AP Perpetual Calendar Automatic Wristwatch
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Baton Numerals - A watch that instead of displaying numerals on the face, displays a marker in the form of a baton, or lower case letter "L". Since the baton-like marks are not numerals, the feature is also called baton markers, baton indexes and baton indicators.
- Moon Dial - If we imagine life in the 17th century, the only source of ascertaining the time of day or night would have been the local church or municipal clock striking every quarter hour, and able to be heard by all in the village. In England, when longcase clocks became popular and more affordable in the late 17th century, the function of timekeeping and source of time was moved to within the home.
An additional feature on some longcase clocks was to display the phases of the moon, that is the new moon, the full moon and the waning moon over the lunar 29 ½ day cycle. This information was important for farmers for working out cropping schedules; for travellers to know the amount of moonlight on a night they planned to travel; and for those who lived near the sea required knowledge of the tides.
Where included, the moon dial is usually in the form of a disc incorporated into the main dial plate, usually in the arched top section. The lunar cycle starts with the new moon displaying, which is a dark night sky and no man-in-the-moon face being displayed, and then progresses to the full moon face showing on the 15th day of the lunar cycle, and back to no face displaying as the moon wanes. Most lunar dials are partially concealed on each side of their opening in the main dial plate by semi-circular "humps" that allow the painted face to emerge slowly just as the real moon goes out of and back into the earth's shadow.
Nowadays, details of the lunar cycle is published in diaries, almanacs, and newspapers and although some modern longcase clocks are still manufactured with working moon dials, they are more for decoration than for use. - Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
William IV sterling silver chamber stick and and Snuffer, hallmarked, Sheffield, 1832, with piecrust surrounded on knop support with shaped handle and snuffer, total weight 337gm, height 10 cm
A fine Anton Seuffert Colonial inlaid glove box, kauri with veneered indigenous burr woods and rewarewa domed lid, ivory keyhole, dimensions 29 x 10.5 x 7.5 cm
A French figural ormolu clock with a Sevres-style plaque, 19th century, with maker's mark for Japy Freres, the drum head clock with an enamel dial, Roman numerals and flanked by a well cast seated explorer in fine naval dress accompanied by his silvered gl
Chinese hardstone tea set on wooden stand with fitted box