Jump to content

How Old?!? Not A Clock Mechanism As Such...

ro63rto
 Share

Recommended Posts

autowind Distinguished Member

autowind

Posted
Posted

There is extensive information about this 2,000 year old "Computer" on the Internet,  it was used to track the planets, predict eclipses and show the time of the Olympic games,  not bad for 2,000 years ago.  It was another 1,000 years before anyone else managed a gear based mechanism of this complexity.  It is called the Antikythera Machine after the place where it was found,  about 100 years ago,  clever people the ancient Greeks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

I saw this some time ago and as Roger says there were some incredibly clever people back then. To be able to work out the the mathematics then actually manufacture a device as complicated is truly mind blowing. Even today it would be a massive, or should I say a mathive achievement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 11 months later...
Don Super WRT Addict

Don

Posted
Posted

I just finished a book about the Antikythera Mechanism called "Decoding the Heavens" and tonight I re-watched a Nova episode about it.

 

Fascinating subject on its own, but also as it relates to clocks. In the book it says that early clocks in Europe incorporated astronomical displays that were "spookily similar to their ancient predecessors such as the Antikythera Mechanism" and "The speed with which these astronomical displays became so elaborate and so widespread - and their similarity to those developed by the Greeks - suggests that all this did not emerge from scratch. Various pieces of the necessary technology, and the idea of using gearwheels to simulate the heavens, must have been lying dormant in a range of devices - including water clocks and hand-driven calendars - so that when the invention of the escapement allowed the construction of a mechanical clock, all of these old tricks came rushing out of the wings into the new tradition."

 

One of the most interesting characters in the book is Michael Wright, who made a working model of the mechanism using hand tools such as would have been available in ancient Greece. In the Nova video you can see some old pocket watches in the background of his workshop.

 

https://youtu.be/4eUibFQKJqI

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
autowind Distinguished Member

autowind

Posted
Posted

What I cannot figure out is how it was operated,  there is a knob on the side which when turned operates the gear train and moves the pointers.  To me it seems a bit like a wind up perpetual calendar watch in that if the watch is ever allowed to stop it will quickly be out of synch.  This means someone had the job of operating it the required amount everyday,  one can imagine the pointed fingers if ever they forgot.

 

If anyone can explain better how it was operated I would be very interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

My brain is hurrting thinking about the machine, never mind what kept it running. Maybe they threw it in the sea because they couldn't biuld a driving mechanism (clock) that could hold accurate time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...
  • 1 year later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • joelcarvajal
      Gamblin Gamsol for cleaning?

      By joelcarvajal · Posted

      Thank you all for the replies!  Very informative! True enough, the Gamsol took some time to evaporate and does leave a residue. So not all naphtha are created equal!  Need to find alternatives then. i was able to try Hexane recommended by Alex and it seems great.  I wonder what the cons are?
    • GuyMontag
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By GuyMontag · Posted

      Yeah, I saw that in the tech sheet but I don't see how it can be adequately cleaned with the friction pinion still in place. I've accidentally pulled the arbor right out of the wheel once when I used a presto tool to try and remove it. Mark shows how he does it with the Platax tool. Those are a little too pricey for me so I got one of these from Aliexpress and I just push down on the arbor with the end of my brass tweezers. That usually gets it most of the way out and then I just grab the wheel with one hand the and the friction pinion with the other and gently rotate them until it pops off. Probably not the best way but it's seemed to work for me so far.    
    • Zedster
      Movement inserted from crytal side

      By Zedster · Posted

      Thanks, Jon Sounds like a plan. Obviously I'll have the face on so do you think gripping with the holder will create any problems, but I will check in the morning to see how feasible it is but I assume it only needs to be lightly held. As for holding the movement instead of the holder won't be possible in this scenario as one hand will be puling on the stem while the other pushes the spring down. That was my initial concern is how the hell can I do this with only one pair of hands. All the other times I've had to remove the stem hasn't been a problem, apart from the force required to release the stem from the setting lever, but now I need to fit the face and hands its sent me into panic mode. If it had the screw type release things would be a lot simpler but that's life 😀   Another thing I will need to consider is once the dial and hands are fitted and the movement is sitting in the case I will need to turn it over to put the case screws in. I saw a vid on Wristwatch revival where he lightly fitted the crystal and bezel so he could turn it over, is this the only option or is there another method?      
    • nevenbekriev
      Main spring

      By nevenbekriev · Posted

      Hi Jon, do You think that relation spring torque - amplitude is linear? I would rather guess that the amplitude should be proportional to the square of the torque. I had once idea to check it, but still haven't.
    • ManSkirtBrew
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By ManSkirtBrew · Posted

      I did not. I thought about it, but I had cleaned it in my ultrasonic, and the tech sheet shows lubricating it in place already assembled, so I figured discretion was the better part of valor. Although since I have to depth the jewels anyway, maybe I pull the pinion off to rule it out 100% as part of the problem. Do you know if there's a safe way to do it? I don't want to use a puller because it would push down on the plane of the wheel, and that seems like a Bad Idea. I thought about using a roller table remover, but I don't think I have a hole stake pointy enough to push it down.
×
×
  • Create New...