Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/598356
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2015 This Week 43 THIS year's exhibition is about antique watches, popularly called 'fob' or 'pocket' watches. Palazzo Falson has a small but varied col- lection of such watches, which in- cludes one of the earliest watches we have found in Malta, made by Isaac Haas of Haarlem and dating to around 1690. The star of the collection is of course the Muse- um's extremely rare decimal dial watch by Robert Robin, which was made to measure French Revolu- tionary time, based on the decimal principle. The exhibits, which number over 50 watches, some paintings featur- ing watches and other watch-relat- ed objets d'art, have been divided into thematic displays focusing on various subjects. The Robin watch naturally takes pride of place. A watch's appeal can be both in the technical advancements that mark it out and in the beauty of its visible parts, be they the dial or the outer case, which is frequently decorat- ed with engravings or enamelled scenes. These can be veritable works of art in miniature. A sec- tion devoted to technical varieties and another showing examples of beautiful watches are presented here. A display of historic watches which delves into the identity of the watches' original owners con- siders provenance as an important attribute of the watch. The figure of the watchmaker too is given some importance. Watches bear- ing the name of watchmaker and retailer Salvatore Micallef (some- times together with Giglio) 'A Malte' are also highlighted. The exhibition is co-curated by renowned Horologist David Thompson. Thompson occupied the role of senior curator of Horol- ogy at the British Museum until his recent retirement. He is the distinguished author of a number of authoritative publications on watches, as well as a Fellow of the British Horological Institute, a Fel- low of the Society of Antiquaries, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and a Council Member of the Antiquar- ian Horological Society. In 2009 David had visited Palazzo Falson and had helped us catalogue our watch collection, as well as deliver- ing a memorable public lecture on the history of the watch. Six years on we are glad to have had the op- portunity to once again collaborate with David, this time on an exhibi- tion dedicated to the watch. Design, Construction and Operation of a Fish Processing Plant at the Fish Market in Marsa GOVERNMENT OF MALTA CALL FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The Privatisation Unit ('PU'), acting on behalf of the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, is issuing a public Request for Proposals (RFP) in connection with the concession for the Design, Construction and Operation of a Fish Processing Plant at the Fish Market buildings in Marsa. The PU is inviting submissions for the RFP from reputable persons and/or entities with the necessary experience and resources to undertake such task. In the first instance, inte In the first instance, interested parties are invited to communicate with the PU, at the email address shown below, expressing their interest to undertake the task. Once this initial communication takes place, the PU will forward a process letter inviting interested parties to collect the RFP document. The process letter will explain the procedure to be followed for the collection and submission of the RFP document. Opening date for collection of RFP: 2nd November 2015 (12.00hours CET) Closing date fo Closing date for collecting the RFP: 16th November 2015 (12.00hours CET) Closing date for the submission of the RFP: 9th December 2015 (12.00hours CET) The Chairman Privatisation Unit Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business 4, Clock Tower, Level 1 Tigne Point Sliema Sliema TP01 Tel: (+356) 22209573 Email: privatisation.meib@gov.mt Website: privatisation.gov.mt Palazzo Falson in Mdina celebrates the history of watches Watches – from timekeepers to trendsetters will be the next exhibition at the Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum, Mdina. Having opened earlier this week, the exhibiton will run until January 10, and entrance is free of charge.