Simply Abu Dhabi XIII

T he pendulum of Galileo Galilei – the “measurer of time” – marked a turning point in horology and opened the doors of the modern era. It now beats again, thanks to Officine Panerai and its new Pendulum Clock. This is a faithful reproduction of the instrument designed by Galileo, whose discovery in the 17th century enabled clocks to progress from an error of several minutes per day to one of just a few seconds. His escape wheel design is recognised as the first free escapement, and the Pendulum Clock therefore represents an operation of exceptional historic importance and technical mastery. The remarkable new Pendulum Clock is based on the model made by the Florentine clockmaker Eustachio Porcellotti in 1887, from an original drawing by Galileo. The frame consists of two main plates, which are made not of iron, as in the original model and Porcellotti’s, but of brass, plated with nickel-palladium, and they are joined by crosspieces at the top and the bottom fixed in the traditional way by taper pins. Between the base and the dial is the spring barrel, the drum of which contains a spring 4.10 metres long that powers the clock for eight days. Higher up is the dial with Roman numerals, like that of the 1887 model, with black-lacquered hands. The wheels with their hand-finished teeth, the bezel surrounding the dial, the spring barrel and other details are all gold plated. The fundamental part of the clock is the regulating pendulum and escapement designed by Galileo. This consists of an escape wheel with 12 pins fitted to its side and 12 teeth cut in its perimeter, and three levers. While the wheel is in its stopped phase, the pendulum is completely free from any contact with it, and for this reason the device is called a “free escapement”. The Pendulum Clock is mounted on a mahogany base, with a hinged plate on the front on which the name of the model is engraved; underneath the plate is a bubble level, indispensable since the clock must be perfectly horizontal to run accurately. The base is levelled by turning the four adjustable feet of the wooden base. Completing the Pendulum Clock is a glass case, with a black-lacquered aluminium frame and a door at the front enabling the clock to be wound and its hands to be set. The Panerai Pendulum Clock is made in 30 numbered units, sold only in the Officine Panerai boutiques around the world. GALILEOGALILEI’S PENDULUMCLOCK