28 Apr

THE
t rilogy
time
ASTROLABIUM
PL ANETARIUM
TELLURIUM

Table of Contents Table of Contents
preface Reading the Positions of Sun and Moon 48

How it all began 09 Sunrise and Sunset, Moonrise and Moonset 49
Dawn and Dusk 49
Depicting the Appparent (Temporal) Time 50
CHAPTER 1: SOME NOTES ABOUT Finding Directions 52
THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY Moon Phases 52
What does Astronomy have to do with measuring time? 11 Eclipses 53
Views of the World 13 Setting the Astrolabium 54

How to Set the Astrolabium When it was Stopped for a Time 55
How to Adjust the Astrolabium to a New Location 56
CHAPTER 2: CELESTIAL MECHANICS 10
SUN AND EARTH The Planetarium 57
The Rotation of the Earth 15
The Movement of the Earth Around the Sun 17 Interpreting the Planetarium 60
Reading the Normal Time 60
Earth and Moon Calendar and Zodiac 60
The Phases of the Moon 21 Displaying the Planets 62
Solar and Lunar Eclipses 23 Determining the Planets Positions on the Dial 64
The Moon Phases 65
C H A P T E R 3 : c r e at i n g m a s t e r pi e c e s Setting the Planetarium 66

THE CREATOR: LUDWIG OECHSLIN 26
The Tellurium 70
LUDWIG OECHSLIN AND THE TRILOGY OF TIME 28
Interpreting the Tellurium 72
UNDERSTANDING THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE TRILOGY OF TIME 31 Reading the Time 72
Calendar and Zodiac 73
TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES 33 Illumination of the Earth 73
The Moon Phases 75
CRAFTMANSHIP 35 Solar and Lunar Eclipses 76
Enamel Cloisonn 36
How to Set the Tellurium 78
How to Correct the Setting by Short Time Spans (Daylight Saving Time) 79
CHAPTER 4: using the trilogy Changing the Time, Taking into Account Long Time Spans 80
THE ASTROLABIUM 40
INTERPRETING THE ASTROLABIUM 42 appendix

Reading the Legal / Normal Time 43 Intenational Time Zones 82
Reading the Local / Solar Time 43
Calendar 46
Important Astronomical Indications on the Dial 47 Acknowledgements 83

PREFACE
In 1983 Rolf Schnyder bought the watch manufacturing

company Ulysse Nardin, which at that time was in immediate danger of bankruptcy. Ulysse
Nardin had a tradition of watch making since 1846 and was famous for its high-quality
chronometers not only built for private use, but also as navigational instruments used by
several navies. During the Seventies the company became one of the many victims of the
quick advance in watch technology and production. Millions of cheaply produced, accurate
quartz watches flooded the market. This left the traditional mechanical watch, which was
manufactured in a long and time consuming process with a lot of work done by hand, barely
a chance to survive.
Nevertheless, Rolf Schnyder was convinced that the production of high-class mechanical
timepieces still had a future. He also knew, that his newly acquired company would need
something really spectacular to reintroduce its name into the exclusive league of the worlds
best watch manufacturers. During the search for this specialty, Rolf Schnyder visited the
workshop of a well-known watchmaker in Lucerne, Switzerland: Jrg Spring. There, he
noticed an extraordinary wall clock featuring an astronomical dial, a so-called astrolabe.
Upon asking, he learned from the master that his apprentice, a certain Ludwig Oechslin, had
constructed this clock. When Mr. Schnyder finally met this apprentice, he immediately asked
him if it would be possible to create an astrolabe as small as a wristwatch. Who would be
interested in buying it? was Oechslins laconic answer.
This was the start of not only a steady friendship, but also of an extraordinary co-operation.
One result of it is presented in this book.
Rolf W. Schnyder
President
09

Some notes about the
history of a str onomy
T he T rilogy
of Time
In fact, our common measuring of time is nothing more than

the observation of basic astronomical events. What we call a day is the time span during
which the Earth rotates once around its axis. Very early already, mankind divided this span
into shorter intervals, which made it possible to keep record of the time elapsed within a day.
The time shown by our timepieces, be they worn on our wrists or hanging on the walls of our
homes, is always the representation of a specific moment during that rotation of the Earth.
Since all watches are only a simple product of astronomy, it was logical that the two functions
observation of astronomical events and the measuring of certain time intervals were
combined into a single device. In the beginning these devices hardly could be identified as
clocks: megalithic arrangements like those at Stonehenge in England and Carnac in France,
or Egyptian and Mayan temples. All of these artifacts were erected for astronomical
observations and calculations as well as being a place to celebrate.
The connection of astronomy, time and religion always was a very tight one. The first people
noticed that the Sun rises and disappears in more or less regular intervals, that the Moon
changes its face also regularly, and that the stars seemingly kept their positions eternally.
The Trilogy of Time
is also available as a Therefore, those celestial bodies became symbols for divine activities, which determined all
limited set. life on Earth. People came to the belief that Sun, Moon and stars even were gods themselves,
who needed to be worshipped. It
consequently became increasingly
important to dedicate rituals, held at
specific times, to the gods. The
architectural framework for the rituals
The megalithic alignments

of Carnac in Brittany
served as religious site as
well as astronomical
observatory.
10 11

Some notes about the Some notes about the
history of a str onomy history of a str onomy
became an instrument to determine the important moments by means of optical signs. Only
on one or two days in a year, for example, (mostly the equinoxes) would the sunrays reach
a specially marked stone or spot. To maintain the gods favour it was indispensable to
celebrate the rituals at the exact time, which put the power of time into the hands of priests,
who kept it for thousands of years. Until today, the Christian holiday of Easter Sunday is
determined by astronomy. It is the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring.
When we observe the Suns path in relation to the stellar sky
Not only religious celebrations were held, following the accurate observation of astronomical during a year, it seems that the Sun rotates around the Earth, which is positioned in the
cycles, but also daily life was influenced by these events. In ancient Egypt, it was noticed that centre of the universe. This conclusion was made very early and found its way into the old
the annual flooding of the Nile started shortly after the bright star Sirius appeared in the sky texts about the creation of the world. It was scientifically explained mainly by the Egyptian
for the first time of the year (July 20th). This event determined the whole cycle of sowing mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy during the 2nd century AD.
and harvesting and therefore, the Egyptian year started with the appearance of Sirius.
After the multitude of gods assigned to the celestial bodies were replaced with the belief in the
one God, astronomical timepieces not only kept their importance to calculate the correct times
for ceremonies, but they gained an additional didactic function. The observation of Sun, Moon
and the planets brought forward the insight, that their movements followed certain rules, The geocentric view
which themselves could only be the result of Gods planning and his creation of the universe. of the solar system as
Ptolemy defined it.
The huge astronomic clocks built in the Middle Ages and located in the churches had the purpose
of demonstrating to all spectators the magnificent apparatus of the universe in which the Earth
and man were placed in the centre with the universe rotating around just as it was planned and
executed by the will of God. Therefore, the study of the celestial bodies, and the exposition of
astronomical clocks were a means to discover mankinds place in the universal order of things.
They were instruments of philosophy and religion, and even instruments of indoctrination.
Given this importance, it is not astonishing that the clerical monopoly of time was soon
challenged by the cities: During the 15th and 16th centuries, these had gained massive
economic strength, and were eager to demonstrate their independence from the church. While
the old church towers were a natural place to locate public clock displays, the magistrates of
wealthy towns quickly erected their own clock towers. Huge astronomic clocks, such as the
magnificent clocks in Padua (1434), Prague (1486), or Berne (1530) were placed in either the
townhalls, or in dedicated clock-towers, and proved to the public, that the interpretation of
the universe was not an entirely spiritual issue, left at the discretion of priests.
The astronomic clock at

the town hall of Prague,
Czech Republic (1486).
12 13

Some notes about the CELESTIAL MECHANICS 101
history of a str onomy
His geocentric system of the universe was adopted by the Catholic Church and fiercely
defended, even when scientific proof, that the Sun is the centre, around which the Earth is
rotating, was brought forward by Nicolaus Copernicus in his book De revolutionibus,
published in 1543. Consequently, Copernicus and other defenders of his heliocentric system
ran into serious trouble with the Church. Galileo Galilei had to publicly retract his support
of the Copernican theory. Giordano Bruno was even burnt on the stake by the Inquisition.
The Rotation of the Earth
Too far away was the new theory from the traditional dogma about the Earths position in the
known universe. It seemed blasphemy to consider that Gods final and finest creation, The Earth rotates around its own axis, causing the impression
mankind, was not the centre of the world. that the Sun rises in the morning, passes its zenith at noon and sets in the evening which is
followed by a period of darkness, the night. This complete cycle is one day, the basic time
Even when the heliocentric model finally was adopted, there were still too many apparent
interval which can be defined by astronomic events. In ancient times, the definition of the
inconsistencies and contradictions. The movement of certain planets just did not follow the
day had already been established as the period between two zeniths of the Sun. By means of
predictions, which were based on the assumption that all celestial bodies moved in perfect
a simple stick in the Earth, it was easy to determine that the Sun had reached its highest
circles. The impression, that the universe was a gigantic automaton created by God, and
point, when the shadow cast by the stick had its shortest length. However, different cultures
followed strict divine laws, prevailed. Moreover, as a special privilege from God, man was
placed the beginning of a new day on different times, be it the sunrise, the sunset or the
enabled to use the same laws to recreate the universe in a small scale as astronomic
noon. In the Roman Empire, the day changed at midnight, which was a difficult issue, since
automatons in mechanical clocks.
no astronomical event helped to determine this exact time.
It was Johannes Kepler, who finally delivered a serious blow against this conception, when he
The possibility to count days alone was not enough though, and a more detailed subdivision
proved that the planets moved along ellipses rather than perfect circles. Sir Isaac Newton, with
was needed. This was achieved by dividing daylight and night into twelve hours each, totalling
his gravitational laws, demonstrated that so many different gravitational influences have an
twenty-four hours per complete day. The twelve hour interval was already introduced in
effect on the planets movements, and that it is merely impossible to predict them by means of
ancient times, since the number twelve was a sacred number in nearly every old culture. In
strict and eternally valid formulas. Suddenly, it became meaningless to reproduce the universal
Rome, the twelve daylight hours started at sunrise, the twelve nighttime hours at sunset. The
movements by means of automatons, and the importance of the mechanical astronomical
apparent problem with this subdivision is that the Earths rotation axis is not at a right angle
clocks as a means of scientific, as well religious demonstration and education quickly vanished.
to its orbit around the Sun, but it is slanted some 23 degrees. This angle is responsible for the
change of the seasons and the different lengths of light and dark periods during the year.
Therefore, the old method to measure the daytime, the so-called apparent solar time, accepted
different lengths of the hours. During winter, the twelve night-time hours were much longer
than the twelve daytime hours, and vice versa during summer. Consequently, night and day
hours varied in their lengths, between 75 and 44 minutes. Only at the two equinoxes did they
last equally long, 60 minutes. It is clear that this system of measuring time implies differences
as soon as the geographical location is changed. Due to the Earths rotation, places in the East
experience sunrise and sunset earlier than those in the West, resulting in a considerable
The heliocentric or
Copernican system.
14 15

CELESTIAL MECHANICS 101 CELESTIAL MECHANICS 101
One complete rotation of the Earth needs

23 hours and 56 minutes. Since the Earth in
the meantime has moved along its path
around the Sun, its angle of illumination has
changed too, so the time span between noon A
and noon B is four minutes longer.
The Movement of the Earth Around the Sun
By observing the stars which the Earth seems to pass once a

year, its path around the Sun can be easily traced.
However, since the observations of our solar system are not made from a virtual fixed point
somewhere far above the system, we cannot recognize the Earths movement itself. Our
observing location is positioned on the Earth, which for us, of course, seems to stand still.
From our viewpoint, it is the Sun that apparently is moving through the sky. This is the
reason why the theory of the geocentric universe seemed so logical at its time.
difference at larger distances. Since the average circle of social relations at that time was very
small, caused by the lack of long range communication assets and fast means of transportation It is easy to understand the principle, if one imagines a ride on those merry-go-rounds which
(around 1500, a journey from Venice to Lissabon lasted about 46 days!), this difference was can be found on childrens playgrounds. As long as the spectator is standing aside and looks
hardly noticeable. The system of using the apparent solar time was convenient to use and easy at the turning disc, he realizes that the children on the disc are rotating around its central
to understand for all people, who normally did not possess clocks, but were well aware of axis. But if he himself steps onto the disc and concentrates on the apparent position of the
sunrise and sunset as daytime constants. rotation axis relative to the surroundings of the merry-go-round, he can come to the
conclusion that the axis is rotating around his own position.
The introduction of reliable mechanical clocks during the late 15th century made these
flexible hour lengths problematic, since the hours they measured were all equally long. For
that reason, the mean solar time was introduced, then designated Italian hours, after the
region of their first general use. This way of time measurement was independent from sunrise
and sunset, and is still used today. So the clocks first had to invent the regular hours before
they could display them. For the people this was a drastic change and made necessary the use
of tables and sophisticated instruments (astrolabes for example) to translate the hours shown
in mean solar time into the traditional apparent solar time.
Nevertheless, the definition of a day being the time between two noons is still problematic,
since it does not reflect the true rotational period of the Earth. While the Earth rotates around
the Sun, the view of the sky from the Earth
If a certain point on Earths surface is marked, and the time span needed for one complete 360 (red arrow) is constantly changing.
degrees-rotation of this point is measured, it is about four minutes shorter than twenty-four
hours. However, since the Earth itself has travelled a certain distance on its orbit around the
Sun during the 24-hour-period, it has to rotate a bit more than 360 degrees until the same
point has noon again. The time needed for a true 360 degree rotation of the Earth is called a
stellar day.
16 17

Seen from the Earth, the rotation around the Sun is

perceived the other way round as if the Sun moves
around the Earth; the plane of the rotation is the ecliptic,
while the background of the stars is designated the
celestial sphere, which has the Earth in its centre.
Unfortunately, the ecliptic is not identical with the equatorial

line of the Earth, since its rotational axis is not at a right angle with the ecliptic. If the plane
of the Earths equator is enlarged, until it meets the sphere of the stars, you get a line angled
at 23 degrees to the ecliptic, the celestial equator.
Now we have to combine both movements discussed, the rotation of the Earth itself and its
circle around the Sun, to realize that, due to that angled axis, we cannot see the ecliptic the
same way all the time. Earth is rotating us into a different angle every day, therefore there are
many stellar constellations or objects we cannot observe permanently. Stars like Sirius or
Rigel seem to rise at a certain time of the year, and after a period of observability, they
disappear again. This seemingly complicated pattern of movements could be used to the
advantage, either to determine an exact date or for navigational purposes.
The plane described by the Earths rotation around the Sun is The celestial equator is the projection of the
called the ecliptic. With the exception of Pluto, all other planets in the solar system also are Earths equator, which is angled about 23
degrees to the ecliptic, due to the inclination
moving within only a few degrees of the ecliptic. From the Earths viewpoint, the Sun seems of the rotational axis. Consequently, also the
to travel around the Earth on the ecliptic, which itself meets the illusional sphere of stars poles of the celestial sphere are inclined.
behind the Sun. Of course we know very well, that the stars we can see, are suns or even
galaxies with different distances to our solar system. For observation purposes, though, one
has to think of the distant stars as being glued onto a huge sphere, which is the outer limit
of our little imagined universe. The Suns journey during the year can be measured by its
position relative to several distinct stellar constellations dispersed along the ecliptic the
well-known twelve signs of the zodiac (again the sacred number twelve was chosen already
in ancient times). These signs of the zodiac are somehow like a canvas, on which the
progression of the year can be observed. The twelve signs correspond to twelve months
subdividing the year, although today, its limits do not correspond exactly with the beginning
and end of the months. It is also possible to check all the other planets movements against
the zodiac in the ecliptic.

18 19

But not only astronomical observations are influenced by the

difference between the ecliptic and the equator. Far more important for our daily life is the
effect of the changing amount of sunlight received by the different parts of the Earths surface
during a year. This results in the four different seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Due to the angle of Earths rotational axis, the two hemispheres are differently illuminated. If
there is summer in the northern hemisphere, the North Pole is positioned in the illuminated
The Phases of the Moon
part of the Earth all the time, resulting in the polar summer, with no nightfall for half a year.
The daylight periods are longer than the nights. At the same time, the South Pole is shrouded The lunar phases are the result of the changing illumination
in darkness for half a year. Then it is winter on the southern hemisphere, and there the nights by the Sun, which has its reason in the rotation of the Moon around the Earth.
are longer than the days. Only twice a year, on March 21st and September 23rd, night and
day are equally long on all the Earth. These two dates, where the lines of the ecliptic and the On its path, the Moon has a position between the Sun and the Earth once, so we only see its
equator meet, are called the equinoxes and mark the beginning of spring and autumn. Two shadowed side, which of course results in seeing nothing of the Moon at all. This phase is
other dates mark the beginning of summer (June 21st) and winter (December 22nd). The the new moon. After having orbited to the opposite side of the Earth, the Moon is fully back-
former has the longest daylight period on the northern hemisphere. Thereafter, the daylight lit by the Sun when observed from the Earth; this is full moon. Between these two phases, the
times decrease, while the latter has the longest night, with the days becoming longer again. Moon is waxing or waning.
The rotation cycles of the Earth around the Sun impose a serious problem to our calendars.
Unfortunately, the Earth does not need 365 full rotations (days) to complete one cycle, but
nearly a quarter of a day longer than that. Therefore, every year includes an unfinished
fraction of a day, which after four years is summed up to a bit less than one day. Since our
calendar systems are based on complete days, they have to correct the mistake by the
insertion of an additional day (February 29th) in the leap years. This manipulation again is
slightly larger than necessary, therefore some other corrective interventions have to be made
in the calendar every hundred, and again every four hundred years. But due to the
gravitational effects of all the planetary masses in the solar system, the Earth is accelerating
a little, so that the years become shorter, albeit at a minimal rate.
An 18th century illustration shows the

various phases of the Moon.
20 21

Due to the changed angle of illumination, the

time span between two new moons (synodic
month) is longer than the period of one
complete rotation of the Moon around the
Earth (sidereal month).
Solar and Lunar Eclipses
When the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the

Earth, it casts a shadow onto the latter, blocking the sunrays from the Earths surface and
The conjunction of Earth and its moon are shown in causing a solar eclipse. Since the Moon is not large, its shadow is limited to a restricted zone.
this picture from the Galileo orbiter in 1992. This core shadow, called umbra, has a diameter not larger than 200 to 300 kilometres.
Observed from outside the umbra, the eclipse is only a partial one, since the Moons disc seen
from the Earth is just large enough to barely cover the Sun. But not every eclipse of the Sun
is total, in fact only a small minority are. The others are either partial or ring shaped. The
The period between two same phases is 29 days, 12 hours, latter is the case when the distance of the Moon from the Earth is not small enough for the
44 minutes and 2.9 seconds, which is also called the synodic month. Again, similar to the moon discs shadow to cover the Sun entirely.
definition of a day, based on the rotation of the Earth, the lunar phases do not accurately
correspond with the real rotation of the Moon. The different layers of the Suns
corona, as seen during the total
To complete a 360 degree circle around the Earth, the Moon only needs 27 days, 7 hours, eclipse on August 11th, 1999.
43 minutes and 11.5 seconds (sidereal month), but in the meantime, the whole EarthMoon
system itself has moved on its path around the Sun, and the angle of illumination has
changed too.
Due to gravitational effects, the mean distance between Earth and Moon is increasing, so the
time for a rotation around the Earth also becomes slightly longer. This is another proof
against the old perception of the universe being a rule-dictated machine.
22 23

Total eclipses of the sun, as visible

on the Earth 1999 2020.
Anybody who has the rare opportunity to see a total eclipse

will never forget the experience. Within minutes, the Sun disappears and it becomes as dark
as a normal moonlit night. Temperature drops within seconds and nature goes to sleep. Since
the Moon blocks the bright disc of the Sun, one can see the corona a belt of hot gas which
is normally outshined by the Sun.
Another type of eclipse happens if the Earth is blocking the sunlight from the Moon passing
behind it. The shadow cast by the Earth is darkening the full moon and, since the Earths
shadow is so much larger than its satellite, the lunar eclipse can be observed from everywhere
on the night side of the Earth. Due to the refraction of the sunlight in Earths upper
atmosphere, the Moon appears in a fiery red shortly before it disappears in the earth shadow.
The same fascinating view is experienced again when the Moon leaves the shadow.
As long as the Moons orbit passes the ecliptic on nodes similar to nodes A, the Moon will Now one might ask, why the Moons path around the Earth does not cause a solar and a lunar
stand clear of the Earths shadow at full moon, and the Moons shadow will miss the Earth at eclipse every month, since at every full moon the Earth is located between Sun and Moon,
new moon. But when the nodes move to position B, the Moon is very near the ecliptic, and at
new moon its shadow is cast on Earths surface a solar eclipse occurs. At full moon however, and at every new moon the Moon is between Earth and Sun. If the orbit of the Moon would
the Moon enters the shadow of the Earth, resulting in a lunar eclipse. lie on the same plane as the ecliptic, this would indeed be the case. However, the lunar orbit
is angled approximately 5 degrees to the ecliptic, so normally the Moon passes too far above
or beneath the Sun or the Earth's shadow to cause an eclipse. The lunar orbit is meeting the
ecliptic in two nodes, which (to complicate things even further) themselves are slowly
moving. Only if the Moon is near one of the two nodes, an can eclipse take place if the
SunEarthMoon constellation is correct, of course.
24 25

Creating M a sterpieces Creating M a sterpieces
philosophy, and history of science (theoretical physics) at the university of Bern, graduating
as a Doctor in 1983, after having published his dissertation about the clock as a cosmological
model. As a side note it should be said that the publication of Dr. Oechslins doctoral thesis
had to be postponed, because the data therein could possibly have interfered with the
patenting procedure of the Astrolabium.
Born in 1952 in Italy, Ludwig Oechslin visited schools in the Within the next dozen years, Oechslin became an internationally appraised expert on
German-speaking part of Switzerland, before he started his academic career in 1972. Then astronomical timepieces from the 16th to the 18th century, travelling around Europe to restore
he began his classical studies (a combination of archaeology, ancient history, Greek and Latin) and study old clocks. Besides that, he continued of course with his training as a watchmaker,
as well as history, history of arts and philosophy at the university of Basel, where he receiving his diploma in 1984 and finally became a master watchmaker in 1993. Both his
graduated in 1976. practical training as a watchmaker, and his academic career went hand in hand. The latter
reached a height when he got his license to teach at universities in 1995 (a longish procedure
If one takes into account his later career and fame as one of the worlds leading personalities
traditional with Central European universities, the habilitation, necessitates the publishing
in watch making, it is quite ironic that Oechslin never had worn a watch before, since his
of a voluminous scholarly work as well as giving several lectures before the venia legendi,
day was dictated by the large school clocks. However, when attending classes at university,
the license to teach, is accorded). He subsequently joined the faculty of the Swiss Federal
his schedule became more densely packed. But above all, it had to be individually organized,
Institute of Technology in Zurich one of the best-known technical universities in the world,
therefore the purchase of a watch became indispensable. While visiting a watch shop, he
holding lectures about astronomy, cultural history and cosmology.
took a special pocket watch into his hands a repeater. The complexity of the movement,
and especially the chiming mechanism, fascinated him at once. Unfortunately, he could not Ludwig Oechslins scientific excellence, and his fame as one of worlds most innovative
afford the watch, but for a man like him, this was not a reason to give up. Then Ill build watchmakers, were honoured, when in 2001, the city council of La Chaux-de-Fonds offered
my own! was the logical conclusion he drew from his encounter with the watch. him the position as the curator-director of the International Watch Museum, the most
complete and renown horological collection in the world.
But before, his growing dissatisfaction with the ivory-tower-theory taught at the university urged
him to look for a profession in which he could use his own hands practically, as well be creative.
Now it was clear for him that he wanted to become a watchmaker. At the age of 24, it was not
easy to find a master willing to accept him for apprenticeship. Finally Jrg Spring, a well-known
watchmaker and restorer of antique clocks, took Ludwig Oechslin under his wings.
After a short time, Oechslin had his first intense contact with an old astronomic clock. He
was sent to the Vatican to repair and restore the Farnesian Clock, an astronomical clock more
than 250 years old and of unequalled complexity. Not only did he repair the timepiece, he
also remanufactured a large share of the parts and studied the clocks functions, what kept
him busy for years. The results intrigued him, and he wanted to know more about the people
who created such clocks, their thoughts, and the scientific implications behind them. Upon
his return from Rome in 1982, he started additional studies in the disciplines astronomy,
Ludwig Oechslin in
his private atelier.
26 27

But the final coup had yet to follow. In 1992 the piece
completing the Trilogy of Time was unveiled, the Tellurium, showing a depiction of the
EarthMoonSun system together with the changing illumination of the Earths globe by the
Sun. The Trilogy of Time as a whole was the impressive demonstration that Ulysse Nardin
belonged to the most innovative watch manufactories in the world, less than ten years after
Rolf Schnyder had saved it from imminent bankruptcy. Moreover, it proved what the correct
Soon after he was commissioned with the development of the
mixture of idealism, capability and economic commitment can accomplish. Ulysse Nardin
Astrolabium, Oechslin completed his prototype in 1983. Two years later, the watch was
had found its path of individualism, and raised its position above and away from anonymous
presented to the public during the Basel watch fair, and astonished both watch lovers and
mass products.
watchmakers. Never before had an astronomic mechanism of similar complexity been
GMT-Perpetual
integrated into a small wristwatch. The Astrolabium was immediately adopted into the After the completion of the astronomic Trilogy Ludwig Oechslin directed his attention to other,
famous Guinness Book of Records, as well as integrated into the permanent collections of this time more earthly, projects. He designed the first simple-to-use and reliable mechanism for
several museums worldwide. However, this success was only the beginning and assured adjusting a watch to different time zones, even backwards over the date line. He also created the
Schnyder and Oechslin to continue building Ulysse Nardins reputation as one of the best first mechanical perpetual calendar, which can be adjusted forward as well as backward simply
watch manufacturing companies in the world. From the very beginning already, Oechslin by means of a single crown, and in 1999 even combined it with an additional GMT-mechanism.
had planned to embed the Astrolabium into a system of astronomical watches, in order to
Only a few years later, in 2001, Ulysse Nardin stunned the horological world with Ludwigs
present them together as a small cosmological model. Only three years later, in 1988, Ulysse
idea of a simple watch: The astonishing Freak, a seven-days-caroussel tourbillon, in which
Nardin presented the next masterpiece developed by him: the Planetarium. And again the
the two movement bridges themselves serve as hands to display the time. Heart of the Freak
public looked with awe at the new marvel, which integrated the planets movements into a
is the new dual direct escapement, which makes use of wheels made from silicone.
tiny model, small enough to be worn on the wrist. This watch, too, immediately found its
way into the Guinness Book of Records, and once again collectors and museums were quick 2003 brought another apex of Ludwig Oechslins genius, when Ulysse Nardin presented the
to add it to their inventory. Sonata, worlds first mechanical alarm watch, which enables its wearer to set the alarm over
24 hours in advance, and see the remaining time until the alarm gets off on a unique count-
Freak
down display. This automatically takes into account changes of the current time zone, via the
integrated GMT mechanism. The development of this watch needed seven years in total.
Now let us recall that day when Ludwig Oechslin found a repeater watch and decided to
become a watchmaker to build one himself. He never built it. As soon as he was able enough
to construct and assemble such a watch, he also realized that it was nothing new. Countless
watchmakers before him had built repeaters and brought them to perfection. However, what
continues to intrigue him is the challenge of making something completely new, something
never seen before in a watch, and to this he dedicates his creative energy enriching the
horological world with amazing masterpieces.
Ludwig Oechslin
in his atelier at
Ulysse Nardin.
Sonata
28 29

The fact, that Ludwig Oechslin chose the three astronomical

mechanisms astrolabe, planetarium and tellurium for the Trilogy of Time was not accidental,
since these types of automatons present an interpretation of the world and the universe from
a scientific point of view. More than that, they also express a spiritual model of the cosmos
and of our little world in it.
The important historical role of astronomical clocks in religion and even policy has been pointed
out in the previous chapters. Additionally, these automatons served the purpose to intensify the
peoples contact with their astronomical environment. During all time, peoples days were
dictated by astronomy, be it the course of the Sun in the sky, be it the Moon and its phases, or
the seasons which resulted from the Earths path around the Sun. Astronomical clocks
demonstrated to their spectators, how God had made these things to work, and why everything
is happening according to his will. Besides the religious aspects, all the observations of the sky
and the reconstruction of its system were only made in order to better understand Earth and its
place therein. This means that the primary motivation behind the studies was the Earth itself.
Today we seemingly have lost the contact to our own planet. On the one hand we are chasing
for seconds or even for fractions of them, sitting in artificially lighted offices and halls. Electric
lighting has driven back the nights darkness. If you want to study the sky at night thoroughly,
you have to search for a place somewhere in the desert, because our habitations spill too much
light into our atmosphere. We have been decoupled from the astronomical events which left
their marks on our ancestors everyday life. We leave home for work without respect if the Sun
has already risen or not. When it reaches its zenith at noon, we are sitting at tables in the light
of electric bulbs and the setting of the Sun does not leave any impression on us, if we are not on
a seaside beach during our holidays. The lunar phases have lost their former importance on our
lives too. Only the seasons are somewhat still relevant for heating costs and the weather forecast.
The Trler Clock
Model of Cosmos is installed in On the other hand, we have learned so much about space and the planets that we think of
Zurich, Paradeplatz.
the Earth being not more than a tiny speck of dust somewhere on the rim of our galaxy. With
our attention focussed on objects so far away, we often overlook the importance our own
planet has for us and our future.
30 31

Rotation of epicyclic wheels.
By means of the Trilogy of Time, Ludwig Oechslin tries to

increase our sensitivity for the things happening in the sky, so that we become aware again
of our place and our responsibility for it. Seconds are not the relevant scale here, and not
even the date of the days, which are but an arbitrary subdivision of a year. What count are
the movements of the Sun, the Moon, the planets, and of course the Earth, which is in the
centre of all three watches.
The realization of the Trilogy pieces in the first instance was
The three watches can be understood as milestones of a long voyage. It starts from a point faced with big technological problems. By means of conventional watch making technology it
outside the solar system, from where the spectator can see the Earth as well as most of the was believed impossible to manufacture mechanisms like those introduced with Astrolabium,
planets. This is the scenery of the Planetarium. As he gets closer, the Earths globe fills his Planetarium and Tellurium. The key was hidden in that old astronomical automaton studied
sight, together with the Moon orbiting around it. He can observe the Earths rotation as well and restored by Oechslin in the Vatican: the Farnesian clock. When he took it apart, Oechslin
as the seasonal change of its illumination, all of which is displayed on the Tellurium. Finally, realized that most of its displays were driven by means of layered epicyclic gear systems.
the traveller has arrived on Earths surface, directing his view back to where he came from
Epicyclic is a wheel mounted eccentrically on another wheel, moving around this centre wheel
the stars which wander over the Astrolabiums dial.
while turning itself, too. Sounds complicated? Well, it certainly is. Oechslin knew that there must
However, Oechslins model of the cosmos still was not complete. A final and spectacular apex be some mathematical formulas behind that mechanism, but was unable to find any reference
was to follow when he integrated all the Trilogys information and much more into the large in the old books. Therefore he faced the challenge and completely recreated the analytical and
and impressive Trler Clock The Model of Cosmos, unveiled in 1995 and installed in mathematical model necessary to calculate the positioning, dimensions and number of teeth for
Trlers shop in Zurich, Switzerland. His former master, Jrg Spring, built this large all the gear wheels. This enabled him to remanufacture the damaged parts of the Farnesian clock.
astronomical clock following Oechslins plans and calculations.
Once he had developed the mathematics, he was able to transfer the system into a small
While all three watches of the Trilogy display the Earth as their crucial point, be it as the wristwatch theoretically. However, here he encountered new problems from the material side.
observational base in the Astrolabium, as the fixed part of the Planetarium, or the rotating A large astronomical museum clock is very unlikely to be moved, let alone to be subjected to
centre of the Tellurium, the Trler clock focusses on other, sometimes more traditional heat, cold, shocks, and similar hazards. Therefore, the material stability or its mass are not of
aspects of astronomical automatons. Its planetarium shows all the solar systems planets, even extreme importance. A wristwatch, on the other hand is accompanying its wearer nearly
Pluto, in their movements around the Sun. The Earth is but a part of that eternal dance. The everywhere, and of course has to resist all those smaller and larger hits, bumps and watering
Tellurium, too, does not have the Earth in its centre, but displays Earth and Moon moving incidents, which normally happen every day. The mechanisms employed in the Trilogy watches
around the central Sun. The most impressive part of the clock, however, is a model of the are so delicately adjusted and calculated that any maladjustment due to a shock could cause
Earths globe embedded into a crystal sphere with golden stars on it, symbolizing the celestial the watchs astrological displays become inaccurate. Main reason for concern was the large size
sphere. This sphere rotates incredibly slowly around the globe, once in 25,794 years (a so- of the rings and discs used for the astronomical indications. Were they made from conventional
called platonic year). materials, such as brass or silver, they would have been too heavy, with their mass inertia
putting too much strain on the wheelwork, in case of a sudden bump.
Ludwig Oechslins vision of the cosmos, as expressed in the timepieces of the Trilogy of Time,
cannot be complete without the magnificent Trler clock, one of the most complex clocks in The problems solution was found in aerospace technology, where new alloys, that were ultra
the world. Unfortunately, even Oechslins genius is not able to stuff the great globe with its light and highly resistant against shock or temperature changes at the same time, had been
celestial sphere into something as small as a wristwatch! developed. The watch parts made from these alloys are so light, that they even float on water
and still are as tough as parts made from brass or steel.
32 33

Additionally, there are hundreds of tiny balls with a diameter

as small as 0.5 millimetres, on which the astronomical gears are running. They had to be
found in a specialized industry, before they could be implemented into the Astrolabiums
system. Finally, the whole system had reached an unbelievable degree of accuracy. The
calculation base of the Astrolabiums mechanism leads to an error of one day after 144,000
years! This is far more accurate than the solar system itself because of gravitational influences.
Besides the technical side of the astronomical mechanisms,
The Earth, Moon and the other planets will have changed their orbits and rotation times
the Trilogy pieces are also examples of the finest craftsmanship when it comes to decoration:
considerably in that time span.
The gilt movements are finely engraved and chased by the most able masters of this
The Planetariums unique multi-disc-based display also could be mastered only with new ideas. There, profession.
the fixed location of the Earth helped, since it was possible to locate all the gearing beneath its ring.
The rotors of the self-winding mechanisms are painstakingly skeletonized to show the anchor
And finally, there is the Tellurium, which, while looking even simple when compared with its two
logo of Ulysse Nardin, while the loss of mass is compensated by massive gold as rotor material.
predecessors, confronted its creators with a constructional problem especially difficult to solve: The
thin flexible string, marking the demarcation line between the illuminated and the dark side of the The use of precious materials is continued on the other parts of the Trilogy watches. A limited
Earth, has to be trained by a gear, ensuring that it always bends correctly during the changing seasons series of only 65 Planetaria even has its planetary rings made from a meteorite which Admiral
of the year. At the same time, the wear on the gear had to be kept on a minimum, so that the Tellurium Peary brought back from his polar expedition in 1897.
works flawlessly for a very long time. Finally, Ludwig Oechslins genius and the ingenuity of Ulysse
Nardins technicians overcame all problems, presenting unique timepieces to the horological world.
But the Trilogy watches have not been made to be seen as mere pieces of jewellery and kept
locked away in a safe. On the contrary, they should be used everyday, and they have been
prepared to fulfil that task. The setting and adjusting of the different indications has been
simplified so much that it is possible to execute all necessary changes by means of the crown
only, respectively by the crown and one additional pusher in the Tellurium. To make possible
that simplification, new ways to protect the delicate mechanisms behind the dial had to be
developed. Special friction clutch systems prevent the gearing systems from being damaged
when the quick correction function is used to move the indications forward or even backward.
The watches gold or platinum cases are watertight, and the hour and minute hands are Month/zodiac ring
treated with luminous mass (with the exception of the new limited set edition in platinum)
so that the time is easily legible even under adverse light conditions. After all, Ludwig Limited series of the
Planetarium have been made
Oechslins philosophy of usability and simplicity influenced the Trilogy pieces design more using meteorite for the planets
than just superficially, in spite of their apparent complexity as astronomical timepieces. rings.
34 35

Enamel Cloisonn
Ulysse Nardin became famous not only for technical Powdering enamel
innovations, but also for reviving old and seemingly forgotten arts, the most beautiful & baking enamel dials
example being the cloisonn enamelling. This fine enamel technique had its greatest period
from the 10th to the 12th century, especially in the Byzantine Empire. In addition, China
developed a rich culture of cloisonn.
Enamel is a comparatively soft glass, a compound of silica, red lead and soda or potash.
These materials melt together, resulting in a nearly colourless glass with a slightly bluish tint.
The agents responsible for the bright and glowing colours are metallic oxides, which are
introduced into the molten glass. Brilliance of the enamel depends on the right combination
of all components and the steady temperature in the melting furnace. The colours of the
enamel are achieved mostly in a change of proportion of the different components rather
than by a change in the oxides quantity. The heated enamel finally is allowed to solidify into While the conventional enamelling already is a very difficult
cakes of about 10 centimetres diameter, which for use has to be powdered in a mortar. procedure, making a work of art by means of cloisonn is even more complicated, and
consequently is mastered only by very few artists today.
In a series of washings, all floury particles are removed from the powder, which then is
applied as a wet paste to the metal base cleaned and prepared by acids. The baking in the In this technique, an extremely thin gold wire with a thickness of only 0.07 millimetres and
furnace afterwards is fusing the enamel with the metal. a height of one millimetre, is bent by hand with two pairs of pincers to follow the wanted
contours. In the example of the Telluriums Earth, these contours follow the continents and
the major islands, on a disc not more than two centimetres in diameter. The smaller the
motif, the more difficult it is to bend the wire into the right shape.
By means of vegetable glue the wires are glued to the dial, which then is baked at 840 degrees
Celsius, until the glue has solidified and the wires are firmly attached to the dial.
A decidedly non-high-tech instrument is used to apply the enamel paste into the different
cells: a goose quill, which experience has proven to be the best tool for that delicate process.
The wire cells prevent the colours from mergeing into one another, which would make it
impossible to recognize the continents afterwards. However, this blurring effect can also be
The Ulysse Nardin Jungle welcome. This is how the fine variations of green, yellow and brown continental zones are
Minute Repeater features a
cloisonn enamel dial which even accomplished on the Tellurium dial.
includes several moving figures.
36 37

Bending the cloisons Glueing the wires to the dial Filling the cells with enamel
Four to five layers of enamel are applied to the dial and each
one is then baked in the furnace. The multi-layering is necessary to obtain the glossy and
even glowing colour of the enamel after polishing. Additionally, the uneven thickness of the
differently coloured continents and oceans can be levelled as well.
After this process, another piece of delicate handwork is necessary; the reduction of the gold
wires jutting out from the enamel surface. Extreme care is indispensable when polishing the
wires, until they are completely flush with the enamel, and a final smoothening procedure
brings out the deep shine and glow of the enamel dial.
Fifty-four processes, twelve baking operations, and more than fifty working hours are needed
to transform a drafted sketch on a small metal disc into a uniquely designed work of art. This
includes the exact positioning of the gold wires, the application of the enamel colours to the
cells and the filing and final polishing. All of this work can be destroyed within seconds by Dial before and after polishing
something as simple as a heating problem in the furnace.
The enamel dial makes the Tellurium even more unique. Since gold wires cannot show the
exact same contours every time, every Tellurium is different from the other. The colours melt
into one another and vary from one dial to dial thus the owner of a Tellurium can be assured
that nobody else on the world wearing the same watch.
38 39

Using the trilogy Using the trilogy
Already in ancient Greece, navigators used astrolabes to

calculate time and position by means of measuring the exact elevation angle of stars, planets
and the Sun over the horizon. The observed data could be transferred to the astrolabe, which
again presented the desired result on several scales. For astronomers, the astrolabe served as
a mobile star chart, but it could also be used as a clock, a geographical tool, a surveillance
instrument or as means of converting time measurements. Because of such features, the
astrolabe can be regarded as a kind of rudimentary analogue computer.
It became extremely popular in the Middle Ages, but was replaced by the Therefore, this traditional astrolabe served two different
even more versatile sextant in its navigational field of use, and by purposes: to observe and to display. Ulysse Nardins Astrolabium concentrates on the latter
portable mechanical clocks that measured time. However, for very aspect. It only displays astronomical information, without offering the ability to actually
specific astronomical tasks, astrolabes albeit much more observe celestial bodies. This is of course logical, since a wristwatch is too small an object to
modern in appearance than the classic ones are still used serve as a solid base for optical observations. And additionally, the main purpose of the
today. observation to determine the correct time has become needless, since an accurate and
reliable watch movement delivers the exact time, twenty-four hours a day.
If one were to compare Ludwig Oechslins Astrolabium with its
medieval predecessors, there is one difference that might be In that respect, the Astrolabium watch is not new. Since the time when reliable mechanical clock
noticed immediately. The classic astrolabes were used the other movements were available, astrolabe functions have been coupled with them. These automatons
way round, which means, that a metal ruler (called alidade) was should simplify the complicated process of reproducing the movements of the Sun, the Moon
used to sight certain objects in the sky, and then the alidades position and the fixed stars. Big clocks with astrolabe dials, mostly installed in public places, have been
was transferred onto several scales found on the astrolabes back side. known since the 14th century, and it was one of these clocks, the 17th century Farnesian clock,
These scales then displayed the current time together with other which delivered Ludwig Oechslin the experience and knowledge needed to miniaturise the
astronomical information. However, the setting on the back also complex mechanisms, until they fit into a wristwatch. This was the true innovation. Never before
influenced the display on the astrolabes front, where an open-pattern disc had a universe with Sun, Moon and stars been packed into such a small case.
(the rete) with a map of important stars rotated on the heavy base plate
(the mater), engraved with a network of lines representing celestial co-
ordinates.
40 41

the horizon. Therefore, the Astrolabium can only be used properly, if it is calibrated to the
observers position on the globe. As far as the latitudinal (northsouth) position is concerned,
this must be done during the manufacturing process, since the gridlines printed on the dial
(or mater). change depending on whether the observer is located more northwards or more
southwards on the Earth.
The core of every astrolabe, and therefore Ulysse Nardins The longitudinal (eastwest) position of the observer is important because of the differences
Astrolabium, too, is a planispheric projection of the stellar sky above the observer. The main in time: Locations in the East experience the sun rising before other locations more in the
difficulty in understanding and interpreting this depiction, is that it is very difficult to reduce West. This difference can be taken into account by moving the sun hand forward or
a three-dimensional space to the two dimensions of a watch dial. The same problem occurs, backward (see in the chapter: Setting the Astrolabium).
when the worlds geography is represented on a two-dimensional map, and we are all familiar
with the somewhat distorted appearance the Earth has in a printed world map. In our case,
the Astrolabiums dial, corresponding with the mater of old astrolabes, is a projection of a Reading the Legal/Normal Time
semi-sphere that extends from the observer to its centre. The visible horizon is a circle
The hour and minute hands indicate the legal (or just
stretching around the observer, and the celestial objects (stars and planets) seem to be fixed
normal) time, which is valid at the users current location, according to the appropriate time
on a sphere stretching upward from the horizon. Since the Earth is blocking the observers
zone. Both are covered with luminous mass to make them visible at night (except the limited
sight downward, only the upper half of the sphere can be seen.
series platinum Astrolabium). On the bezel there are engraved Roman numerals, from I to
Once this concept is understood, the interpretation of data indicated by the Astrolabiums XII, which in combination with the aforementioned hands show the current time. During
dial is easy. It is also clear, that each observer on the Earth has an individual sphere stretching daylight saving time (DST), the hour hand has to be advanced an hour.
around him, and the location of celestial objects in relation to this sphere depends on his
position on the Earths globe. For instance, if the observer stands on the North Pole, the Polar
Star would be directly above his head, but from the equator, the Polar Star is observable at Reading the Local/Solar Time
We know that any location in the East experiences sunrise or
Every location on Earth has its own noon earlier than a location in the West. This is the result of Earths rotation. We also know
horizon, with its individual celestial that one complete rotation of 360 degrees needs a period of one day (24 hours). Therefore,
sphere stretching above it. While the
Earth continues rotating, the angle of the rotation of only one-degree needs a 360th fraction of one day to complete, this fraction
the ecliptic towards the sphere of the being four minutes long. Consequently, a place located only one degree further west from
visible sky changes constantly.
another place, experiences sunrise and noon four minutes later than that previous spot.
42 43

Both, Budapest in Hungary and Brest in France, share the

same time zone (GMT +1), but their geographical locations are twenty-three degrees apart.
Since the standard for one time zone is 15 degrees, the two towns should be in different time
zones. However, the system is heavily compromised by political and geographical
considerations, so the rule of the 15 degrees is ignored or bypassed very often. The Earth
needs four minutes to rotate one degree, therefore Budapest experiences sunrise, noon and
sunset more than one and a half hours earlier than Brest. It is clear that any astronomical
instrument, which indicates information like the time of sunrise and sunset, must take into
account this difference and cannot simply base its calculations on the current legal or normal
In this example it is 10.10 legal time, time. Additionally, it must ignore further voluntary settings like daylight saving time.
but about 10.55 solar or local time.
The current local or solar time is indicated by the sun hand, which makes one complete turn
every twenty-four hours. The time can be read from the bezel again, but this time by using
the Arabic numerals, which show twenty-four hours, although for better clarity they have
been omitted at the locations of the roman numerals.
Today we are used to our system of time zones, and therefore involuntarily think that all
places in the same time zone must have noon at the same time. But let us remember how this
time zone system came into being: As we have learned before, in earlier times every place
had its own time indicated by large sundials. When the shadow cast by the sundials rod had
its shortest length, it was noon. This tradition was kept, even after mechanical clocks
replaced the old sundials. In every day life, the differences in time between the towns were
not a serious problem, because travelling was very slow, so practical consequences were
negligible. But in the 19th century, with the opening of the first transcontinental railway line
in the United States, rapid transportation became possible and common, and suddenly the
problem of time differences was acute: How could anyone co-ordinate a railway timetable,
when every single station had its own time?
In 1884, a Canadian railway planner and engineer, Sir Sandford Fleming, found the logical
solution. He simply divided the Earths globe into twenty-four longitudinal zones (stretching
from north to south), 15 degrees apart, starting with the prime meridian at Greenwich,
England (Greenwich Mean Time, GMT). Within each zone there should be the same time.
This system is the base of our modern communication and transportation, but we should not
Sir Sandford Fleming
forget that it is a man-made, voluntary system, which does take into account the factual (1827-1915).
rotation of the Earth only roughly. An example might illustrate the problem:
44 45

Important Astronomical Indications on the Dial
The small circle above the centre of the dial is the zenith, the
point of the sky directly above the observers head. The location of the zenith depends on the
latitudinal position the dial was made for: On the North Pole it would be directly in the dials
centre, on the equator it would be positioned on the top of the equatorial circle.
The sun hands tip serves two
purposes: On the calendar ring, it The horizon line symbolises the zone where the Earth bars the observers view of the sky
indicates the current month,
only celestial objects above that line are visible. Its radius also depends on the latitudinal
together with the Arabic numerals
on the bezel, the current local or position. Under the horizon is the twilight zone, shown as a grey area.
solar time is shown.
Since the sunlight is scattered in the upper regions of Earths atmosphere and by atmospheric
dust, there is still some light in the sky, even after the Sun disappears under the horizon.
Then it is only possible to see some of the brighter stars. This time is the dusk, and is
astronomically defined as being the time between sunset and full night (or complete
Calendar darkness), which occurs, as the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon. The same is also valid
in the morning, when the dawn begins with the sun reaching a position 18 degrees below the
The tip of the sun hand on the calendar ring indicates the
horizon, and ends with the sun rising above the latter.
current month. This rings movement is based on the exact duration of the Earths orbit
around the Sun: 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Since it does not subdivide
its indication into full days, it is also not necessary to insert any leap days the Astrolabiums
The sun hands tip
calendar is always correct.
serves two purposes: On
the calendar ring, it
The day of the week can be read from the window at six o clock, and the current sign of the indicates the current
zodiac is indicated by the sun hands measure edge on the ecliptic, onto which the zodiac month, together with the
Arabic numerals on the
signs are imprinted: bezel, the current local
or solar time is shown.
Aries (Ram) March 21April 19 Libra (Balance) Sept. 23Oct. 23
Taurus (Bull) April 20May 20 Scorpius (Scorpion) Oct. 24Nov. 21
Gemini (Twins) May 21 June 21 Sagittarius (Archer) Nov. 22Dec. 21 What makes the Astrolabiums dial look so complicated, is the pattern of lines, which
Cancer (Crab) June 22July 22 Capricornus (Goat) Dec. 22Jan. 19 indicate azimuth and elevation lines and help to determine the exact position of a celestial
Leo (Lion) July 23Aug. 22

Aquarius (Water Bearer) Jan. 20Feb. 18 body in the sky. The horizon around us is divided into 360 degrees, which makes it possible
Virgo (Virgin) Aug. 23Sept. 22 Pisces (Fish) Feb. 19March 20 to find a star or a planet in the sky just by means of two details: its azimuth, that means its
angle from the South direction, and its elevation above the horizon. The Astrolabiums dial
has several guidelines, showing azimuths and elevation angles of 30 and 60 degrees.
46 47

In this example the Sun has

disappeared about one and a half
hours ago, and reached a point about
18 degrees beneath the horizon. The
Moon is still visible in the western sky,
but will also set in some hours.
Reading the Positions of Sun and Moon
We have to remember, that the ecliptic is the plane in which As soon as the intersection of the sun hands measure edge with
more or less exactly all bodies of our solar system are situated. Therefore, it is only logical the outer rim of the ecliptic reaches the horizon line, the Sun is
rising or setting. The picture shows the latter being the case.
that Sun and Moon can be found somewhere on the ecliptic. Intersecting the measure edges Afterwards, the Sun will still be in the dusk phase, until total
of the sun or the moon hands with the outer rim of the ecliptical ring, indicates their exact darkness falls.
positions.
Two circular lines on the dial depict the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Due to
the 23 degrees-angle of the Earths rotation axis towards the ecliptic (see illustration on page Sunrise and Sunset, Moonrise and Moonset
XX [10]), the Sun seems to follow a curved path over the year. At the summer or winter
The same method is presenting us the exact display of sunrise
solstices it reaches the highest, respectively the lowest point on that curve.
and sunset, as well as moonrise and moonset: The rise of the Sun or the Moon means that they
When the Sun (depicted by the intersection of the sun hands measure edge with the ecliptic appear above the horizon. As soon as the intersection point of the sun hands measure edge
circles outer rim) touches the Tropic of Cancer on June 21st, it has reached its highest with the ecliptics outer rim meets the line of the horizon on the dial, the sunrise occurs.
position in the sky, and the days will become shorter from then on. On December 22nd, the Correspondingly it works with sunset, as well as the rising and the setting of the Moon. Just
Sun meets the Tropic of Capricorn, symbolizing its lowest position and therefore the shortest look at the intersection of the appropriate hands measure edge with the ecliptic; when this
day of the year. On March 21st and September 23rd, the Sun crosses the third line depicted point meets the horizon line, the awaited event occurs.
on the dial, the equator. During these equinoxes, day and night are equally long.
Dawn and Dusk
As long as the point symbolizing the Suns position is

somewhere in the grey twilight zone on the dial, there is some light in the sky, although the
Sun is not above the horizon. It is either early in the morning (dawn) then the sun
hand/ecliptic intersection is in the left part of the twilight zone or late in the evening (dusk)
the intersection point is in the right part. As soon as the intersection point leaves the dusk
zone, it becomes completely dark.
The Suns curve over the year
48 49

After sunset, the point of intersection of the sun hand

with the ecliptics outer rim, together with the roman S ta r s o n t h e D i a l C o n s t e l l at io n S ta r s o n t h e D i a l C o n s t e l l at io n
numerals shows the current apparent (or temporal) Aldebaran Taurus (Bull) Mira Cetus (Whale)
time. Here it is about 2.15 oclock of the nighttime
in summer, when the days are longer it would barely Antares Scorpius (Scorpion) Pollux Gemini (Twins)
be one oclock, because the sunset is much later. Arkturus Bootes (Herdsman) Procyon Canis Minor (Smaller Dog)
Atair Aquila (Eagle) Regulus Leo (Lion)
Beteigeuze Orion (Hunter) Rigel Orion (Hunter)
Capella Auriga (Charioteer) Sirius Canis Major (Greater Dog)
Deneb Cygnus (Swan) Spica Virgo (Virgin)
Fomalhaut Piscis Austrinus (Southern Fish) Vega Lyra (Lyre)
Depicting the Apparent (Temporal) Time
As has been explained above (page 16), days and nights once
had been subdivided into twelve hours each, without regard of the fact that during winter,
nights were far longer than during summer. This apparent or temporal time was abandoned
only after accurate mechanical clocks became commonly available. The Astrolabium still
shows those temporal hours for the nighttime. Doing the same for daytime as well, would
have cluttered the dial and therefore reduced its legibility. In the night half of the dial, twelve
roman numerals depict the apparent time. Again, the sun hand/ecliptic intersection shows
the current hour, but also the differing duration of an apparent hour in summer and winter.
As a result of the wish to keep the dial more legible and clear, the limited series platinum
The highlighted area on the dial is the celestial half-sphere
Astrolabium does not show the temporal hours. currently visible from the observers position. The stars, which
are printed on the rete disc, are the main stars of important
stellar constellations. They rotate slowly from east to west, so
together with the four directions and their distance from the
Observing the Fixed Stars horizon (= red outline), they can be spotted in the dark sky.
Due to the Earths course around the Sun, the fixed stars and
stellar constellations visible in the sky greatly differ with the seasons on Earth. During winter,
one can see other constellations than during summer. All these factors are taken into account
by the complex mechanisms of the Astrolabium, so that at any time, you can determine The sun hand shows whether the stars are currently
which important stars are currently in the observers hemisphere. Many of the brighter fixed observable or not. Smaller stars can be seen only after dusk or before dawn, when it is
stars are printed on the transparent rete of the Astrolabium. As soon as they appear above the completely dark. The Astrolabium dial not only informs us about the stars visibility, but also
horizon line, they are visible in the sky if it is night, of course. These stars are the main about their current position in the sky, so they can be found more easily.
stars (stars of the first magnitude) of important stellar constellations. Due to the limited space
on the Astrolabiums dial it was not possible to depict the complete constellations. Therefore, The uppermost position of the dial at twelve oclock is south, down at six oclock is north,
they are listed in the following table: three oclock is west, and nine oclock is east.
50 51

Earth and Moon as seen

Finding Directions from Mariner 10.
Directions can be found by sighting the Sun (if it is visible)

over the sun hand, or by doing the same with the Moon and the moon hand. The four points
of the compass are indicated by the roman numerals XII (South), III (West), VI (North) and
IX (East) on the bezel. Eclipses
The last hand, which has not been mentioned before, is the
so-called dragon hand. However, it is shaped more like a snake. It turns slightly faster than
Moon Phases the rete, and symbolizes the nodes, where the lunar orbit intersects the ecliptic (see above,
page 25). Only when the new moon or full moon occurs on such a node, an eclipse takes
The positions of the sun and the moon hands relative to one
place. This can be seen on the Astrolabium, when either the tail or the head (it doesnt matter
another indicate the current phase of the Moon. It is essential to remember the path of the
which) of the dragon hand is in coverage with the other two hands. At new moon, there is a
Moon around the Earth in relation to the Sun as explained above (page 22). Then it is easy
solar eclipse somewhere on the world, and at full moon a lunar eclipse occurs.
to understand the moon phase display of the Astrolabium at a glance. The axis of the hands
can be understood as the location of the Earth. If the moon and sun symbols on the ends of However, keep in mind, that if the dragon hand does show an eclipse occurring, this does
the corresponding hands cover each other on the same side, it means that regarded from not necessarily mean you can observe it. As it has previously been pointed out, a lunar
the Earth both celestial bodies are on the same side. The result is new moon, since the eclipse is visible from the Earths night side only, and a solar eclipse is casting a very small
illuminated side of the Moon is facing away from the Earth. shadow on the Earths surface. Therefore, it is observable from that narrow shadow zone
exclusively if it is a total eclipse at all, since partial or ring shaped eclipses are far more
If the sun and moon symbols are opposing each other with the Earth (axis of the hands) in
numerous.
the centre, it is full moon. The Moons illuminated side is fully visible from the Earth. The
periods between these two events show the Moon either waxing or waning.
52 53

Although the mechanism of the Ulysse Nardin Astrolabium is How to Set the Astrolabium When it was Stopped for a
complex, it is very easy to adjust it to the correct time whenever this might be necessary. The Time
perpetual calendar can be corrected forward or backward anytime and without any
1. Manually wind the watch a little, with the crown in position 1.
restriction. All indications can be set by means of the crown only, which means, that no
additional correction device, such as pushers, is needed. 2. Pull out the crown completely (in position 3), and set the hour and minute hands to the
current (legal) time. Push the crown back completely into position 1.
The Astrolabiums crown has three positions; each of them serves a specific purpose:
3. Then pull the crown out into position 2. Assume that the watch has not been worn since
Position 1:
the end of April 2000 and has stopped running. Today is May 21st, 2000. If you take a
The watch movement can be wound manually.
calendar, which also shows the moon phases, you learn that the last full moon was on May
Position 2: 18th. Therefore, turn the sun hand, until it points to a place somewhere in the middle of
This position serves to set the sun hand, which moves together the MAY field printed on the calendar rim. Continue turning until the sun and moon
with the moon hand, the dragon hand and the rete. The hour symbols are positioned directly opposite of each other, which depicts the full moon. If you
and minute hands of the normal/legal time do not move when have turned too far, you only need to turn the hands backward, this is no problem for the
the crown is in this position. watchs mechanism. Then count each further complete revolution of the sun hand, which
equals one day. Turn the sun hand three times to reach the desired date, May 21st. Then
Position 3:
set the sun hand to the proper local or solar time, according to the longitudinal position
The hour and minute hands can be set to the proper time all
of your current location.
other indications automatically are properly adjusted.
If the watch has not been running for a long period, for some years even, you can use solar
or lunar eclipses as reference dates.
54 55

How to Adjust the Astrolabium to a New Location
If you change your location along the same degree of latitude,

you can adjust the Astrolabium in order to indicate the astronomical events correctly. Of course,
any minor changes in your latitudinal (NorthSouth) location do not have grave consequences,
but a journey of several thousand miles to the North or the South would make a change of the
dial necessary, since this has to be calibrated to your latitudinal location by Ulysse Nardin. For most of the time in the history of human civilisation, the
science of astronomy was more or less identical with that of astrology. From the beginning,
Travelling within the eastwest direction of your location only changes the solar time, which
the observation of celestial bodies served religious purposes, and the most
means the time when the Sun rises or is in the zenith. In order to have the Astrolabium
prominent of those bodies, especially the planets, were identified with
display its astronomical indications correctly, it is necessary to synchronize the sun hand with
different deities. All gods were attributed individual characteristics,
the factual course of the Sun in the sky. When the Sun has reached its highest point, the
which again were projected onto their planets. Therefore, it is
Astrolabiums sun hand must show twelve oclock on the 24-hours-bezel. There are two ways
understandable that their positions relative to the Earth were
to achieve this: The most simple way would be to find a sundial and set the Astrolabium
considered decisive for the different divine influences. The
according to the time indicated by the sundials shadow pointer. The more complicated, but
knowledge about the planets exact position became
also better and more scientific way would be to use the current Greenwich Mean Time
crucial for astronomers, and soon automatons were
(GMT) as reference time. If you know your current time zone, for example 5 hours for the
developed to display that information. After 16
time on the United States East Coast, you can easily calculate the correct Greenwich time.
years of building time, in 1364, the Italian
Just keep in mind, that GMT does not have any daylight saving time, so you might have to
mathematician and astronomer Giovanni
deduct or add an hour. In the appendix a GMT chart is printed, which can be of assistance.
Dondi finished his Astrarium, or
After having calculated the current Greenwich time you need the geographic co-ordinates of Planetarium. This medieval masterpiece of
your current location; a good atlas or a modern GPS receiver can deliver this information. clockmaking not only displayed hours and
Only the values of the degrees to the West or East are needed. An example: The city of minutes (the latter for the first time since
Chicago is located at 87.5 degrees west from Greenwich. As we know, the Earth needs four mechanical clocks were invented), but also a
minutes for every degree to rotate; therefore, the time difference between Greenwich and religious perpetual calendar, and the position of
Chicago is five hours and fifty minutes. When it is noon in Greenwich (without regard to the known planets. In later centuries, the
daylight saving time), the sun hand of the Astrolabium in Chicago has to be adjusted so that planetaria, which since the 18th century were
it is directed to a point shortly after the Arabic 6 (respectively the roman IX) on the bezel. also called orreries, became extremely popular.
These mechanisms mainly served the purpose to
facilitate the necessary astrological calculations, but
also to educate the people about the planetary system
as Gods creation as well as Earths place in it.
56 57

This astronomical clock, built by Jost Brgi in 1605, is now held by the
Museum of History of Art in Vienna. Its unique display of the solar system on
the upper dial inspired Ludwig Oechslin when he drafted his Planetarium. The
clocks lower dial features Sun, Moon and a dragon hand for the eclipses,
strongly resembling the display on the Astrolabium.
The upper dial of Brgis magnificent clock shows the typical continental style
of planetaria, where the planets are depicted by hands. The more figurative
depiction by small spheres was developed on the British Isles. Note the straigth
gridlines, which originally were broken, like those on the Ulysse Nardin
Planetarium. A later restoration of the clock is responsible for the wrong grid.
Orrery, made by the English
astronomer James Ferguson, as
depicted in the first edition of the
Encyclopdia Britannica (1768).
The introduction of the heliocentric system by Copernicus

caused several problems. Not only did it remove the Earth from the centre of the known
universe, degrading it to but one of several planets orbiting around the Sun, and thus
challenged the whole system of the world as supported by the Church. Yet it also overthrew
all the conceptions of the planets movements around the Earth and their astrological
importance. The later astrolabes, built according to the new system made any astrological
calculations based on the planets angles toward the Earth, very difficult, if not impossible.
However, one man solved the discrepancy between scientific knowledge and astrological
On that dial, Brgi combined both views of the world by means of taking a fixed axis
needs, by simply combining both systems into one automaton or clock: Jost Brgi
between the Sun and the Earth as the reference for all the planets movements. This resulted
(15521632), a Swiss mathematician, who was also a gifted watchmaker, physician and
in the brilliant compromise of still allowing correct astronomical observations of the planets
astronomer. He invented the logarithmic system, he was one of the very first clockmakers to
movements relative to the Earth, while offering the radical new view of the world with the
use a pendulum to adjust clockworks, and he also was the assistant to Johannes Kepler. In
Sun in the centre of the solar system.
1605, he built a clock with a planetarium dial, now held in the collection of the Museum of
History of Arts in Vienna, Austria. When Ludwig Oechslin saw this clock, he was immediately fascinated by it and
consequently, he suggested to Ulysse Nardin to build a similar watch. So the Planetarium is
displaying the planetary system in the same way as the Brgi clock. If any of Ludwig
Oechslins creations can be understood as a homage to anything or anyone, it is the
Planetarium, dedicated to the mathematician, physician, astronomer and watchmaker Jost
Jost Brgi (15521632), Brgi, whom Oechslin admires as one of the most important scientists of his time.
Swiss mathematician.
58 59

The progress of the months weeks can

be followed by means of the reference
line between the Earth and twelve
Compared to the highly complex-looking Astrolabium, the oclock.
Planetarium even seems to be simple; a wrong perception, of course. However, it is a fact that
much of the Planetariums complexity hides behind the dial.
Reading the Normal Time
The hour and minute hands show the current time on the The small markers on the rings rim are there to help the
bezel, which is engraved with the Roman numerals from I to XII. Both hands are covered reading within a month, together with the reference line between the Sun and the Roman
with luminous mass, to make them legible in the dark (except the limited series platinum figure XII on the bezel; a small polished index shows the beginning of each month.
Planetarium).
Small lines then symbolize the weeks within the month. With the exception of February, all
months last longer than four weeks; some have 30, others 31 days. Therefore, eleven of the
twelve months are subdivided into five segments, four of them equally long, corresponding
Calendar and Zodiac
to four weeks. The fifth segment stands for the two, respectively three days, where the
Between dial and bezel, a ring is rotating clockwise once a months last longer than four weeks. February normally lasts exactly four weeks (28 days).
year, showing both the current month and the appropriate sign of the zodiac (see the table Therefore, it is subdivided into four segments only. Since the calendar ring needs a little bit
above, page 46). A line, leading from the sun to the engraved number XII, facilitates the exact more than one year for one complete revolution, the indication of the weeks will increasingly
reading of this information. The calendar is again based on the exact duration of the Earths lag a little bit behind the civil calendar we are using. After four years, this lag sums up to
revolution around the Sun; 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Since it does not approximately one day, and after the civil calendar introduces a leap day in February, the
subdivide its indication into full days, the insertion of any leap days every four years is not Planetariums calendar ring is again on a par with the civil calendar.
necessary the Planetariums calendar is always correct.
While the hour and minute hands, together

with the Roman numerals engraved into the
bezel, show the legal time, the ecliptic serves
as calendar and zodiac indicator.
60 61

The same is valid for the further differences between the

factual solar year and our civil calendar year (see above, page 20). One has to keep in mind
that the Planetariums calendar ring is following the true solar year, and not the year we have
printed on our calendars. It is our civil calendar system which deviates from the astronomical
reality, because it is based on the completion of full days. Since the subdivision on the
Planetariums calendar ring is so small, any difference between its display and our civil
calendar as small as a fraction of a day hardly matters.
All twelve signs of the zodiac subdivide the Earths complete revolution around the Sun into
sections of 30 degrees each. To facilitate the calculation of a planets position against the
zodiac, the Planetarium offers the more exact subdivision into segments of five degrees, Point of reference for all observations on the Planetarium is the fixed axis between the Sun
and the Earth, so Earths rotation is simulated by the movement of the ecliptic with the signs
which are depicted by the small lines on the zodiacs side of the calendar ring. of the zodiac, while the other planets are indicated in accordance to that system: The Earth
as well as the inner planets, Venus and Mercury, orbit the Sun faster than the outer planets
(Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). Therefore, these move clockwise on the Planetariums dial, while
in reality they, too, circle around the Sun in counterclockwise direction.
Displaying the Planets
The Planetarium displays the six classic planets, those

known already in the ancient past, since they can be spotted and observed with the naked
eye including our home planet, the Earth of course. These planets have been part of the Please recall the analogy of the merry-go-round (above, page 11). If you step on it and
astrological system developed over centuries. The outmost three planets of our solar system, observe the world outside, taking the axis between you and the platforms hub as a fixed
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, are so remote from the Earth, that they could be discovered only point of reference, the movement of other people on the playground appears different from
after the invention of the telescopes, when astrology had lost much of its former importance: what it would look like if you, too, were standing outside the merry-go-round. Therefore,
Uranus in 1781, Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930. there is a difference of the planets true or sidereal rotation times around the Sun, and
those observed from the Earth, relative to the axis EarthSun:
Following the example of Brgis clock, the Planetarium displays the Earth in a fixed
position, so the planets, symbolized by small golden spheres set into the planet
S i d e r e a l r otat io n t i m e T h e or e t i c a l r otat io n t i m e R otat io n t i m e o n U ly s s e
rings, do not show their sidereal orbits around the Sun, as an observer positioned around the Sun around the Sun with a N a r d i n s P l a n e ta r i u m
f i x e d E a rt h
outside the solar system would see them. The Planetarium shows their movements
in relation to that fixed axis between the Sun and the Earth. Mercury 87.969 days 115.877 days 115.9065 days
Venus 224.701 days 583.939 days 584.1 days
Mars 1 year 321.738 days 1 year 414.89 days 1 year 414.8923 days
Jupiter 11 years 314.9 days 398.875 days 398.8976 days
Saturn 29 years 167.2 days 378.0846 days 378.0948 days
All planets of our solar
system except Pluto are
shown together in that
composition from pictures, This table also proves the magnificent mechanical precision of the Planetariums mechanics,
sent back from NASA
developed by Ludwig Oechslin.
orbiters and probes.
62 63

It should be mentioned, however, that in spite of the high Therefore, the scale of Jupiters distance had to be reduced to
overall accuracy of the Planetariums display, it is possible that planets are shown in different a third and for Saturn to a fifth. The lines of the spider web on the crystal reflect this change
locations than they are in reality. The reason lies in the elliptical orbits, which all planets in scale. For each planetary ring they are drawn to show the area which would be seen if the
maintain around the Sun. The orbits are all more or less eccentric, but the planet rings on ecliptic was divided into segments of 30 degrees each. The starting point for the spider web
the Planetarium dial had to be perfectly circular. A different system would not have been is the fixed Earth, whereas the downscaling of the planetary rings uses the Sun as point of
possible in a small wristwatch. Following Keplers law, an object on an elliptical orbit would reference. Therefore, the lines angles have to be adapted correspondingly on the rings of
vary its speed, depending on where on the ellpse it is. On the Planetarium, however, its speed Jupiter and Saturn, resulting in the unique pattern displayed on the Planetariums crystal.
is constant. Consequently, any difference between the reality and the Planetarium display will An unusual perspective: Thus the outer planets can be correctly located against the circle of the zodiac in spite of the
Earth seen across the lunar
eventually be evened out over the year. north pole, photographed deviation in scale.
by the Clementine orbiter.
Determining the Planets Positions on the Dial The Moon Phases
The Planetariums sapphire crystal shows a web of lines with A small crescent is circling around the globe of the Earth,
the Earth as their centre. These lines span segments of 30 degrees, which help locating the once exactly in 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds; a synodic month.
planets relative to the signs of the zodiac. They are not straight, which is caused by the
To read the actual phase of the moon, just keep in mind that the Moon is rotating around the
scaling of the planets distances on the dial.
Earth counter-clockwise. As soon as the crescent is exactly between the disc of the Sun and
The orbit of the inner four planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) are relatively near each the Earth, it is new moon the illuminated side of the Moon does not face towards the Earth
other, so it was possible to make their planet rings on the Planetarium in the same distance and therefore is not visible. After that the Moon is waxing until it reaches the position directly
scale relative to the Sun. However, the outer two planets on the dial, Jupiter and Saturn, had opposite the Sun with the Earth between. It is full moon, since the Moons illuminated side
to be treated differently, since their distance to the Sun is so large. Had the distance scale of is fully visible from the Earth. During the following days the Moon is waning again, until the
the inner planets been maintained, the ring of Jupiter would have a radius of 34 centimetres, cycle repeats itself.
that of Saturn even of 62 centimetres resulting in a wristwatch with a diameter of more than
1.25 meters! This watch surely would not be very convenient to wear!
The distances of the inner six

planets from the Sun, depicted in
scale (in millions of kilometres).
64 65

If the watch stopped for only a few days, the easiest way to
reset it would be with the crown in position 3. Any turn of the crown moves the hour and
minute hands as well as all the other indications although the latters movements are so slow
that it might be hard to recognize them. For one day, the hour hand has to make two
complete turns on the dial. However, before anything you should wind the watch a little with
the crown in position 1, in order to supply the movement with some energy.
The planetary cycles can be easily set by means of the crown
only; no additional buttons or pushers are necessary. It is also possible to move the planets Sometimes, it happens that the watch is not worn for longer time spans; weeks, months or even
forward or backward, so one could simulate the planetary constellation at a given date. years. In that case, it would of course be hard work to set the indications forward for years only
by means of moving the hour and minute hands. But there is a much easier way to accomplish
The Planetariums crown has three positions:
this. In position 2, the crown allows to move the astronomical indications (planetary and
Position 1: calendar rings as well as the Moon) 800 times faster than in the normal time setting position
The watch movement can be wound manually. (pos. 3). The years change into minutes, so the watch can be reset very quickly. But what is
even more important: It makes incredible fun to have the planets at ones command letting
Position 2: them orbit at your will can make you feel like Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerers Apprentice! Just
This position serves to move the calendar and the remember your original starting point, to reset the watch correctly after playing with it.
planetary rings, as well as the Moon. One complete turn
of the Moon corresponds to 29.53 days or one month. If it is necessary to move the indications forward more than just a few days, its best to use
The hour and minute hands do not move when the the quick correcting function of the crown (pos. 2) to find a good reference point. Here it is
crown is in this position. possible to advance by the days with the crown in position 3. The starting points can be:
Position 3: a) Full moon,
The hour and minute hands can be set to the proper b) new moon,
time all other indications automatically are adjusted c) the first day of a month, or
accordingly. d) the first day of a zodiac sign.
There are two ways how these points can be read on the watch: either by means of the
appropriate markers on the calendar/zodiac ring, lining up with the thin line stretching from
the Earth to the twelve oclock-position, or by the crescent orbiting around the small globe
of the Earth and its position relative to the Sun. Just move forward the indication to whatever
reference point is nearer to your actual date. Then pull out the crown into position 3 and
make the fine adjustment by moving the hour and minute hands.
66 67

If the watch has to be updated after it was stopped for years, Alternatively, take the following table as a guide, which
move forward its indications until the positions of the planets correspond to the following covers a longer timespan. The settings given correspond to January 1st of the years listed,
depiction: and are limited to the positions of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. The numbers in the table refer
to the minutes on the watch dial. For example, the number 10 for Saturn on January 1st
2014 means that then, the small ball symbolizing Saturn must be located at the 10 minutes
(or 2 oclock) position on the watch dial.
YEAR s at u r n jupiter mars
01.01.2000 39 42 49
01.01.2001 37 37 17
01.01.2002 34 32 45
01.01.2003 32 27 13
01.01.2004 30 22 41
01.01.2005 28 17 9
01.01.2006 26 12 37
01.01.2007 24 7 6
01.01.2008 22 1 34
01.01.2009 20 56 2
01.01.2010 10 51 30
01.01.2011 16 46 58
01.01.2012 14 41 26
01.01.2013 12 36 54
These pictures show the planets, how they were positioned on the Planetariums dial on 01.01.2014 10 31 22
January 1st, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The depictions are not 100% accurate, but 01.01.2015 8 26 50
illustrate the constellations well enough for our purpose. Turn the crown, until the 01.01.2016 6 21 19
constellation is alike one of those shown. Then you have a known date, from which it is 01.01.2017 4 16 47
rather easy to continue: While now turning the crown, observe the calendar/zodiac ring. 01.01.2018 2 11 15
Each complete turn of this ring equals one year. Continue until you reach a full moon, or 01.01.2019 60 6 43
whatever starting point listed above is nearest to your desired date. Then pull out the crown 01.01.2020 58 1 11
into position 3 and advance by the hours.
Sometimes the friction clutch system, which protects the delicate gearing system from
damage, can shift the ecliptic (calendar/zodiac) slightly forward or backward. Mostly this will
be barely noticeable, but if necessary, it can be easily corrected by turning the calendar ring
with the crown in position 2.
68 69

completing piece of the Trilogy of Time it also marks the central point on a journey through
the cosmos. After looking at the complex concert of the planets and their movements, the
view concentrates on the place where we live.
In its principle, the Tellurium is a close relative to the Planetarium, its dial being a detailed
extract of the latter. Both, Sun and Earth are in fixed positions, while the cosmos, symbolized
Telluria always were important parts of by the zodiac, rotates around them.
large astronomical clocks, because they concentrated their display on

those celestial bodies, which are especially important for the human
life: Sun, Earth and Moon. By means of the globes displayed by
the automatons, one could easily distinguish the areas where
it was night or day, while the Moons position allowed to
determine its current phase. The Tellurium concentrates on a
detail of the Planetarium the
system of Sun and Earth. Both are
After the heliocentric view of the world had finally
fixed in their positions and the
gained common recognition, the telluria normally movement of the ecliptic is shown in
showed the Sun in the centre, and Earth together with relation to the axis connecting them.
the Moon orbiting around it. The Tellurium of Ulysse

Nardin changes that. Here the Earth is positioned in
the dials centre, leading the term Tellurium back to its
original roots. Tellus is Latin and the Roman analogy of
the Greek Gaia, goddess of Earth. Gaia was the centre of the
world, the origin and the final destination of everything
living and growing. Ludwig Oechslins Tellurium reinstalls
Gaias position as the centre of our every day life. As the
70 71

Calendar and Zodiac
Between the central dial plate depicting the Earth and the
hour and minute hands rings, the calendar/zodiac ring is rotating. A full rotation needs 365
days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, which corresponds to the Earths true rotation
period around the Sun. A fine line etched into the sapphire crystal is serving as a reference aid.
Compared with the other two pieces of the Trilogy, the
The calendar and zodiac ring works the same way than that of the Planetarium, therefore the
Astrolabium and the Planetarium, the Tellurium outwardly looks simple. But when studied
reader is asked to look at the appropriate chapter for reference (see above, page 59). The only
in detail, it discloses itself as being astonishingly complex. By presenting a rotating Earth as
difference to the Planetariums calendar is the lack of the five-degrees-markers on the zodiacs
viewed from above the North Pole, it is a perfect world time watch, showing the current time
side of the ring. Since the Tellurium does not have any planets to be spotted against the
on each place on the Earth.
zodiac, these indications are not necessary.
Reading the Time

Illumination of the Earth
The legal time currently valid at the users location, is
The primary purpose of the Tellurium is to show Earths
indicated by the hour and minute hands on the bezel, which have the figures 1 to 11 (the 12
current illumination by the Sun on its central dial. The Sun itself is depicted by the small
is showing the Sun symbol) inlaid in blue lacquer. Contrary to conventional watches, these
symbol at the twelve oclock position of the bezel.
hands are mounted on concentric rings, which turn around the central dial. They are
covered with luminous mass, so it is possible to read the time in the dark. The globe of the Earth is seen from above the North Pole, but in this type of geometric
projection, a larger part south of the equator is also visible. Within one day or 24 hours, the
disc completes one revolution. The numbers on the outer rim show the 24 time zones,
beginning with the prime meridian at Greenwich, near London. In order to indicate night
and day on Earth correctly, the disc always has to be synchronized with the World Time, also
called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Twelve oclock GMT means that the Sun has reached
its highest point in the sky over Greenwich. A line passing through the depiction of the
British Isles is the prime meridian and marks the starting point of the time zones. Another
fine line in the sapphire crystal facilitates the reading of the Greenwich time.
72 73

A gold-plated spring stretches across the Earth, showing the The Moon Phases
current border between daylight and night. The discs rotation reproduces the sunrise in the
As the other two watches of the Trilogy series do, the Tellurium,
East and the sunset in the West, when the continents, depicted in enamel, pass under the
too, displays the current phase of the Moon, but its depiction is more authentic in appearance
spring. Since Earths rotation axis is slanted some 23 degrees relative to the ecliptic, the
than the more or less abstract moon phase displays by means of hands or a small crescent.
lengths of night and day change over the year, resulting in the seasons. The spring also
reflects this by changing its tension. When it is summer on the Northern Hemisphere, the As in reality, the Telluriums Moon circles the Earth counterclockwise, based on the synodic
spring is bent downward, in the direction of the six oclock position. Then the North Pole month (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds). To illustrate the Moons
can see the polar summer taking place in the sunlight. At the summer solstice (June 21st) the illumination by the Sun, the gold painted half of the moon disc always faces the Sun at
spring has reached its lowest curve, indicating the longest day. Afterwards the curvature is twelve oclock, while the dark half depicts the Moons shadowed parts, which appear
slowly flattened, and on September 23rd the spring is completely straight and horizontal, invisible from the Earth. At new moon the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth, with its
with day and night equally long on that equinox. During the following weeks, the spring is illuminated side directed away from Earth the Moon seems invisible.
bending upward, leaving the North Pole in its dark polar night and indicating the steady
When its path guides it around the Earth, the Moon is waxing until it reaches the position
shortening of the days, until on December 22nd this process too, has reached its climax.
directly opposite the Sun. Then its illuminated side is fully visible from the Earth, it is full
Then everything reverses again, with the spring displaying the next equinox on March 21st.
moon. Afterwards the illuminated crescent becomes smaller and smaller; the Moon is
Theoretically it is possible to estimate the times of sunrise and sunset for every place on the waning, until the cycle is completed with the next new moon.
Earth. Simply find the desired location on the small world disc, and by using the time zones
as a base, calculate how many hours separate this point from reaching the spring. But please
keep in mind that the enamel disc is a piece of art more than a geographically correct
depiction of the Earth, so all these calculations are very rough estimates which by no means
reduces the fun one has when doing this kind of exercise!
The Moon is depicted by a small disc rotating
counterclockwise around the Earth. The dragons head
and tail indicate solar or lunar eclipses if they align
with a new or full moon, respectively.
The area of the Earth disc above the spring is illuminated by

the Sun which is placed as a symbol at twelve oclock. While
the disc turns counterclockwise, the continents depicted rotate
into the sunlight (sunrise) or into the shadowed part of the
Earth (sunset). The numbers on the Earth discs outer rim
stand for the 24 timezones while their starting point, the prime
meridian at Greenwich, England, is shown by the golden line
on the disc. The upper reference line stretching from the sun
symbol allows reading the current Greenwich time.
74 75

Solar and Lunar Eclipses
The dragon hand, of which only the head and the tip of the
tail are visible, symbolizes the nodes where the lunar orbit intersects the ecliptic (see above,
page XX [14]). These nodes positions also rotate slowly around the Earth, and only when
full moon or new moon occur on or near such a node, the view from Earth on either the Sun
or the Moon is partially or fully obstructed. The new moon results in a solar eclipse, where
the Moons disc blocks the Sun, and the full moon disappears in a lunar eclipse, when it is
The Telluriums moonphase display is
darkened by Earths shadow. shaped after the nature: Here the Moon
is seen circling around the Earth by the
These occurrences are depicted on the Tellurium when either the dragons head or its tail Galileo orbiter.
meets the moon disc at the twelve oclock position (solar eclipse), or the six oclock position
(lunar eclipse). It is not necessary for the hand and the moon to be perfectly aligned for an
eclipse to happen. The dragon hand only shows that in this case the Moon is on or near the
node of its orbit. Even if dragon hand and the moon are a little bit off, the conditions for an
eclipse might be fulfilled.
As I pointed out previously, the indication of an eclipse on the Telluriums dial does not mean
that it is observable from everywhere on Earth. Lunar eclipses can only be seen on the night
side of the Earth, and solar eclipses are visible on very small areas of the dayside only (see
the visibility map of solar eclipses on page 24).
76 77

How to Correct the Setting by Short Time Spans

(Daylight Saving Time)
Regardless to the time span during which the Tellurium was

stopped, it always can be reset to show the proper time very quickly. If this time span was
short, it is the easiest way to reset it with the crown in position 3. Nevertheless, before
The indications of the Tellurium can be easily set, only the advancing, always wind the watch a little with the crown in position 1, so that the movement
crown and a single pusher on the watchs left side are needed. has some energy to keep the watch working. In position 3, any turning of the crown moves
the hour and minute hands, as well as all the other indications. For one day, the hour hand
The Telluriums crown has three positions:
has to make two complete turns on the dial, and the Earths disc at the same time rotates once.
Position 1:
Always set the current World Time or GMT first! This is the time of Greenwich near London,
The watch movement can be wound manually.
without any daylight saving time set. So first you have to know your current time zone. The
Position 2: GMT chart printed in the appendix can be of assistance. On the United States East Coast,
This position serves to move the astronomical indications ecliptic (calendar/zodiac), moon for example, you have to add five hours to get the current GMT. During summer, however,
and dragon hand. The hour and minute hands and the Earths disc in the centre do not move you only have to add four hours, since the daylight saving time already has added one hour.
when the crown is in this position.

Let us assume you are living in Washington, D.C. and have to reset the Tellurium, which did
Position 3: not run for a day. Your actual time is 10.15 a.m. In Greenwich time this would be 03.15 p.m.
The hour and minute hands and the current GMT (by means of the central disc) can be set to (or 15.15). During daylight saving time, 10.15 in Washington would be only 14.15 in
the proper time. All other indications are adjusted accordingly. When pressing the pusher while Greenwich. In position 3 turn the crown, until the reference line beneath the Sun at twelve
the crown is in this position, the astronomical indications do not move when the time is set. oclock aligns with the correct GMT on the 24-hour indicator on the world disc. Now you
have set the world disc to show the correct phase of the day. Then press the pusher on the
watchs left side and hold it, while you turn back the hour and minute hands with the crown
until they correctly show 10.15 oclock, the time on your current location.
Basically the same procedure is followed on the days when the daylight saving time is
introduced or ended, or if you are travelling into a different time zone, although it generally
is dispensable to change the GMT setting of the Earths disc if the watch was running all the
time. Therefore, you only have to pull out the crown into position 3, press the pusher and
hold it, while you set the new time by turning the crown.
78 79

Changing the Time, Taking into Account long P o s i t io n s of m o o n a n d d r a g o n h a n d o n J a n u a ry 1 s t 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 1

( r e l at i v e to t h e m i n u t e i n d i c at io n s )
Time Spans
Year Moon Dragon Year Moon Dragon
If it is necessary to change the indications for more than just 2000 12 26 2011 9 1
a few days, it is the best to use the quick correcting function of the crown (pos. 2) to find a 2001 50 29 2012 47 5
good reference point. It is then possible to advance by the days with the crown in position 3. 2002 28 32 2013 25 8
The starting points can be: 2003 6 36 2014 3 11
2004 44 39 2015 41 14
a) Full moon,
2005 22 42 2016 19 17
b) new moon,
2006 60 45 2017 56 21
c) the first day of a month, or
2007 37 48 2018 34 24
d) the first day of a zodiac sign.
2008 15 52 2019 12 27
These points can be read on the watch by means of the appropriate markers on the 2009 53 55 2020 50 30
calendar/zodiac ring, lined up with the thin reference line beneath the sun symbol. 2010 31 58 2021 28 34
Alternatively, the moon disc orbiting around the disc of the Earth and its position relative to
the Sun can serve as an adjustment aid. Just move the indication forward to whatever
reference point is nearer to your actual date. Then pull out the crown into position 3 and
make the fine adjustment by moving the hour and minute hands. Here you may first set the This table shows how the Moon and the dragon hand were
correct Greenwich Time again. Then press the pusher and hold it while setting your current positioned on the Telluriums dial on January 1st, 20002021. From that point turn the
local time so that the other indications do not change accordingly. crown (in position 2) and observe the calendar/zodiac ring: Each complete turn of this ring
equals one year. Continue until you reach a full moon, or whatever starting point listed above
If the watch has to be updated after being stopped for over a year, move its indications is nearest to your desired date. Then pull out the crown into position 3 and advance by the
forward until the positions of the Moon and the dragon hand correspond to the positions hours, until the correct GMT is reached. Finally, press the pusher and hold it while you set
relative to the minute indications, as given in the following table: the desired local time.
Sometimes the friction clutch system, which protects the delicate gearing system from
damage, can shift the ecliptic (calendar/zodiac) slightly forward or backward. Mostly this will
be barely noticeable, but if necessary it can be easily corrected by turning the calendar ring
with the crown in position 2.
80 81

Appendix: acknowledgments
international time zones
Text and Illustrations:

Dr. Marcus Hanke, University of Salzburg;
Photographs:
pages 11, 12, 23, 27: Marcus Hanke, Salzburg;
page 59: Museum of History of Arts, Vienna;
pages 22, 51, 60, XX [46], 73: NASA;
page 30: Trler, Zurich;
all others: Ulysse Nardin, Le Locle.
82 83
Ulysse Nardin (1823-1876)
84

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THE

preface Reading the Positions of Sun and Moon 48

Views of the World 13 Setting the Astrolabium 54

C H A P T E R 3 : c r e at i n g m a s t e r pi e c e s Setting the Planetarium 66

INTERPRETING THE ASTROLABIUM 42 appendix

In 1983 Rolf Schnyder bought the watch manufacturing

In fact, our common measuring of time is nothing more than

The megalithic alignments

The astronomic clock at

One complete rotation of the Earth needs

The Movement of the Earth Around the Sun

By observing the stars which the Earth seems to pass once a

Seen from the Earth, the rotation around the Sun is

Unfortunately, the ecliptic is not identical with the equatorial

But not only astronomical observations are influenced by the

An 18th century illustration shows the

Due to the changed angle of illumination, the

Solar and Lunar Eclipses

When the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the

Total eclipses of the sun, as visible

Anybody who has the rare opportunity to see a total eclipse

The fact, that Ludwig Oechslin chose the three astronomical

Rotation of epicyclic wheels.

By means of the Trilogy of Time, Ludwig Oechslin tries to

Additionally, there are hundreds of tiny balls with a diameter

Already in ancient Greece, navigators used astrolabes to

We know that any location in the East experiences sunrise or

Both, Budapest in Hungary and Brest in France, share the

Important Astronomical Indications on the Dial

Leo (Lion) July 23Aug. 22

In this example the Sun has

Reading the Positions of Sun and Moon

Dawn and Dusk

As long as the point symbolizing the Suns position is

The Suns curve over the year

After sunset, the point of intersection of the sun hand

Earth and Moon as seen

Directions can be found by sighting the Sun (if it is visible)

How to Adjust the Astrolabium to a New Location

If you change your location along the same degree of latitude,

The introduction of the heliocentric system by Copernicus

The progress of the months weeks can

Reading the Normal Time

While the hour and minute hands, together

The same is valid for the further differences between the

The Planetarium displays the six classic planets, those

Determining the Planets Positions on the Dial The Moon Phases

The distances of the inner six

Position 3: a) Full moon,

accordingly. d) the first day of a zodiac sign.

YEAR s at u r n jupiter mars

large astronomical clocks, because they concentrated their display on

the Moon orbiting around it. The Tellurium of Ulysse

Calendar and Zodiac

Reading the Time

The area of the Earth disc above the spring is illuminated by

Solar and Lunar Eclipses

How to Correct the Setting by Short Time Spans

Regardless to the time span during which the Tellurium was