A very rare watch by the talented Danish watchmakers Svante Elis Strömgren, Jens Olsen, and Cornelius Knudsen. The first two obtained Danish patent No. 22822 of February 11, 1918, for their invention.Bibliography: Jendritzky, Hans and Dittrich, Herbert, "Eine Sternzeituhr "Patent Strömgren og Olsen", Klassik Uhren, January 1995, p. 56, and February 1995, p. 72. Sidereal timeis the time it takes the earth to make one full revolution around its axis. Since in practice, it can be measured as the Earth's rotation with respect to distant celestial objects it is called sidereal or star time (sider = star in Latin). The sidereal day is 23 hours 56 minutes and 41 seconds. There is one more day in a sidereal year than in a solar year.The Watch GraveSome time ago, I had the visit of a VIP of the Swiss watch industry together with his charming wife. After an interesting conversation about Breguet and other great makers, and between 2 glasses of mineral water (he doesn't drink coffee or wine) he asked me: "Tell me, Professor, which is in your opinion the best Swiss watch today?" "I had no problem in answering that question. "In my view it is the Rolex and the Swatch", I replied. There was dead silence for a minute until I continued, "the Rolemay not be the most elegant watch but it is certainly the most reliable. I have crossed the Sahara four times with a Rolex in my 4 wheel-drive and I would not trust any other watch for that, believe me I have tried. As to the Swatch, it is in my opinion a masterpiece in every respect. During the period when the Swiss watch industry was on its knees, having sat on their fame thinking they were the greatest, the Swatch Company introduced overwhelming new ideas, revolutionizing the field with invetiveness, quality, design and superb management. It was definitely a wake-up call for the Swiss watch industry and God only knows how it would look today if it had not been for the Swatch." Again there was silence but I had the impression that I had made my point.While I was reminiscing about this I had a call from my good friend Jean Pierre in Bienne, Switzerland, informing me that the newspapers had announced the closure of the Ulysse Nardin Company. Knowing that I have an Ulysse Nardin ship chronometer and a few desk chronometers in my collection, he thought the news would be of interest to me. I was indeed very sad to hear that a good and highly respected Swiss watch company had come to an end. A few days later I had to go to Le Locle to see my engraer who confirmed the sad news and told me the rumor was that the company would possibly end up in Japanese hands.What a pity, I thought, and wondered whether or not this could be prevented. The idea that a piece of European history would be lost forever to the Far East filled me with sorrow.I therefore went to the Town Hall where I was quoted an astronomical figure for the purchase of what remained. They told me that the auction would take place soon and gave me a list of the inventory. They also informed me that a visit with the bailiff was planned for the next day at 11.00 a.m. and that there would be a small sale to finance the auction.When I arrived at the Ulysse Nardin manufacture the next morning there was already a group of people waiting. The bailiff let us all in and took us around. On large tables wristwatches of all kinds were laid out, large, small, gold or steel. There were also pocket watches, ship chronometers, desk chronometers and movements by the dozen. I saw boxes full of springs, levers, screws and other spare parts - my collector's heart was racing! I had never seen anything like it. On other tables there werpiles of certificates from the Neuchatel Observatory, pictures and color plates illustrating the historical importance of Ulysse Nardin, not to mention a striking collection of gold medals awarded over the years for outstanding quality. In the cellar I was stunned to see a beautiful wall regulator which they used to regulate their watches. "Is this for sale", I asked the bailiff. "No", he replied, "but some of the items placed on the tables upstairs are!" Once upstairs, the bailiff went throughthe inventory giving the prices for each item, more or less everyone bought a few things, including myself.On leaving the building a man approached me pulling a silver watch out of his pocket and asking, "Would you be interested in buying this watch?" I looked at it; it was silver cased pocket chronometer, in excellent condition, with enamel dial and center-seconds, signed "Ulysse Nardin Le Locle". While I was examining this fine piece he carried on talking and I learned that he was a former employee of Ulysse Nardin, now retired. "What you see upstairs", he said, "is only a fraction of what was housd there before. Some 40 years ago Ulysse Nardin decided to modernize the company by hiring an expert from Geneva. We had a storeroom up on the second floor where we kept movements, cases and spare parts which had accumulated over more than 100 years. I remember boxes full of wonderful minute repeating movements, quarter repeaters, and enameled watchcases. Since this expert needed space for an office and we were told to dump all these treasures into the tank outside in the garden. A truck load ofsand was later dumped into the tank over all those pieces and that was the end of it". "What a shame", I said", I just can't believe it". "Oh yes, it was like that and it is still there". You mean the tank is still there", I asked. "Sure! It's just behind the factory and probably totally overgrown with grass by now". I was bewildered. Was I going to make the discovery of my life! Could there be a treasure?! I felt like I was about to discover the cave of Ali Baba.I invited the good man for lunch, persuaded him to show me the place and we returned to the Ulysse Nardin factory, armed with spade and flashlight. Slowly we searched through the overgrown garden with our spade. All of a sudden we heard a metallic noise which was the hinged steel-door of the tank. It was heavily rusted and it took considerable strength to open. Nobody can possibly imagine how I felt when I looked down into the black opening. It was only half a meter deep. Full of excitement, I lwered myself down and searched the sand with the flashlight. Nothing! But then I saw a reflection. Carefully, like an archaeologist, I brushed the sand to the side and found a golden hinge in my hand. I carried on and found more and more, even gold bezels - but no cases. Over all these many years the cases and all the steel parts had deteriorated and vanished. Only their black contours remained in the sand. Here and there I found the remains of a nickel movement, a tool handle, and brass dials wth all the figures gone. Everything else had vanished, earth to earth, dust to dust.I felt like I was in a grave - a watch grave. I was astounded at the level of stupidity that people are capable of at times. But, in the end, I bought the silver Ulysse Nardin from the good man and we parted as friends.Ulysse Nardin (Founded in 1846)Ulysse Nardin (1823-1876), first trained by his father, Léonard-Frédéric, was apprenticed to William Dubois, one of the leading precision watchmakers of his day. It was in 1846 that Ulysse Nardin founded the famous watch manufacture at Le Locle, in the Canton of Neuchatel. The first watches made were exported to Central and South America through a Paris go-between, Lucien Dubois, who was Nardin's only customer for two years. But, by 1852 watches were exported directly to Argentina, without any Eropean intermediary. In 1860 Ulysse acquired a high precision astronomical regulator to rate his pocket chronometers. This is the well-known regulator made by Jacques-Frédéric Houriet in about 1768 and which the Ulysse Nardin company used continually. In 1905 its grid-iron pendulum was replaced by one made of Invar and it is today kept in the "Château des Monts", Le Locle.1860 saw the first exports to the U. S. A. and the maker's reputation was carried far and wide. In 1861 the company began taking part in chronometry trials, held annually by the Observatory of Neuchatel. In 1862, at the London International Exhibition, the company received the highest possible award, "The Prize Medal", in the category "Complicated watches, pocket chronometers". This award put Ulysse Nardin in the lead internationally among pocket chronometer makers. In 1867, at the Paris Universl Exhibition, Ulysse obtained a "Silver Medal" for his new pocket chronometer with split independent seconds. In 1873 he received the "Progress Medal" at the Vienna Universal Exhibition, for his pocket chronometer fitted with a new form of keyless winding without an external push-piece. In 1874 the company decided to compete in Observatory Trials with marine chronometers. Soon after, in 1876, Ulysse Nardin died and was succeeded by his only son, Paul-David (1855-1920). Later, Paul-David had fiften children, who in turn had several children, and therefore the company remained a family-run business for nearly 140 years.However, 1876 was also the year in which Paul-David Nardin obtained the "Prix d'Honneur" and the only "Gold Medal" ever awarded at the "Concours international de réglage de Genève", organized by the "Société des Arts de Genève". The company continued to flourish, receiving further prizes and honors both for pocket and marine chronometers. In 1886 the company name was changed to "Paul-D. Nardin, au Locle". In 1893 the company was honored with the "Gold Medal" at the 1893 Universal Exhibition in Cicago in commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of the landing of Christophorus Colombus in America. And, at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris, it was awarded a "First Prize" and a "Gold Medal", which the company received for the remarkable advances made thanks to the collaboration with Charles-Edouard Guillaume.From 1904 marine chronometers were supplied to both the Russian and the Japanese admiralties and Japan became one of the company's main customers. In 1905 the company name changed again, this time to "Maison Paul-D. Nardin, successeur d'Ulysse Nardin, au Locle". When Paul-David Nardin died in 1920 the family business continued under the direction of his sons, Alfred (1884-1970), Ernest (1887-1940) and Gaston (1890-1966). The company became "Ulysse Nardin S. A." when its status was changed to a "imited Liability Company" in 1922. It celebrated its centenary in 1946 and the business continued in the hands of the Nardin family until 1983.The manufacture created by Ulysse Nardin in 1846 became the largest maker of marine chronometers in Switzerland. For more than a century over 50 navies and commercial fleets relied on marine chronometers made by Ulysse Nardin to conquer the seas. Altogether, between 1846 and 1975, 10 "Gold Medals", 14 "Grand Prix" (First Prizes), the "Prize Medal" and the "Progess Medal", 2 "Prix d'Honneur" and 2 "Silver Medals" were awarded in International Exhibitions to Ulysse Nardin and his successors, honorng the company for its achievements in perfecting precision.In 1983, Ulysse Nardin S. A. was purchased by an Investment Group headed by Rolf W. Schnyder. The Ulysse Nardin company continues to be internationally recognized today, both for its glorious past and its modern productions.