Featured Not an Antique, but check out my new clock. Clepsydra

It's called a clepsydra aka water clock, made by George Dorne's circa 1975. I'm in the process of calibrating it, it gains about 1/2 hour every 3 hours. Calibration is done by adding or removing lead weight in the brass cylinder on the rear. I this case it's fast so I'll have to remove weight. It's a 12-hour clock.
I'm curious to find out how many were made.
@afantiques

 

Fascinating! What function does the water perform?

 

That’s gorgeous and very unique.

 

Ooooo, very nice look to the clock!

 

If you look at the last photo, on the left side you see a tiny little hole on the bottom center of the vane, the vanes are tilted such that the ant-freeze /water empties from each cell to fill the other cell, trying to achieve equilibrium, but the weight in the rear ads enough torque to offset the equilibrium. The knurled knob on the rear shaft is used to wind the string from the weight counterclockwise so as to rotate the cylinder in a clockwise direction. I hope that I was able to describe its operation correctly. It's a pretty clever design.

 

Thank you, Fig & BMRT.

 

I love unusual things,thats a very cool piece.

 

Thanks, Andy. I suspect I will need to ponder this for awhile. Maybe I can find a public place here that has one (like a museum?) so I can see it in operation.

 

Thanks, Johnny, so do I.

 

I would make a video, but it rotates so slowly, it really wouldn't show much. The round brass ring with the roman numerals fits in a "V" groove on the brass hub attached to the rotating liquid drum, as it rotates it causes the brass ring to rotate.

I'll try making a video and post it on YouTube.

 

Yes please! Very intriguing. Would never have imagined a working clock like this, even with the description.

 

Ah! You answered my next question before I could ask it! I was wondering what part or parts actually moved. I think I get it now!

But one last thing - it looks like there is only 1 hand. Is that correct?

 

That is correct.

Here are 2 more photos detailing the front and rear mechanics.

 

Fascinating! Never seen similar. Really cool!

 

Thank you Lucille.

 

Wonderous thing. Do you add fluid or is it closed?

 

It's a closed system, no way to add fluid. I believe that the fluid is most probably glycol, IE: antifreeze. I believe this because the clock sat in a non-heated Hew Hampshire barn for several years.

 

I hope this helps explain the fluid movement from one cell to the next, these photos were taken over a 5-minute time span. The rotation is counter-clockwise, causing the brass roman numeral ring (removed) to rotate clockwise.

 

I have never seen anything like it. Some may be old enough to understand what I mean when I refer to it as a Heath Robinson gadget.

It exemplifies useless complication for the sake of it, and would be ideally suited to a collection of 1980s 'executive toys'.

 

Thank you AF and I agree, but interesting, none the less.
The way I look at it is that a watch can have many complications making it more desirable and expensive, but it's still just a watch. This clock is simple but clever and non complicated, in that it tells time by a very ancient water flowing through a tiny hole time keeping method. But it's still just a clock ànd has no other purpose but to show the designers cleverness.