Does anyone happen to know of any watches or clocks which display apparent solar time as a complication - other than an actual sundial of course?
I've recently been playing around and getting familiar with microcontrollers by designing and and making a small digital clock. In order to differentiate the project from the thousands of others that have been similarly done as a rite of passage, it occurred to me to display universal time adjusted by the equation of time and simulate a sundial. (Well why not? It's very arguably an atomic source.)
I'm mainly curious to see if/how other people have approached the problem. I've tried a quick google, but all I seem to come up with are links to solar powered watches.
Pete,
You're post intrigued me so I did some digging, try googling 'equation of time watches', it seems this is the technical term for the complication... I think Audmars and Blancpain both make a watch with this complication, but I'm sure someone a lot more knowledgable than me (John(Abraxas)?!) will be along soon...
Rob
Zenith do an "Equation of Time" watch, although I'm not sure if it has the complication the OP was posting about.
http://zenith-watches.com/en/#/collection/flow/1/40
Solar time is related to the length of you position so any distance travelled east or west will render it inaccurate unless you link it to a gps position.
Clock time and solar time are 2 hours and 5 minutes out of sync now where I live. It was not ´dark´ untill 21.30 and the sky stíll is light in the west.
http://www.luxist.com/2011/04/06/zen...olomb-2-watch/Originally Posted by RickS
That is quite simply an astonishing and breath taking piece of work by any standard. It would appear that the jury of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix were also impressed with it - http://www.watchmarketreview.com/typ...e-248-522.aspx
With a seeming street price of ~£110K it has to be a steal.
The longitude is currently hardwired, but a user/GPS adjustable version is on the roadmap.
Thanks all, exactly what I was looking for.
.
This gives a clear indication.
Equation of time watches
http://www.hautehorlogerie.org/en/ho...-time-watches/
I am not aware of any quartz modules offering it. Who would buy it? About as useful as a solar powered torch.
john
Blancpain - The Running Equation of Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARsR8UXKUYk
john
It's all about the journey, not the destination.
[QUOTE=abraxas;2388101].
This gives a clear indication.
Equation of time watches
http://www.hautehorlogerie.org/en/ho...-time-watches/
/QUOTE]
´On the subject of innovations, watchmakers have devised systems for reading the equation of time at a specific longitude and not for an entire time zone, thereby further enhancing precision.´
Meaning that unless you set it keep adjusting when on the move it is no more usefull than the standard time of the zone and doing the math (CET - 2:05) in your head.
For a mechanical watch today it is wonderfull art pour l´art.
Can´t see any pratical use for a digital format.
The only practical application I see is GPS adjusted for a quartz analogue navigational watch. The Citizen Appleseed with a compass bezel added would be the ideal candidate.
Here y'are,
Both bezels set to apparent solar time where I live when the picture was took.
Much easier now that my new phone has an app to tell me when noon is, e.g. at 13:30:43 hrs today.
I regulate my eating and sleeping by solar time, thereby raising a finger or two to the bureaucrats ;-)
Therefore, it's lunchtime when the little hand points to the pip, eh?
Last edited by xpatUSA; 7th August 2012 at 20:56.
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