive,
What put to sea was seventy-five.”
The watch with its single hand (just like a traditional compass from the days of the notorious pirates that stalked the waters of the Caribbean) was realised in conjunction with a club of Polish collectors called Wealth Solutions. The capsule containing the antique rum can be seen at 11 o’clock. That time refers to an ancient tradition of the Royal Navy called ‘Up Spirits’, because at 11 o’clock the crew was allowed to take a shot of rum. When the potent spirit was distributed everyone would call “Stand fast for the Holy Ghost” and this phrase is engraved on the case back of the Rum Watch, which comes in a limited edition of 100 pieces in two versions; titanium or rose gold. Exclusive to Wealth Solutions and not for the faint of heart.
