Decimal clock, by Pierre Daniel Destigny

An image of Decimal clock. Destigny, Pierre Daniel, (french, apprenticed 1787, d.1855). With dials showing decimal time and duodecimal time. Dial: 4 1/2 inch diameter dial with gilt engine-turned centre and bezel. Narrow enamel chapter ring with 100 minute divisions on the inner edge each divided into halves, with arabic numerals 1 - 10 for the hours, and seconds divisions on the outer edge numbered 10, 20 - 100. Blued steel hands, plain for minutes and voided spade design for hours and sweep seconds. Small enamel dial inset above the centre with hours I - XII twice and minutes on the outer edge numbered 15, 30, 45, 60. Signed above the lower XII `Destigny A Rouen'. Moon design hour and minute hands. Movement: Timepiece movement, reputed to run for 45 days, so intended to be wound monthly. Going barrel with dead beat escapement and beat setting adjustment to crutch. Half decimal second pendulum with 9 rod grid iron compensation and massive bob. A pointer is fixed to the bottom of the bob to show the amplitude of vibration on a degree scale fixed to the case. Case: Pine carcase veneered with mahogany. In the form of a rectangular plinth with four Tuscan columns supporting an entablature and with gilt metal mounts. Height, whole, 48.3 cm, circa 1798 to circa 1805. Neoclassical. Production Note: This is a rare example of a clock showing the time in decimal units as introduced by the French Revolutionary Government in 1793.

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Decimal clock. Destigny, Pierre Daniel, (french, apprenticed 1787, d.1855). With dials showing decimal time and duodecimal time. Dial: 4 1/2 inch diameter dial with gilt engine-turned centre and bezel. Narrow enamel chapter ring with 100 minute divisions on the inner edge each divided into halves, with arabic numerals 1 - 10 for the hours, and seconds divisions on the outer edge numbered 10, 20 - 100. Blued steel hands, plain for minutes and voided spade design for hours and sweep seconds. Small enamel dial inset above the centre with hours I - XII twice and minutes on the outer edge numbered 15, 30, 45, 60. Signed above the lower XII `Destigny A Rouen'. Moon design hour and minute hands. Movement: Timepiece movement, reputed to run for 45 days, so intended to be wound monthly. Going barrel with dead beat escapement and beat setting adjustment to crutch. Half decimal second pendulum with 9 rod grid iron compensation and massive bob. A pointer is fixed to the bottom of the bob to show the amplitude of vibration on a degree scale fixed to the case. Case: Pine carcase veneered with mahogany. In the form of a rectangular plinth with four Tuscan columns supporting an entablature and with gilt metal mounts. Height, whole, 48.3 cm, circa 1798 to circa 1805. Neoclassical. Production Note: This is a rare example of a clock showing the time in decimal units as introduced by the French Revolutionary Government in 1793.

Image data

Accession Number: M/F.4-1943
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/32.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H3DII-31
Photographer name: Amy Jugg
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 769 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
Filesize: 498.06kB
Exposure time: 1/60
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 32/1

Key words

18th Century brass chapter ring clock columns decimal Destigny dial dial plate enamel entablature French French Revolution gilded gilding mahoghany movement neo-classical Neoclassical pendulum Pierre Daniel Destigny pine plinth revolutions steel table clock timepiece veneer veneered watch wood

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "Decimal clock, by Pierre Daniel Destigny"
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            University of Cambridge}}

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