- by Roy Kirkland
Other features of the Sky-Moon watch on the previous page involve an accurate image of the celestial sphere and exact lunar period measurement, enabling the owner to precisely know the lunar "age" and calculate the various Solunar phenomena. But there is another set of astral complications that have been executed in the luxury watches of Ulysse Nardin.
On the left, we have the Planetarium, which (outside of its timekeeping hands) consists of a series of concentric rings that represent the orbits of the visible planets around the Sun. The Earth jewel has an auxilliary hand that represents the movement of the Moon in its orbit. This is a picture of the solar system from the heliocentric perspective. Through a clever set of constructions, you can also find the geocentric positions of the planets. This enables one to view both the Copernican and Ptolomeic models of the solar system.
On the right, we have the Astrolabium, with which one can calculate the rising and setting of stars and planets, predict eclipses, navigate by the stars and so much more. This watch has a power reserve of 42 hours, meaning that it only has to be wound about every two days if it is not being worn, because it is a totally mechanical self winding device.
Here we have seen only a few examples of these brilliant mechanical solutions for astronomical problems. I started this series with the most modern space/time technology, because I wanted to go from the complex to the simple, and to demonstrate how the ancients measured space and time. I also want to explore the idea that non-moving parts technology is nothing new, and how, since ancient times, astrological patterns have been recognized and computed in fascinating and amazingly accurate ways. In future articles, other mechanical calculators used in astrology will be explored - like the antikytheria, planisphere, orerrey and the astrolabe, the minoan calendar stone, the pyramids and stonehenge.
© Roy Kirkland 2007
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