Pocket watches are all well and good, but they have some caveats. They either need regular rewinding, or they need batteries. Sundials on the other hand need only the light from our One True Sun. [… ...

Check out Kerry Shrives’ appraisal of a French brass pocket sundial with compass, ca. 1700, in Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, Hour 1. Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on pbs.org and the free ...

No matter how bored you are these holidays, or how high/drunk from all the snaffling and quaffing of mince pies and Baileys, please don’t make this snow dome sundial/compass/ spirit level watch.

The French pocket sundial shown here has three hours scales and a gnomon whose angle can be adjusted from 30 to 55 degrees. This meant it would have worked not only in Europe but across the range ...