OT: Digital Watch Recommendations?

From: Kent Borg <kentborg_at_borg.org>
Date: Mon Aug 5 09:08:00 2002

On Sat, Aug 03, 2002 at 12:31:21AM -0400, R. D. Davis wrote:
> Real watches go tick-tock and require winding. :-)

With that I just have to bring up the subject of: Clocks.

I have a big analogue clock that says "Western Union", "U.S. Naval
Observatory Time", "Self Winding Clock Company, New York".

Inside is a pendulum movement and a coil spring that periodically gets
wound by a pair of batteries that drive a crude "motor" made of two
electromagnets that rock a lever back and fourth, ratcheting up the
spring. It makes a cool buzzing sound, as you might expect. There
are brackets for a pair of big dry cells in there, but I have a pair
of alkaline D-cells in there instead.

There is also a red light bulb showing through the face. I lights up
when the clock gets a synchronization signal (pulling the second hand
to 12). Western Union used to sell time service.

I first heard about these clocks years ago reading the old telecom
usenet group, and then someone piped up that he had a bunch to sell.
I sent my $100 to the total stranger and he sent me my clock.

I recently spent more than that getting it repaired (the "shovel" that
turns the pendulum's motion into rotary movement had worn down and
needed to be built up again).

What I have not done is get around making the "U.S. Naval Observatory
Time" part true again. I plan to hook it up to my Linux box (which
gets time that is traceable to the Naval Observatory), and watch the
light glow now and then. I like the idea of having this old
technology linked through a computer, the internet, GPS time
references, etc. I like the mix. Kinda like my wanting a teletype
hooked up to the same Linux box.


-kb, the Kent who wears a combination analogue and digital watch on
weekdays, but a self-winding (actually "self-charging") analogue
display, quartz watch on weekends.
Received on Mon Aug 05 2002 - 09:08:00 BST