Recreating a Mysterious, 2,100-Year-Old Clock

fergus07 writes "Swiss watchmaker Hublot has created a scaled-down working replica of the ancient Antikythera mechanism. The question is — why on Earth would you want to strap one of these to your wrist? It barely tells the time, and it can't take pictures, tweet or connect to your Facebook. In fact, very few people would have the faintest idea what it is, or why you'd want one at all. But for those that do recognize its intricate gears and dials, this tiny, complex piece of machinery tells a vivid and incredible tale of gigantic scientific upheaval, of adventure and shipwreck on the high seas, of war and death."

Comments

You can't have one

[Crudely_Indecent]

Per TFA:

The watch is a concept piece only, and will be presented at the Baselworld watch show in 2012.

Maybe if enough people begged, they might make a production run.

I wouldn't mind having one, but I'm not holding my breath.

Re:vanity

[The Yuckinator]

Actually, yes it does...

From TFA:

Hublot's own working replica of the Antikythera mechanism, scaled down from shoebox size to wristwatch size, and with a built in clock circuit so it can tell the time as well as make its astronomical predictions.

Re:vanity

[gstoddart]

So I can't figure out why anybody would wear a wrist watch, unless for fashion. And that makes even less sense.

Fashion is part of it. So I can tell time in meetings if there is no clock. Because it takes 2 seconds to look at my watch, and more to dig out my cell phone, so when I'm walking it comes in handy. Because there's something really beautiful about a mechanical watch with its gears exposed. Because you can get used to wearing a watch, and if you're not wearing one it can feel odd. Occasionally having an alarm comes in handy. Or a stopwatch.

Just because it doesn't make any sense to you that doesn't mean that other people don't have reasons for wearing a watch.

They also make more than one flavor of ice-cream, too.