Konstantin Chaykin Moscow Computus Clock

This clockskin is my adaptation of one of the four faces of the Konstantin Chaykin Moscow Computus Clock. The supercomplicated astronomical table clock “Moscow Computus Clock”, created by Konstantin Chaykin, is the most complex clock ever created in Russia.

In addition to the time, day, date, month and year, the clockskin displays the 2024 Orthodox Easter date on both the Gregorian calendar commonly used today (May 5th) and the ancient Julian calendar on which the Orthodox Easter date is based (April 22nd). [The Julian calendar is currently 13 days behind our Gregorian calendar used today.]

clock_skin_model

[Note: The Orthodox Easter date hand on the clockskin is frozen at the 2024 date.]

Credit: Konstantin Chaykin Moscow Computus Clock

Clockskin Download Zip File: Konstantin Chaykin Moscow Computus Clockskin


Here is an image of one of the four sides of the original clock:


Here is the video of my .watch version watch face of this clock, which includes all four sides accurately functioning, including the side with a tellurium*, the side displaying sidereal time** and the side with an analemma***. In my opinion, the analemma is fascinating in its accurate display of the “Equation of Time”**** over the course of the year. Numerous other complications are also included.


*A tellurium is a model that represents the motions of the Moon around the Earth and the Earth around the Sun.

** Sidereal time, used for astronomy (star-gazing), is the time as measured by the apparent motion about the Earth of the distant, so-called fixed, stars, as distinguished from solar time, which corresponds to the apparent motion of the Sun. The primary unit of sidereal time is the sidereal day, which is almost 4 minutes shorter than the mean solar day of 24 hours shown by ordinary timepieces.

*** An analemma is a diagram showing the position of the Sun in the sky as seen from a fixed location on Earth at the same mean solar time each day, as that position varies over the course of a year.

**** The Equation of Time is the difference between apparent solar time (which directly tracks the motion of the sun) and mean solar time (which tracks a theoretical mean sun with uniform motion).


10 Likes

Thank you! It is incredibly beautiful…

Wow, a lot of work. Good job! :+1:

Quality job. Thankyou

Thanks so much @doubledad, @G1NT0N1C, and @Dr_Andy_Vishnu !

1 Like

Thanks very much @onourwatches
Such a lot of work and it looks great :+1:
Cheers
Pablo11

1 Like

Thank you @pablo11. The process of me figuring out what this clock face was displaying was complicated by the fact that I don’t speak (or read) Russian. :laughing:

3 Likes

@onourwatches Now that you’ve mastered the Russian language, I’m hoping for the other 3 faces! :grin:

2 Likes

@G1NT0N1C Don’t hold your breath :rofl:. I have thought about that, but I cannot adequately present the other three sides with WFD (perhaps you can :wink:). However, I thought you might like to see my Russian translation mastery in action in this screenshot from my .watch version, showing a zoom-in of the analemma side.

[Note: This screenshot is from today, Jan. 4, 2024, when the actual Equation of Time is -4.7 minutes, so both my calculated numerical EoT and my graphical EoT (the yellow dot) are pretty accurate.]

I found Chaykin’s mechanical graphical presentation of the equation of time in his clock fascinating, and I enjoyed the challenge of recreating it in a watch face.

2 Likes

In fact, that’s impressively accurate. Kudos to the LUA.

1 Like