Double Pendulum Clock with Planisphere and Wandering Moon by David Walter

Hi, I'm Emily with MS Rowell, and today I'm here with one of the most incredible timepieces we have ever had in this gallery. This clock was made by David Walter, who's widely regarded as one of the greatest living clockmakers. His work stands shoulder to shoulder with the greatest timepieces in history, and this is by far his most complex clock. It is a double pendulum regulator clock with a planisphere and wandering moon. To really appreciate how incredible this clock is, let's take a look at the history he's advancing. At its core, two pendulums really shouldn't work together. A single pendulum has a lot of energy. If you place two close together, they interfere, cause each other to drift, and will eventually stop. In 1602, it was Galileo who discovered the concept of resonance, which means, with the correct mechanism, you could place two pendulums close together, they'll synchronize, and correct each other's errors. Abraham-Louis Breguet, who's one of history's most important clockmakers, successfully used resonance in his magnum opus, a double pendulum clock given to King George IV, which is still in the Royal Collection today. This clock was inspired by Breguet, but Walter takes it even further. This clock has two completely different movements telling different types of time. The left movement shows solar time. This is defined by the sun's position in the sky. It is also the time that most of us use every single day. Up top, we have the sunrise and sunset indicators. The main face shows the equation of time, which accounts for the Earth's irregular orbit. Below, we have the perpetual calendar, which adjusts automatically for month lengths and leap years, keeping the date accurate. The retrograde date marks the day of the month, and the equation date marks the day of the week. The right movement shows sidereal time. This is used in astronomy to track the Earth's rotation relative to the stars. The Planisphere star map is a rotating chart that shows the night sky. It's crafted in solid lapis lazuli with 22 karat yellow gold stars set beneath the surface. The sidereal time dial is a 24-hour display that tracks the Earth's rotation relative to the stars. It completes a full cycle in 23 hours and 56 minutes. The sun hand is rendered in 28 karat yellow gold, and it marks the sun's position in the sky. The sidereal second star records passing seconds. Finally, the wandering moon displays the current lunar phase, the age of the moon, and its angle relative to the sun. This is undoubtedly the greatest double pendulum clock ever made. It was made by a world-class urologist. It is his greatest achievement, and we can't wait for you to come and see it at MSREL.