The hourglass is old. Mantel clock with barometer and thermometer

Watch

Physicists, engineers, artists and jewelers - representatives of these serious professions developed the first copy of a mechanical watch so that humanity would receive a device that displays the exact passage of time. Both in ancient times and now, chronographs serve as indicators of the high status of their owners, with the only exception that in modern times there are more varieties of time-keeping devices. But even the abundance of newfangled gadgets cannot affect our psychology: if in a museum or at a party we see an old wall clock (especially those with a chime), our heart begins to beat faster from the beauty of the device, which lies in the elegance and perfection of its forms.

Unlike electronic ones, antique chronographs are capable of mentally transporting us into the past; they make us feel the spirit of bygone days. This unearthly feeling of joy and tranquility is experienced by everyone who has ever seen time-keeping devices created centuries ago. Oddly enough, antique watches have the ability to fit perfectly into any interior, although at first glance it may seem that their design does not meet fashion trends.

A chronograph that has worked flawlessly for hundreds of years is not the dream of today’s user. We no longer pay attention to the fact that we have stopped getting used to things and equipment, because if something breaks (and this will happen quickly), we will take our wallet and go to the nearest store to get what we need. Antique watches carry a completely different principle: they can work for decades and never stop moving. Previously, the quality of details and the scrupulousness of the craftsman, who put part of his soul into his brainchild, decided, if not everything, then a lot. After all, the specialist valued his reputation and did not take money from the client in vain.

An interesting fact is that old watches are also valued for the status of their previous owner. If you see a chronograph that a seller is offering for a fabulous sum, then take an interest in the history of the device; it is quite possible that it was owned by a major industrialist, merchant or official.

When choosing a watch, you should pay close attention to the condition of its main mechanism, because even the slightest restoration of the device can reduce its cost. A chronometer made of noble materials or having a number of additional functions (repeater, calendar, thermometer, barometer, etc.) will cost more.

In the Shop of Antiquities you can buy table, marine, pocket and mantel clocks at reasonable prices. Each of the devices presented on the virtual showcase is a work of art, many of them are decorated with miniature sculptural compositions.

A watch accompanies a person throughout his life. Chronometers of different designs and purposes will not only become part of an antique collection, but will also decorate interiors in retro and classic styles, and wrist models will complement an evening outfit.

We offer

The catalog of our salon presents various antiques, including watches from the 19th century, as well as more modern models. You can buy from us:

• floor;
• wall;
• desktop;
• fireplace;
• manual;
• Pocket;
• male and female;
• awards;
• solar;
• sand options.

There is also a large selection of accessories and related parts. We have collected for you antique bracelets, chains, boxes, cases, keys for winding models, watchmaker's tool sets and much more.

Features of the offer

Many mechanisms have additional decorations in the form of figures of people and animals, floral patterns, and are decorated with semi-precious stones. The list of production materials is also varied.

Old watches have the stamps of the manufacturing companies, award engravings, and the initials of famous owners. Thus, an English-made pocket watch made in Chester retains clearly visible hallmarks, is in good condition and is still running. Also, thematic catalogs and reference books of various years of publication in Russian and foreign languages ​​are always available.

Price

The assortment includes products from the USSR era, as well as truly unique and rare products, the price of which is noticeably higher. Thus, collectors will be interested in the award watch of Grigory Ivanovich Yavorsky (1770-1834) with the accompanying archival documents: bill of sale, personal correspondence, brief biographical information. Soviet-style ones, on the contrary, are affordable due to their prevalence.

You can purchase your favorite items in the ArtAntik antique salon with delivery throughout Moscow and the regions of Russia. All products are carefully packaged, which eliminates the risk of damage during transportation. Choose and order now!

When you look at an hourglass, you involuntarily think and admire this wonderful invention of mankind. There is probably no person who would not be surprised by their unique beauty: after all, hourglasses are so simple in their design, and the meaning of what they serve is so deep - measuring time. This is a very symbolic thing. In ancient times, they were considered a symbol of the Greek god of time, Kronos, whom the ancient Greeks revered as the chief judge and great healer. This is where the belief came from that the hourglass has a special, magical, miraculous power. For hundreds of years, attempts were made to improve them - they replaced sand with mercury, and made spring mechanisms for turning watches... But all these innovations did not take root, but people still use the simplest hourglass to this day.

Nowadays, hourglasses exist in a huge variety, although, for the most part, they remain close to the classical form - two stable bases connected by posts, and a flask with sand fixed between them, having a narrow isthmus through which sand is poured from one half to the other . Bases, racks - they were made of wood, metal, bone, and sand was used as a bulk body. And now new materials have appeared - hourglasses can be made of plastic, and instead of sand, other fine-grained substances of various colors, or even a special gel, are used.

It is precisely because of this that such unusual effects are possible, such as, for example, a clock in which sand pours from the bottom up!

Blue hourglass “Vice versa”

Where can I buy:
Price: 160 rubles

It looks incredible - as if time itself had turned back! How is this possible? It turns out that everything is very simple - the watch is filled with a transparent liquid, and the granules of blue “sand” are lighter than this liquid and tend to float. Observers have probably already noticed a small bubble at the very top of these watches - it reveals their liquid essence. And for greater effectiveness, a beautiful blue liquid is poured into the sand-free cavities.

There are even more unusual watches, they seem to be water-based, but at the same time, droplets of gel move in them.

Where can I buy:
Price: 190 rubles

Each drop does not fall down straight, but jumps along a special ladder. When your nerves begin to fray, you should look at such a watch and you will quickly calm down, because it is a good anti-stress.

No less interesting are these watches, which also use gel

Water clock “Color Time”

Where can I buy:
Price: 120 rubles

They are interesting because drops of two colors flowing simultaneously, blue and pink, pass through a thin plane of liquid flow, turning into colored circles. At the same time, one can observe not only the action of surface tension forces, but also the composition of colors.

As a transitional option from a water clock to an hourglass, there are very unusual

Where to buy: bvu.ru
Price: 1300 rubles

As the sand pours into the watch, it floats up in a flask with a beautiful green liquid. Such a watch will immediately remind engineers and builders of a tool called a “level.” Watching this clock is doubly interesting - both the sand and the movement of the clock inside the flask. Another option for similar watches

Gift hourglass red sand

Where to buy: bvu.ru
Price: 600 rubles

Such watches will look especially spectacular and beautiful in direct bright sunlight falling on them.

There is an hourglass, which is made in the form of a monolithic crystal, in which there is a cavity of the appropriate shape, and sand is contained in it.

Where to buy: robotroniks.ru
Price: 190 rubles

They are multifaceted, different shapes, and all very cute, with convex or concave edges, colored backgrounds, decorations and sand.

What are the most modern hourglasses of classic shapes, can be seen very clearly from the watch

Where to buy: romaxus.ru
Price: 1260 rubles

Their metal body is delightful with its smoothness, elegant shapes, and the sand has a pleasant pink color.

Also, pink sand can carry not only a decorative meaning, but also a symbolic one.

Hourglass Pink Heart

Where to buy: bvu.ru
Price: 350 rubles

Pink grains of sand, spilling between two hearts, like sparks of love, symbolize the interaction of the feelings of two loving hearts. A good gift for a loved one.

Big people need big, solid watches. Like these

Where to buy: bvu.ru
Price: 780 rubles

And there are also hourglasses, which, as the name states, are able to control time.

Where to buy: magsnov.ru
Price: 1600 rubles

Where to buy: magsnov.ru
Price: 2200 rubles

This is a very extraordinary modification of an hourglass under a magnifying glass, allowing its owner not only to stop the passage of time at will, but also to increase time periods, which are sometimes so lacking. Master time!

Everywhere: in the work office, on the doctor’s desk, in the living room, and on an ordinary bookshelf - the hourglass has never been and will never be a superfluous thing - there is always a practical use for it. Even in medicine and psychology, the effect of their action is very significant, because they are able to change the emotional and energetic state of a person, beneficially affecting well-being and mood.

People started measuring time a very long time ago. For this purpose, water and sunlight were used, later the energy of grains of sand, the mechanical force of springs, and nowadays most often the vibrations of piezocrystals.

Once upon a time, one of the main devices for measuring time was the hourglass. It is reliably known that the principle of their construction was known in Asia much earlier before the beginning of our chronology. However, in the ancient world, despite references to bottle clocks and attempts to make glass, no hourglass was constructed. In Europe they appeared in the Middle Ages.

It is documented that in the 14th century sand from marble, lead or zinc dust, quartz, and also from eggshells was used to produce hourglasses. The smoother the glass, the higher the accuracy of the move. It also depended on the sand itself and on the shape of the vessels. The presence of a diaphragm made it possible to regulate the number and, accordingly, the speed of pouring grains of sand. True, in those days the craftsmen were never able to achieve the accuracy and durability of the hourglass due to the mechanical destruction of the grains.

The time interval for which the clock was calculated usually ranged from a couple of seconds to one hour, rarely several hours. However, there are exceptions, which are located in Budapest (Hungary) and Nimes (Japan). This hourglass reaches a height of several meters and its cycle is one year.

For a long time, ships used 30-second hourglasses to measure speed and half-hour ones to measure watch times. Also, thirty-minute chronometers were used in court hearings, and thirty-second ones in medicine.

In the history of hourglasses, there are many attempts to improve them, for example, using spring mechanisms to turn them over, or replacing grains of sand with mercury. But all these innovations did not take root, and modern watches are the same as they were several centuries ago.

Today, few people use hourglasses to measure time, but many people encounter them as a symbol. So with users of the Microsoft Windows operating system, this happens with every session; the mouse pointer simply turns into an overturning hourglass, indicating that the system is busy.

Hourglasses have been used by people since ancient times. This is a fairly accurate device for measuring time, but it has one significant drawback - it can only be used to measure small intervals of time. However, people continue to use hourglasses in everyday life to this day. But if you think about it, the persistence of this image has a lot of reasons.

In fact, an hourglass is the simplest device for keeping time. They do not have a complex mechanism that can break down or begin to malfunction, but they do not depend, for example, on the presence of the sun.
An hourglass of a classic design is two vessels that are connected by a narrow neck, mounted on a stable stand. A certain amount of sand is poured into one of them. Depending on the volume of the vessels themselves, an hourglass can measure intervals of several seconds, minutes or even hours, if we are talking about a large time meter.

How much sand has flown under the bridge since its creation?

There are many versions about how exactly the hourglass was invented. According to one of them, this time meter appeared in Europe around the 8th century. According to this version, the hourglass is the brainchild of the French monk Liutprand from Chartres Cathedral. The next mention of this invention occurs in a fresco dating back to the 14th century. The hourglass was depicted in his work entitled “Allegory of Good Government” by the Italian artist Ambrogio Lorenzetti in 1338. From about this time there are references to these time meters in ship's logs.

For a long time, the hourglass was considered the most practical device of this kind. However, starting around the early 1500s, their popularity began to decline, as most people preferred mechanical watches that came into use, which were more accurate.
Over time, the hourglass has not undergone any significant changes in design. Initially, they were made from two flasks, tied together with a cord or just a thick thread. At the junction, the necks of the vessels were lined with a metal diaphragm with a hole, which precisely regulated the amount and speed of pouring sand. For strength, this joint was also filled with wax or resin to prevent sand from spilling out and moisture from getting inside. The first hourglasses with hermetically sealed bulbs appeared around the 1760s. They were more accurate than the previous analogue, since constant humidity was maintained inside the vessels. As a result, the sand could not become damp, and therefore was always poured at the same speed.
Note that not any sand could get into the hourglass. To obtain a high-quality filler, craftsmen took a fine-grained variety of sand, first burned it and sifted it through a fine sieve, and then dried it thoroughly. The more uniform its grain size was, the more accurate the readings of the finished time meter were.

By the way, the hourglass was filled with granules of various origins. It could be powder from finely ground marble, crushed eggshells, and in some models they tried to use tin or lead oxide. Hourglass makers have conducted many experiments to understand which granules give the most constant flow. There are written references to the fact that there was even a special workshop in Paris that specialized in the preparation of original filler for this time meter. Here it was made from powdered black marble. It was ground into fine sand, boiled in wine and then dried in the sun.
However, it is still impossible to say for sure which granules are the best. Moreover, the accuracy of the readings is influenced by other factors in addition to the quality of the sand. For example, its quantity or the size of the flasks and the neck connecting them. When creating hourglasses, the craftsmen experimented a lot with the ratio of their sizes. As a result, it was determined that the diameter of the neck should not exceed half the diameter of the flask. The minimum size of this hole can be equal to 1/12 of the diameter of the flask.

The choice of this indicator depends not least on how large the granules are that fill the hourglass. Accordingly, identical time meters of this kind, differing only in the diameter of the neck, can count different periods of time. The narrower the isthmus connecting the flasks, the longer it takes to pour sand. By the way, over time, hourglasses lose their verified accuracy precisely because due to constant friction, the granules inside the flasks are crushed into smaller ones and, as a result, pour out faster. The quality of the glass is also of great importance. It must be perfectly smooth without any defects inside, so as not to interfere with the free movement of grains of sand.
European hourglasses were typically designed to last from 30 minutes to a full hour. However, there were also instances that measured a 3-hour period of time. It was extremely rare for an hourglass to be created that lasted as long as half a day. However, such a time meter must, without exaggeration, have gigantic dimensions.
For those whose homes could not accommodate such a capital structure, special kits were invented. Several hourglasses were installed in one case at once. Such a device made it possible to measure long time intervals. It was possible to buy similar hourglasses simply folded into one case.

Technological progress did not stand still. He also touched upon the hourglass, which needed improvements in order to compete with any practical and accurate mechanical analogues that had appeared. For example, craftsmen in Nuremberg and Ausburg complicated their design by placing four flask systems in one case at once. A mathematician named De la Hire contributed by creating an hourglass so precise that it could even measure second intervals. The scientist Tycho Brahe became famous as an astronomer, but he also had a hand in the evolution of this device, trying to replace the usual sand with mercury. Fortunately, such a dangerous innovation did not take root.
However, the biggest breakthrough in this area was made by Stefan Farfler, who created a spring mechanism with which the hourglass automatically overturned at certain intervals. Naturally, this innovation made their use much more convenient.

The evolution of “flasks” into alarm clocks

Before the hourglass came into widespread use, a hydrologium or, as this device is also called, a clepsydra, was used. In fact, this is a water clock that was used by the Assyro-Babylonians and the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt. A clepsydra is a cylindrical vessel with water flowing out of it. Equal intervals of time were noticed on the cylinder. It is with clepsydra that the expression “time is up”, which is still used today, is associated.

The Greeks improved this design. Plato, for example, described a mechanism consisting of a pair of cones entering each other, regulating the speed of water flowing out of vessels. Of course, such specific designs were not very convenient. While they could still be used in production, on ships, where timing was necessary to determine speed, such a clepsydra did not give accurate readings.

In the Middle Ages, the design of water clocks underwent a number of changes, making them more convenient and accurate. The clepsydra turned into a drum, divided inside into several longitudinal chambers with water, inside which there was an axis with a wound rope. The drum was hung by this rope, and it began to rotate, unwinding it. The water inside the clepsydra, flowing from one chamber to another, regulated the rotation speed. Time was counted by lowering the drum.
However, the clepsydra was still far from ideal, since its accuracy continued to depend on the height of the flask, the presence of pitching and the ambient temperature. In winter, the water in such watches could simply freeze, making them completely useless.

The hourglass did not present such unpleasant surprises. People began to use them at home in the kitchen, in church, and then in production. It was the hourglass that measured lunch break times for various employees.

However, it was precisely for sailors that this device, accurate and practical, became a real find. Since the 15th century, any ship had at least three such time meters. One hourglass was designed for four hours, which corresponded to the time of one watch, the second - for a minute, and the third - for 30 seconds. With the help of the latter, the sailors calculated the speed at which the ship was moving along the log.

By the way, this is where the naval tradition of measuring time with “flasks” came from. The watchman, who monitored the readings of the ship's hourglass, regularly struck the ship's bell each time, turning over the half-hour hourglass, that is, in fact, “struck the bells.” After every full hour the sailor rang the bell twice.

The famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan used an hourglass in a set of 18 pieces during his voyage around the world. He needed to know the exact time for navigation, as well as to keep a ship's log. The hourglasses on the ships of this Magellan expedition were designed for 15, 30, 45 minutes and a full hour. Each ship had a person who had to turn them over as necessary. In addition, his duties included reconciliation and correction of clock readings.

Of course, these days the Navy uses more advanced instruments for measuring time. However, hourglasses are still used in everyday life. For example, they can be useful in the kitchen as a timer. For the same purpose, hourglasses are used in school laboratories or when testing reading techniques, in treatment rooms. Such time meters are produced for recording intervals when measuring pulse, antipyretic wraps, contrast showers, treatment with mustard plasters or medical cupping. Also, an hourglass, designed for 10 - 15 minutes, is very convenient to control the time spent in a sauna, bathhouse or solarium.

Children will really like this time meter. A brightly colored hourglass filled with colored granules can turn boring hygiene routines like brushing teeth or dousing during hardening into a fun game.
Already in the twentieth century, hourglasses were used for more serious purposes. For example, models with an automatic tilting mechanism were also used by telephone exchange workers to control the duration of conversations. The hourglass was used during legal debates so that opponents would not have their thoughts wander too much. They are used for the same purpose in both houses of the Australian Parliament. There, the duration of speakers' speeches is limited by a special hourglass with three systems of flasks.

By the way, electronic versions of such time meters have now also appeared. By the way, you can buy such an hourglass not only as an original interior element. They can be very useful in everyday life. For example, the electronic hourglass from designers Fabian Hemmert and Susan Hamman is an unusual alarm clock. You just need to tilt its body 45 degrees, and the function is launched: red LEDs begin to “roll” on the display. It is noteworthy that this alarm clock should be set not to the time of rising, but to the duration of sleep. Each luminous point corresponds to one hour of night dreams. Waking up at night, even in the dark, you can easily see how much sleep you still have left. And for those who like to lie down a little longer after the alarm clock has signaled the rise, this so-called hourglass has a special function. Just turn them over - after five minutes they will again remind you that it is time to get up.

However, in the vast majority of cases today, an hourglass can only be bought as an original element of the interior. With the advent of much more accurate mechanical and electronic time meters, their practical function still loses to the aesthetic one. But here the masters can give free rein to their imagination. Hourglasses are placed in cases made of valuable wood, decorated with fancy ornaments. Sometimes they are even inlaid with various precious stones. Such antique table clocks can become the highlight of the interior.

Craftsmen from Thailand did not limit themselves to experiments on the external decoration of watches. They probably remembered that inner beauty is much more important, but they took this statement too literally. As a result, their hourglass was filled with small diamonds instead of the usual sand. The total weight of the precious filling was approximately 10 thousand carats. This hourglass is one of the most expensive today. Their cost is 6.4 million dollars.

It's time for records

As you know, there are no limits to perfection, and therefore masters from different countries are still trying to create the best and most unusual hourglasses. Since there can’t be a complex mechanism in this time meter in principle, and you can’t do much magic with the shape, all that remains is to experiment with the dimensions.
For example, in the early 90s, an hourglass was created in Hamburg, which is the smallest to date. The height of this masterpiece does not exceed 2.4 cm. Sand is poured from the upper part to the lower part in a period of time equal to 5 seconds.

Creating an hourglass of gigantic size seemed to be a more exciting activity. There has even been some rivalry in this area.
The first such giant has a permanent residence in the Sand Museum located in the Japanese city of Nîmes. This hourglass was created in 1991. Their height is 5 m with a diameter of the flask chambers of 1 m. However, 13 years later, their fame was eclipsed by the popularity of one of the main attractions of Budapest.
As you know, in 2004 Hungary became part of the European Union. For the residents of this country, such an event turned out to be very joyful. In honor of him, a monument known as the “Wheel of Time” was erected in the central part of Budapest, near Heroes’ Square.

This gigantic hourglass has become a symbol of the fusion of ancient traditions and the latest technology. They are equipped with a very complex semi-automatic mechanism, which, using a computer, controls the pouring of sand. However, its complexity is largely due to the size of the time meter. The Budapest hourglass reaches as much as 8 m in height. They are a gigantic granite circle that makes one full revolution during the year. And on December 31, the sand-filled chamber moves upward, and the annual countdown starts again. Moreover, this revolution is carried out not by a computer program, but by a person who, however, uses cables and a simple mechanism to help move a heavy block of stone. Thus, this hourglass symbolizes human perseverance and strength, which has helped us overcome all obstacles for many centuries.
According to the creators, the “Wheel of Time” symbolizes Hungary’s entry into a new era of development.

However, after another four years, this record was broken. In 2008, the German automobile company BMW decided to install a kind of advertising on Red Square in anticipation of the presentation of a new model. As a result, an hourglass appeared in Moscow, the height of which was 12 m. It was made of durable acrylic glass and filled with shiny metal balls. In total, 180 thousand of these balls were used for this clock, resulting in the total weight of the entire structure reaching 40 tons. This hourglass was built over the course of nine days and was supposed to count down time until July 8, 2008 - that’s when the presentation of the new model from BMW was supposed to take place. By the way, the hourglass was so large that, in addition to the metal balls that periodically fell down, the car itself was located in its upper chamber.
It turns out that these days an hourglass is not so much a device for measuring time, but rather an element of style or even an indicator of the high status and good taste of the owner.

Olya