Chronometer

Object/Artifact

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Chronometer

Entry/Object ID

2009.24.1

Description

Marine chronometer set in mahogany box with brass reinforcements, locks and handles. The chronometer is also brass.

Dimensions

Height

7-1/4 in

Width

7-1/2 in

Depth

7-1/2 in

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

First developed in the eighteenth century, the marine chronometer is a timepiece precise enough to serve as a portable time standard. They are used to accurately measure the time in a known, fixed location, such as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). By knowing the difference between local noon and the GMT, a navigator can calculate a ship's longitude using spherical trigonometry.

Label Type

Object Label

Label

Marine Chronometer, circa 1820 John Wood (Liverpool, England, active 1796-1824) mahogany, glass, brass