Pneumatic clock from 1940
Watchismo's got the news on Puja's 1940 Thermo-Pneumatic Clock -- a time-keeping apparatus like no other:
1940 Puja Thermo-Pneumatic Clock
"At the lower left, shielded by a translucent housing, is a carbon rod resistance that heats the colored alcohol in the glass vessel just above it. This causes some of the alcohol to vaporize, the pressure pushing the liquid up the connecting pipe to the vessel at top right. As the latter gets heavier the wheel bearing the four vessels experiences a torque that rewinds a remontoire spring driving a conventional gear train and escapement. This clock has a pendulum-controlled escapement, but models with balance wheel escapements also existed."
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a nazi version of this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Drinking_bird.jpg
Although not as cool, the Jaeger-LeCoultre 'Atmos' is pretty neat too. Runs on barometric changes in the atmosphere. Sorry, I'm a clock/watch geek too.
http://www.atmosclocks.com/
I read this post because I thought it said "Pneumatic Cock".
Hooked up with the Enigma code machine it could have presaged teledildonics.
But it's just a clock.
Pretty cool though.
Cheers.
Wigwam @2 - did you see this? http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/09/21/the-corpus-clock-chr.html
The operating principles of this clock are very similar to a recycled, solar-powered stirling engine design I've seen. It's made out of coke cans and uses the expansion and contraction of heated air to move water through tubes.
Link
carbon rod resistor
Sammich, No I had not seen that. Oooga booga. Thanks for that ;-)
Yeah! Keep those retro-parallel-world-history devices comin'!
wigwam - you're welcome, it's pretty cool isn't it!? :O)
Yes, Sammich. I can't stop looking at it. It's awesome.
My first introduction to a 'real' watch was on some late-night low-budget cable show that was selling old pocket watches. They took off the backs - it was amazing. I dug out my grandfather's old Elgin pocket watch - opened the back - and fell in love with watches. All downhill since them. Suffice to say, none of my wristwatches run on electricity, and few were made after 1958.
Wally Minto's Wonder Wheel was a humungous version of this drive mechanism, and was a high torque low RPM solar (or waste heat) powered engine.
German clock - 1940 - and a barely disguised swastika. NAH - just a coincidence.
Thermo-pneumatic punk is way better than that steam punk crap!
Vapour Punk then?
I dub thee... Swasticlock.
An inanimate carbon rod you say?
"In rod we trust" ;)
An interesting approach to electrifying traditional mechanical clock movements. But I beg to differ with #2, I think the Atmos is more elegant: no electricity needed.