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19 January 2012
The Antikythera mechanism was discovered by a Greek sponge diver in a wreck on the Mediterranean sea bed in 1901.
The fragments of this machine were analysed in depth, taking a multidisciplinary approach, only at the beginning of this century. It is now clear that this “astronomical instrument” dates from the 2nd century BC. A genuine cosmograph (a machine to describe the cosmos), or more precisely, a selenograph (a machine to describe the movements of the Moon), the Antikythera mechanism was highly accurate and could show multiple astronomical cycles, including the Metonic cycle (named after the Greek astronomer Meton, the Saros cycle (223 lunar months, or just over 18 years) as well as the Exeligmos cycle (equivalent to three Saros cycles, or 54 years).
The gurus at Hublot created their own unique Antikythera watch. To do so, the designers had to create in a few cubic centimetres what the mechanical engineers of antiquity had developed over several hundreds of cubic centimetres, ensuring their creation was perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the original mechanism, both in terms of its accuracy and the legibility of its indications.
Watch an eight minute film about this amazing timepiece...
Read more about Hublot's Antikythera watch in the February 2012 issue of Popular Mechanics - on sale on 23 January.
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