POUVILLON DETAIL

Maker, Paul Pouvillon, Nogent-sur-Oise, France 1918-1939. Two train, weight-driven, pinwheel escapement, one second wooden rod, with fine calibration from the top of the frame. Count wheel strike. Fifteen day duration. This clock is extraordinary on many levels. It is considered to be the most complicated clock made up to that time and has over 40 complications packed into a very small space including an ecclesiastical computer; something only a handful of clocks ever made exhibit. Movement 20"h x 6"w x 6"d, overall, with base 50"h.

This movement employs a unique type of three dimensional "space frame" rarely seen in other horological examples. 1 The dials appear uniformly on four of five possible sides of the rectangular shape. These also occur within different indentations from vertical not to mention the combined tellurium and orrery that crown the entire movement. It is probable that the the worlds most complex domestic sized astronomical skeleton completed by Rasmus Sorens in 1966 drew some design inspiration from this clock as well as the large institutional sized clock in Copenhagen, Denmark by Jens Olsen. 2, 3 The Pouvillon clock still holds the record for its size.

The photos shown are file photos from various sources. The clock is presently in Australia being restored to working order. You can follow the restoration progress here.

Pouvillon (11).jpg (1720155 bytes) Pouvillon (12).jpg (988210 bytes)

The last two black and white photos come from a dealer, Jean-Pierre Rochefort who last had this clock in 1983. At that time all of the planets were still attached to the tellurium and orrery. However there eighteen planets when in reality there are only nine. Each planet is duplicated 180 degrees apart. I believe this was an error and that there were originally nine planets with the other side having a pointer indicating their position within the zodiac, similar to that attached to the tellurium in the third photo.

Paul Pouvillon won several awards from the French government in connection with this clock.

In 1939 Mr. Pouvillon received a silver medal in Paris that same year he was awarded the title "Meilleur Ouvier de France" or "Best Craftsmanship of France”. In 1948 he was knighted 'Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur'.

The complications on the clock are:

1. Mean solar time for the meridians of Greenwich and Paris	13. Unequal hours correlation dial
2. Equation of time	14. Day
3. Day of week	15. Day’s planet
4. Zodiacal sign for day of week	16. Moon phase
5. Month	17. Moon’s age
6. Zodiacal sign for month	18. Cyclical Lunar Month ( used in determining epact, golden number)
7. Leap year	19. Planisphere showing northern hemisphere at near 49⁰
8. Season	a. With dial showing stars at positions at different times of the day
9a. Sun rise	b. Position of Ursula Major and Minor for an observer in the northern hemisphere
b. Sun set	c. North, South transit time of the stars
c. Sun’s elevation	20. Sidereal time
10. Length of day	21. Tellurian depicting the two inner planets plus Earth and Moon system
11. Length of night	a. Moon’s nodes: rise, fall and 18.6 year precession
12. Ecclesiastical calculator, 'computus':	b. Year indication
a. Dominical Letter	c. Ring around Sun
b. Epact	d. Position of the Sun in the zodiac
c. Golden Number	e. Thirteen pointers showing various ecclesiastical dates to Easter on tellurian dial ring
d. Solar Cycle	22a. Orrery with the seven remaining planets through Pluto
e. Indiction	b. Indications of where each planet is in the zodiac
f. Day of week	23. Precession of the Zodiac over a 24,806 year cycle
g. Day that January 1^st falls on
h. Date of Easter	Total = 41

1. The Cosmochronotrope is one other example that comes to mind. It is illustrated in Continental and American Skeleton Clocks, Derek Roberts, pg. 204-206.

2. The Clockmaker Rasmus Sornes, Tom Sornes. 3. Jens Olsen Clock, Otto Mortensen.