The Prague Astronomical Clock
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The Longcase Clock – Time Measurement
King House,
51 Maddox Street,
London W1S 2PH
+44 (0) 207 629 6606 +44 (0) 207 629 6616 Pendulumclocks@aol.com Holford Lodge,
Plumley Moor Road,
Plumley,
Cheshire
WA16 9RS +44 (0) 1565 722197 +44 (0) 1565 722744 
Equation of Time
Time is at the heart of life itself. From the moment we are born, to the moment we die, man has always been intrigued by time. From the earliest days on earth, even pre-historic man lived by a form of time. Life for them revolved around light and dark: sleep, wake, hunt, eat,sleep again. Life and time are cycles that we cannot stop, we cannot slow. What the early mathematicians and astronomers tried to do was make time more exacting.
‘Water clocks’ , ‘candle clocks’, and early ‘sundial clocks’ were developed, many of these in countries like China. It is amazing the evolution of countries over time, China played a huge part in the introduction of many new ideas and inventions, in the early world. It was in the UK that developed the measurement of time and put it in a more practical way. All these early antique clocks show the passing of time and try and measure it. Sundial clocks like Cleopatra’s Needle dating from about 1500BC, was brought to England in 1877 and now stands on the Thames Embankment in London. Forms like Cleopatra’s needle and later sundials all use the elevation of the sun in the sky to tell the time.
As society developed a more accurate way of measuring time was needed. Sundials, all well and good, are a pretty useless way of telling the time on a cloudy day. Also sundials are not accurate, because of the eliptical rotation of the earth. This inaccuracy is up to 15minutes per day, sometimes slower, sometimes faster than sundial time. Mathematicians developed a yearly equation of time sheet for these inaccuracies. From this, is was possible to set your clock from these sheets. Some amazing clockmakers produced this equation of time feature, on a year calendar, on their actual clocks. Setting you clock in the 17th century was not easy though and many were still not accurate. It was not until the introduction of the long pendulum, invented by Christian Huygens in 1657 did both clocks accuracy increase and more widespread sale of clocks happened. Towards the end of the 17th and early 18th centuries clocks became more affordable.
As many will know as a result of the great book by Dava Sobel – ‘Longitude’, the problem of inaccuracy of clocks, was even more important at sea.
King Charles II founded the Royal Observatory in 1675 to solve the problems of Longitude of sea. The produced a Lunar method of telling time at sea. This could be inaccurate though and had many problems.
As a result in 1714, the British Governemnt by Act of Parliament, gave a reward of £20,000 (a huge prize at the time) to solve the Longitude problem. John Harrison devoted his life’s work to solving this issue, and he produced various chromometers on display in Greenwich, London, these were called H1, H2, H3 and H4 dating from 1730 to 1760. These clocks were fantastic and clearly solved the problem. Harrison though was not part of the establishment at the time, he was a simple carpenter from Lincolnshire. It took him over 10 years to win his prize, and even then, only by the intervention of the King. Harrisons inventions led to the modern day ships chronometer, these were still widely used until the middle of the 20th century. His inventions led the UK to become an important sea power, and saved countless sailors lives.
Antique clocks were crucial in the 17/18th centuries both on sea and land. During the 18th century accuracy came to within a few minutes a week. It was not until temperature compensated pendulums and other regulator features on the movements, that happened in the latter part of the 18th century, that accuracy came to within a few seconds a week for these precision clocks.
The quest for the measurement of time was in effect solved. Time is central to everyones life, like it was with these great ancestors of ours. Many sayings are taken from these antique clocks, time flies , time shows the path of mans decay, all very morbid, but it is fact. We might have learnt how to measure time, but we can not slow it.
Nothing is so important as time, it is fundamental to life itself.
How To Value Antique Clocks
The pocket watch, timer or a clock that he can get his grandfather’s antique value are good. Watches, the most useful, practical and highly valued part of the old value. Watches: raising money is a familiar love. The value of an antique clock is not just about money.
Antique Collectors Clock is set to the value of antiques only. Also look for the functional value, the value of feelings and of course the market too. A grandfather clock is not just a piece of furniture or just a clock is a good investment, it saves precious history, a work of art and antiques of the century or two old.
Stay informed of methods for different values of a prized antique clock. Submit a piece of antique clock, a clock or a piece of the time the maximum value in the form of money, historical and emotional attachment to a clock that is made by his ancestors.
The people are very concerned about the persecution of the time, fascinated, and most watches are made of fine metals and gemstones. Watches can be used as a reliable and valuable guide for people trying their lost family history of rail trade. As old watches have sentimental value.
A clock may be old or new slow or stop quickly. But there are ways an old clock displays the exact time when a new one. It is possible to reproduce the design of the past. Hold real antique clock can not market value but sentimental value to add.
The market value of a new clock falls after the purchase of a showroom.
On the other hand, the value of an antique clock in the course of time increase. The market value of a valuable piece can even shoot up to a multiple of the original price you paid. So one can say with confidence to invest in an antique clock is a real value for money option. A clock showing the correct time after 200 years of its production shows definitely increases the market value of the clock. There is only one element of the case, but a useful and functional machine, the delivery of its function.
While buying an antique clock, which I think is a great value, consider a few points to make, that you are looking for the value you Only buy from a dealer who has a good knowledge of the machine and the value of the clock. Check the fair value of an antique clock as claimed by the seller. If the collection of antique clocks make a hobby that they are aware of the age, rarity, and their values. It has sentimental value for the clock of his predecessors, and if a buyer is willing to exceed the market value of the old pay to pay for produce. However, keep abreast of market value. Make sure the clock shows the time and the clock strike, or at the right times. You can even see the original design and in his time. But such imitations have no old value.
Valuable antique clocks antique clocks as the American, European antique clocks, early American clocks, large box of clocks, antique clocks, French antique clocks, etc. You can find everything you need to find a single point. You need patience and perseverance, the courage to look for when buying an antique clock.
Sales of antique clock flourished throughout the world and get lost in the chaos. Find the clock too early in your search you can see the sentimental value to steal. However, you will be satisfied if your piece of the real value in the search faster. The key here is that you go to find the desired value.
How To Value Antique Clocks
The pocket watch, timer or a clock that he can get his grandfather’s antique value are good. Watches, the most useful, practical and highly valued part of the old value. Watches: raising money is a familiar love. The value of an antique clock is not just about money.
Antique Collectors Clock is set to the value of antiques only. Also look for the functional value, the value of feelings and of course the market too. A grandfather clock is not just a piece of furniture or just a clock is a good investment, it saves precious history, a work of art and antiques of the century or two old.
Stay informed of methods for different values of a prized antique clock. Submit a piece of antique clock, a clock or a piece of the time the maximum value in the form of money, historical and emotional attachment to a clock that is made by his ancestors.
The people are very concerned about the persecution of the time, fascinated, and most watches are made of fine metals and gemstones. Watches can be used as a reliable and valuable guide for people trying their lost family history of rail trade. As old watches have sentimental value.
A clock may be old or new slow or stop quickly. But there are ways an old clock displays the exact time when a new one. It is possible to reproduce the design of the past. Hold real antique clock can not market value but sentimental value to add.
The market value of a new clock falls after the purchase of a showroom.
On the other hand, the value of an antique clock in the course of time increase. The market value of a valuable piece can even shoot up to a multiple of the original price you paid. So one can say with confidence to invest in an antique clock is a real value for money option. A clock showing the correct time after 200 years of its production shows definitely increases the market value of the clock. There is only one element of the case, but a useful and functional machine, the delivery of its function.
While buying an antique clock, which I think is a great value, consider a few points to make, that you are looking for the value you Only buy from a dealer who has a good knowledge of the machine and the value of the clock. Check the fair value of an antique clock as claimed by the seller. If the collection of antique clocks make a hobby that they are aware of the age, rarity, and their values. It has sentimental value for the clock of his predecessors, and if a buyer is willing to exceed the market value of the old pay to pay for produce. However, keep abreast of market value. Make sure the clock shows the time and the clock strike, or at the right times. You can even see the original design and in his time. But such imitations have no old value.
Valuable antique clocks antique clocks as the American, European antique clocks, early American clocks, large box of clocks, antique clocks, French antique clocks, etc. You can find everything you need to find a single point. You need patience and perseverance, the courage to look for when buying an antique clock.
Sales of antique clock flourished throughout the world and get lost in the chaos. Find the clock too early in your search you can see the sentimental value to steal. However, you will be satisfied if your piece of the real value in the search faster. The key here is that you go to find the desired value.
2000 tweets; 1000 followers!
Judith Miller09 Dec 2011, 10:43 AM
We’re running a competition over at Twitter at the moment to celebrate our 2,000th tweet and 1000th follower!
All you need to do to enter is re-tweet (either using RT @millersantiques or by clicking the re-tweet button) that 2,000th tweet before 4pm GMT today. That will enter you automatically into a competition to win one of three first prizes of ‘Miller’s Antiques Price Guide 2009′, ‘Miller’s Antiques Price Guide 2010-2011′, and a brand new copy of ‘Millers Antiques Price Guide 2012-2013′, which I have signed. There are also two second prizes up for grabs, and that includes the 2009 and 2010-2011 guides!
Get tweeting!
