This gizmo predates commercial sat nav devices by about 70 years and yet manages the same job - after a fashion.

Before setting off, the owner of this wristwatch would fit it with an appropriate paper scroll: a tiny paper map of the intended journey.

By gradually turning the watch's knobs while en route, the user could find their way by following the displayed directions.

This beautiful brass and copper clockwork teasmade was the first of its kind, patented in 1902.

When the device's alarm clock rang in the morning it would also cause one lever to push another, causing a match to strike and light an oil fire, heating a kettle which, when ready, would pour boiling water into a nearby teapot.

The result? One piping-hot cup of tea ready moments after waking.

To make it into Collins' collection of curious gadgets, a device has to have been invented between 1851 and 1951 (between The Great Industrial Exhibition and The Festival of London).

It also helps if the gizmo is pleasing to look at - like this elegantly ornamental balanced siphon coffee maker, produced in 1851 and one of the first ever to be manufactured.

The theme of hot beverages continues with this odd-looking contraption.

Dating from around 1910, this device is a portable moustache protector. It could be fitted to the side of any cup to prevent the froth from making a mess of a full Edwardian moustache.

The 1930s featured an explosion of clever gadgets made of Bakelite.

Among these gadgets was the Dynamo Shaver. This is an automatic shaver that powered by a firm tug of the little attached brush, which sets the whirring blades rotating.

This is the ideal gizmo for a shopping addict - or for someone who needs to carry eight bags of groceries in just one hand.

The owner of this device, made in around 1900, could suspend a number of bags or parcels below a comfy leather handle.

This two-handled "self-pouring teapot" was created in 1886 and became a roaring success, selling by the tens of thousands in a 30-year period.

The tea would be brewed as usual but tedious pouring was no longer necessary - a press of the lid and the teapot would dispense an exact cupful.

On the left: a dapper wooden food mixer and grater, dating from the early 20th century.

On the right: a lady's purse with a purpose-built compartment for a petite gun. Legislation in the 1880s would have allowed someone to legally carry such a weapon, which could fire tiny .22-inch cartridges.