<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/PBSifQowOws?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/PBSifQowOws?version=3&amp;hl=en_US</a>]]>Video TranscriptThere's all kinds of unusual clocks out there. Most of what we've looked at, basically have a face and hands, that indicate the time in a traditional manner, and don't do much else, except maybe some striking, but timepieces were used for many other purposes too, where you wanted to time things in a specific way, or have some additional features on a clock, that wouldn't be on an ordinary clock. We can look here. This is a Pigeon Race Timer, so when you were racing your pigeons, the pigeons would have a band on their leg. When the pigeon returned, the band would be dropped into here.
Later on, you could see the band's position, and note the time that the pigeon returned, and that way, you see who won the pigeon race. Chess timers, two clocks here. As you started to make your move, you would press that when it was your turn. When you stopped, you would press the other side, so that each chess player had the same amount of time to play. This is actually a Waltham. This is a gas light clock, where this clock would be affixed to the gas fixture of your gaslight at home, and the light would shine through the milk glass face, to show you the time at night.
You can see that glass is cracked, like almost all of them are, from the heat of the gas flame. This is an English Reminder Clock. Not only does it tell the time, but if you wanted to, let's say wake up at a certain time. Here's our nice label explaining it all, but you would take this ivory tab, perhaps write on here, take pill. Put it in the time you wanted to take it, say if this were two o'clock. This rotates as the clock runs. At two o'clock, our tab drops through, falls into here, lowers this down, and a bell rings, at which time you read it, and say, oh yes, take pill, and you're ready to start it again. Finally, our Orrery Clock.
This is both an annular clock, indicating the time on horizontal dials, and there are many French clocks, particularly of that style, but this adds a whole orrery system up here, where you actually see the sun, and several of the planets, including the Earth with it's moon, which rotate also, as the clock is running, so if you want to do more than just tell the time,or perhaps just tell the time and know the date. There are many versions of timekeepers that are a lot of fun to own, and to watch.
Read more: Antique Clock Collecting: Unique Clocks & Timers | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/video_4975701_antique-clock-collecting-unique-clocks.html#ixzz1ZYWzMh56
