Patek Philippe Pocket Watch Owners Home Locations Sky Map ?

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I read Patek Phillippe company had been put a sky map on to their pocket watch. Sky map graphic had been calibrated to the owners homes geographic location. I am not a astronomer but I know everyday sky map changes. And it must change every year also if I am not wrong.

What kind of a sky map graphic cover all the changes in long time and what kind of different solutions had been produced in mechanic history to make a watch a astronomy tool ? Is there a book , article for that ?

Thank you,

Mustafa Umut Sarac
Istanbul

[petsch]

Hello Umut,
Patek has made some very special watches with sky-maps.
I think it started with a watch for James Ward Packard, of Packard automobile, than they built watches of this kind for the New York banker Henry Graves and than watches with the famous caliber 89 , which was build for the 150 years anniversary of Patek in the year 1989.

Sky map graphic had been calibrated to the owners homes geographic location

I read also, that these watches were made specially for the owners location (for example the watch for Packard showed the night sky from his bedroom window in Warren, Ohio.)
but I really don´t know more (technical) details about this watches, which would answer your questions, but perhaps you can find some details in the internet about this watches when you look for "Patek" in connection with the names "Warren", "Packard" or "calibre 89". My english is not good enough to look for all this Information in short time.

Another possibility to find some Information is an auction catalog of Habsburg Feldman (today Antiquorum). In 1989 there was a special auction with patek watches there. The auction was titled "The Art of Patek Philippe" and they have had 2 auction catalogs. One was specially with information about caliber 89. I am not really sure, but I think you will find some information about your question in this book. I have had it, but I sold it some time ago, because it seems that I will never own this watch

Here is an offer about both auction catalogs :
http://www.ebay.de/itm/THE-ART-OF-HOROL ... 2a38789fec

best regards
Peter

[Ursus]

I Sky map graphic had been calibrated to the owners homes geographic location. I am not a astronomer but I know everyday sky map changes. And it must change every year also if I am not wrong.

What kind of a sky map graphic cover all the changes in long time... Mustafa Umut Sarac Istanbul

Hello Mustafa!

The Location of the stars is dependent of the latitude, i.e. maps of the stars cannot be "calibrated", they have to be "created" for the latitude wanted.

Star time is somewhat different from sun time. A day measured in star (sideral) time is approx. 4 minutes shorter than the day based on sun time. Therefore, the "sideral" year has one day more (366). Of course, absolute time is the same.

Other changes are caused by precession but these are really minute as our poles need between 25,700 to 25,800 years for one Rotation.
Ursus

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Hello Peter,

Your english skills are better than lots of Americans I know

I really loved the catalog , I think I will add to my order to be scanned books list from DGC library. I saw few pictures at Google after your input and all I see is milky way at the top of the dial and I would not pay couple of millions to see everyday the same milkyway at the pocket watch. But I would be very happy if a forum member put a full picture from a catalog and add explanations.

Ursus,

All I know about astronomical graphics were the monthly skymap graphics at few science magazines.

Let me put my questions,

- Do monthly skymaps repeat themselves every year ? Or do they change one day per year ? Does this one day per one year change put new stars to the chart which was not seen last year or does one day one year change , change only the timing calibration of the watch ?

- What can be displayed at skymap like Patek 89 ? Can We see the daily sky chart at the back of the pocket watch ? Or does it useless ?

Thank you,

Mustafa Umut Sarac

Istanbul

[Ursus]

Hello Mustafa!

Within one year you will see all stars which are visible from your latitude. This is repeated on a yearly basis (not taking in to account the precession of the axis of the earth ). Every day the sky changes a little bit.

Look at http://www.ebay.de/itm/Nachtleuchtende- ... 2336aef014 (sorry, it is in German).

You will certainly find a celestial map like this in Istanbul for little money (10 - 15 Euros). This will explain all questions you might have and you will see by own practice how the stars move. The celestial maps in watches function the same way.

Ursus

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Hello Ursus ,

Thank you very much to answer my deepest problem in my mind. I tried to read few astronomy books but could not understand them completely. I offered a price for the star chart at ebay for your link and to own a chart like Patek Phillippe watch is most enjoyful thing and I had never been thought about the presence of these charts.

If I was Mr.Packard , I would ask a astrolabe for my pocket watch with all kind of mechanism.

Thank you again,

Mustafa Umut Sarac
Istanbul

[Ursus]

Ulysse Nardin has a wrist watch with an astrolabe: the Ulysse Nardin Astrolabium.

Ursus