Polaris Mechanical Alarm Clock with Hen

The newest addition to my collection is this China Polaris mechanical alarm clock.

If you watch the video you will see that it has an animated hen figure pecking at something in tact with the TIC TOC which is cool. I think so anyway.

It also has a central seconds hand which I think is not that often found on mechanical alarm clocks.

It was sold as new where I bought it locally but I believe it must be NOS. 

Overall, I am very pleased, especially so considering it cost me the equivalent of only under 10 dead presidents.

I had to tighten the legs and to tighten the screw on the bell stopper thing on top which was loose and getting in the way of the hammer (can be seen in video) but other than that so far so good.

Maybe I will make some pictures later and post them in this post which will be my main entry on this alarm clock.

I also did some internet digging to verify the name of the company which was new to me but which is real and long established (since 1915) - the Yantai Polaris Watch Factory.

Chinese watch wiki has some info on it - Yantai Polaris Watch Factory.

The manufacturer's site is here in Chinese. But no such alarm clocks anymore.

Also mentioned it on WUS - Polaris mech alarm clock with hen.

And started a thread on the Russian watch forum - Китайский будильник Polaris.

UPDATE: power reserve on full winding is about 55 hours - more than two days. 

Using Chrono Telemeter Function on SpaceX Explosion

About a week ago a Space X vehicle exploded at launch pad.

Out of curiosity I decided to use the telemeter function of my Okean 3133 Final Edition chronograph to get the distance from the event to the camera.

I describe both the chronograph and the telemeter function in this video.

Well, it gave me a rather precise figure of 2 km 150 m.

That is the distance between the event (launch pad) and the camera.

So now you know.

CORRECTION (Sept 22, 2016): It just might be (IT IS!) that the telemeter scale on this watch is graduated not in kilometers but in nautical miles (after all, the watch is called OCEAN).

If so, the distance will be closer to 4 km (2 miles and 1.5 cable lengths).

P.S. The telemeter function on a mechanical chronograph works as follows.

The dial has a specially graduated scale called the Telemeter scale.

When you SEE an event (space x explosion) you push the chrono start button (pusher) when you HEAR the event you hit STOP, after which the chronograph hand (red central hand) shows you on the telemeter scale the distance to the event.

Of course it's based on the fact that the speeds of light and sound in the atmosphere are known as is the difference between them.

Strela 3133 mechanical chrono - far the days come by letter box