As they say – big is beautiful. The above pictured Steampunk clock christened aptly as the Grand Master, measures a whopping 6-ft tall x 5-ft wide. And, like we mentioned before, it is not only the size but the craftsmanship accentuated by this size that really holds our fancy.
Designed by Art Donovan, the astronomical kinetic clock took more than three months to build. This really comes as no surprise, as the humongous Grand Master features hand machined brass bolts, a massive mahogany body and a conspicuously back-lit Moon Clock in the middle (with hand painted phases of the Moon). All of these are complemented by moving gas flame bulbs and hidden lights at the top section (the crown), that even succeeds in illuminating the ceiling.
Now, as we can see from the images, there are two separate clockworks on the right side. They are calibrated in astronomical denominations, with the top one having increments of the time taken by the moon’s light to reach earth (1.25 seconds), and the lower one having increments of the time taken by sun’s light to reach earth (8.3 minutes).
The Grand Master also boasts of its artistic merit in a grandiose scale, with its back side exhibiting a gorgeous hand painted moon. Supposedly inspired by NASA images, the celestial body was painted with translucent dyes, while its craters were painstakingly hand carved on a fiber glass surface.
Finally, the Grand Master astronomical clock incorporates twin 41-inch diameter convex lenses that cover both the front and back facades. And as a parting shot of magnificence, the gimbals and round bezel are painted in zinc gray, accompanied by the crown in matte black.
Via: DonovanDesign
