The Peterkin Papers (1880)

Lucretia P. Hale's comic family stories follow the impractical Peterkins as they turn everyday problems into elaborate confusion. (Open Library)

Watches

Waltham watch: Mr. Peterkin leaves his Waltham watch behind because he thinks wearing it would not fit his Peter the Great costume. The omission becomes a practical problem when the family loses its cloakroom checks and worries about catching the train home. Mr. Peterkin cannot check the time because he sacrificed his Waltham to the accuracy of his historical costume. The watch is named through its absence, which helps turn the family's fancy-dress outing into another predicament. (Project Gutenberg source text)

Source text: He had not brought his watch. It was a Waltham watch, and he thought it would not be in character for Peter the Great to wear it. (Project Gutenberg ebook 25648)