The collection of watches in the Ashmolean Museum are largely as a result of three major bequests, including Bentinck Hawkins collection of 1894, the bequest of J Francis Mallett in 1947 and the collection of Eric Bullivant in 1974, comprising of 120 watches. Together these make the Ashmolean collection one of the most important outside London. The history and development of watch design and decoration is extremely well served, with many important examples dating from the 16th century to the mid 19th century. This handbook explores 30 of the best from the collection.