Atmos clock how does it work

When the temperature drops, the pressure that has built up is released. This causes the expansion chamber to contract. The contraction of the chamber causes slack in the spring counterweight.

What makes the Atmos clock unique, setting it apart from other timepieces is the innovative power source. It requires temperature variations to generate the energy that is necessary to run the clock.

So long as the sun is shining, the balance continues to oscillate. It builds up pressure in the spring during warmer parts of the day. The Atmos clock does not stop running when the sun goes down, however. When the temperature falls and the expansion chamber contracts, the slack in the spring creates a motion that is small but it is enough to wind up the Atmos and continue its ability to keep time accurately.

The process is the equivalent of winding a watch. The glass housing of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos makes it a most attractive addition to any decor. When you look at a drawing of the components and the explanation of how it works, working knowledge of clock components and how they work is helpful to fully understand the entire process.

It was considered to be quite innovative in its day. Jaeger-LeCoultre offers a more detailed explanation of the inner workings of the Atmos. Behind the movement is an airtight capsule which is also the expansion chamber. It is filled with a blend of gases including ethyl chloride C2H5CI.

The process of expansion and contractions are like an accordion gusset as the temperatures change. Whether you have an Atmos clock, grandfather clock, or antique timepiece, they have the knowledge, materials, and tools needed to ensure everything is serviced and returned to working order.

To learn more about in-home grandfather clock repair and other services, visit them online , and call today to schedule a consultation. By Tic Toc Shop. What Makes an Atmos Clock Tick? Discover Jaeger-LeCoultre online services. Within the airtight capsule, behind the movement, a gaseous blend ethyl chloride C2H5CI expands and contracts like an accordion gusset with any change in temperature.

When the temperature rises, the gas expands, which in turn expands the capsule. When the temperature falls, the gas contracts, which in turn reduces the size of the capsule.

Each time the capsule changes, it activates a small chain, which winds the clock. The genius of the system lies in its extreme sensitivity. To achieve such a feat, the clock must operate in total stability, with almost a complete lack of friction. For the many models housed within transparent cabinets the Atmos Classique, the Atmos by Marc Newson, etc.

Its gusset expands and contracts slowly in an imperceptible movement. The balance wheel offers a spectacle, which slowly turns. It performs a single oscillation per minute, which is 60 times less than a standard clock, or 14, times less than a wristwatch!

The balance wheel is suspended by a very long, flat, and extremely slender wire, which is hung from the top of the clock. The twisting of the wire is enough to successively hold and lead the balance wheel in one direction and then the other. This glass tube was fitted into the metal bellows that powered the clock.

Inside it, gas and liquid expanded and contracted with the minuscule temperature and pressure changes that occur commonly in a room, thus supplying power to constantly wind the mainspring. Reutter, who was a trained engineer but not a watchmaker, had been struggling on both fronts. The so-called Atmos 2, in which LeCoultre replaced the mercury in the capsule with a more stable, saturated gas called ethyl chloride, was released in These early models were plagued with technical issues, so full production did not begin until In the interim, specifically in , Jaeger and LeCoultre merged their companies into the firm we know today, thus ensuring the Atmos clock would be known henceforth as a Jaeger-LeCoultre product.

He figured out how to perfectly seal the clock so it was totally airtight, which was necessary for the movement to function properly. Finally, LeCoultre had to fully redesign the movement itself and industrialize its production.

Whenever a President, a Pope, or a famous actor made an official visit to Switzerland, they would receive one because it was the symbol of Swiss clockmaking and savoir faire. In more recent years, some of the clocks have gotten more technically as well as artistically ambitious.

The air-powered Caliber inside the clock drives a regulator-style display for hours and minutes, a hour and month indication, and a perpetual moon-phase that is said to be accurate for 3, years; the cabinet comes from the Parisian atelier Maonia, a specialist in straw marquetry.

The process, for which only a handful of master glassmakers possess the knowledge and expertise, involves layers of glass being coated on top of one another, including a top colored layer, then cutting away the top layers without touching the lowest ones.