Technabob » cams http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Geek Stuff Sun, 27 May 2012 15:00:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Time Writing Machine: by the Time You Know What Time It is, Another Minute has Passed http://technabob.com/blog/2009/04/26/time-writing-machine-by-jaquet-droz/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/04/26/time-writing-machine-by-jaquet-droz/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:50:23 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=12013 La Machine …]]> This amazing mechanical gizmo is actually a very complex timepiece that tells time not with hands, LEDs or LCDs, but by actually writing the time on a piece of paper.

jaquet droz clock

Created by the horological artisans of Switzerland’s Jaquet Droz, this analog clock is a true thing of wonder. La Machine à Ecrire le Temps (The Machine that Writes the Time) took thousands of hours of hand and machine craftsmanship over nearly a decade to build.

jaquet droz clock mechanism

The clock uses over 1200 mechanical components to work its magic including 84 ball bearings, 50 cames and 9 belts. Crafted primarily from metal, the unusual clock is hand-wound and then activated by a single touch.

jaquet droz writing clock

And if you don’t believe how truly amazing this mechanical contraption is, check out this video of the clock in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And now that they know how to make one, they’d be happy to create one (of a limited edition of 28) for the low, low price of 400,000 Swiss Francs (appx. $351,000 USD). So mortgage the house, pawn the Bentley, sell some internal organs on the black market, and place your order now.

[Jaquet Droz via BornRich via The Awesomer]

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