Accession No
0312
Brief Description
horizontal dial and pocket watch, by J. J. Badollet, Swiss [attributed], 1/4 19th Century
Origin
Switzerland; Geneva [attributed]
Maker
Badollet, J. J.
Class
mechanical horology; dials
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1825
Inscription Date
Material
metal (silver, gilt metal, steel); enamel; glass
Dimensions
bag length 110mm; breadth 100mm; thickness 32mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from Gertrude Hamilton (trading as ’Mercator’), Paris, in 04/1928.
Inscription
‘J. J. Badollet’
Description Notes
Gilt case; on one side a pocket watch (lacks glass and minute hand) with enamelled dial divided I - XII, I - XII, numbered by I. On the other side a horizontal dial with silvered dial plate, divided V - XII, I - VII, numbered by I. Rod gnomon for 25˚ N. Inset compass with 8 points, offset 15˚ W for variation.
Condition
References
Events
Description
The horizontal dial is the most common form of sundial. The portable version proved very popular with the upper classes during the 19th Century. During this period it could best be described as the wristwatch of its day.
The hour lines are engraved onto a horizontal surface, with a gnomon (pointer) in the centre. Seasonal variations (caused by the earth’s orbit being elliptical, not circular) have to be compensated for, as they can affect the raw reading by up to 18 minutes.
18/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson and Boris Jardine on 18/10/2002
FM:43061
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