Pocket watch. Renaissance. Germany

This is a pocket watch with an astrolabe in a round metal
box with a handle on the side. The outer lid covering the mechanism is convex
in shape. The clock’s dial is made of several silver and bronze plated metal
plates, placed one atop another. The complete hour numbers are engraved on the
edges of bottom plate in Roman numerals (I-XII and I-XII), while the 24 circles
on its brim help determine the time in the dark. In the middle of the plate
there is a network of the sky’s hemisphere with the captions “horizo”, “ho ri”, “obliqus rectus”, with declination tags (10-70) and the astronomical time
scale again (in Arabic numerals 1-12 and in Roman numerals I-XII).

The days of the moon’s phases are engraved on the copper
plate in Arabic numeral (1-29). On the traverse of this same plate is the
caption “Al index hida”, numerals (10-40; 10-20), and part of a letter from the
signs of the Zodiac, “da”.

On the top plate are the months and days (every 10 days):
“Januarius 10-20-31; februarius 10-20-28; martius 10-20-31; aprils 10-20-30;
maius 10-20-31; iunius 10-20-30; iulius 10-20-31; augustus 10-20-31; september
10-20-30; october 10-20-31; november 10-20-30; december 10-20-31”. In th centre
are the signs of the Zodiac and tags for the phases of the moon every 10 days
(10-20-30).

There are two hands: one
for the hours, another for the days of the month. The mechanism no longer
functions. The bronze plate covering the mechanism is decorated with azure
floral ornaments, based on the letters SS.