The watches of Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (‪1830-1916‬), one of the most famous German-speaking writers of the 19th century, was also an avid watch collector. This enthusiasm led her to take classes in watchmaking, and to write her novel “Lotti die Uhrmacherin” (Lotti the watchmaker) (1880). After her death, the director of the newly-founded Vienna Clock Museum, Rudolf Kaftan, moved heaven and earth to buy her precious watch collection and was able to present it proudly when the museum opened in 1921.