Fine, very rare, and historically important French Revolutionary decimal time - standard
time antique pocket watch circa 1793.
Whte enamel dial (minor chip at winding hole) with dials for decimal and standard
time to comply with the new law and also display time with the familiar 12 hour dial.
Plain polish gilt case. Verge and fusee movement with delicately pierced and
ebgraved balance cock.
After the French Revolution, the French Revolutionary Calendar (or Republican Calendar)
was officially adopted on October 24, 1793. The 24-hour day was divided into ten hours,
each having 100 minutes, and each minute having 100 seconds. Like the Metric
system, the new calendar was one of the many reforms undertaken by the National
Convention. The traditional way of telling time was so deeply ingrained in
the minds of the people that the new timekeeping system was
impossible to enforce. It was quickly suspended on April 17, 1795.
Since this decimal system was in use for less than 18 months, relatively few decimal
timepieces were ever produced, and many were lost or converted which is why
they are so rare.