Lot 60

Karl Satori

A remarkable and very rare Vienna precision pendulum clock with electromagnetic winding mechanism via mercury switch and "upside down" spring impulse escapement according to Strasser - with Invar pendulum no. 127 "Patent Satori Wien"

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The strikingly elegant case with faceted glass panels is more than 1.7 m high, which is quite enormous for a wall clock; likewise, the dial has a large diameter of 30 cm and the solid screws for adjusting the case are much bigger than usual. Case, movement and dial are in excellent original condition. This is the first time this clock appears on the market; it has a close connection to Karl Satoris through his friend Carl Martin, president of the ÖVSV (Österreichischer Versuchssenderverband = Austrian Amateur Radio Society) from 1932 to 1936. Carl Martin was born on December 25, 1897 and died on October 31, 1945. He learned his craft as a k.&k. navy radio operator, however, his interest as vice president of the International Radio Club was initially focussed on broadcasting and he became a founding member of the ÖVSV initialised by Franz Anderle.

Karl Satori was born on June 22, 1871 in Marmoros-Szigeth in Hungary. He moved to Vienna as a young man and turned his interest to technology and physics. After completing his studies, he was employed as an engineer by the international utility company and was soon taken over by the Vienna utility company, where he built a new laboratory. In 1912 he founded the workshop for precision mechanics and clockmaking. Satori worked many years for the Vienna university observatory as a clockmaker and engineer. Even at a young age Satori was very interested in the technological aspects of physics and began collecting fine physical machines and instruments; later this collection enabled him to do in-house research and testing for his developmental work. His field of activity incorporated most areas of contemporary technical physics, in particular photometry and photography, x-ray and fluorescent colour technologies and low current systems; later he added radio engineering, meteorology, astronomy and timekeeping. His workshop produced among other things spectographs, micrometers, special oculars and parallactic mountings for astronomical telescopes; also over 100 precision pendulum clocks and complete time systems for use in observatories and geodesic institutes worldwide. The engineer Satori came up with countless improvements and novelties - to name but a few, a star micrometer, a particular ocular, an automated timer, a synchroniser for telescope power units and of course there are his horological innovations - his quartz pendulum and his electrically powered pendulum. In 1906 Satori set up the time service for the Urania Observatory in Vienna. For everyone connected to the telephone system in Vienna, the Urania signal stood for exact time. After the war he rebuilt the destroyed time service; although the system was renewed, the main features of the 40 year old system remained unchanged. Satori was one of the founding members of Urania in Vienna. He was also a member of a number of other associations such as the union of engineers and architects, the electro-technology association and the astronomical society in Vienna. He was also a member of the watch- and clockmaker’s guild and trained clockmakers and precision engineers in his workshop.
For many years his residence in Grinzing was a meeting point for most leading experts in his field.
Karl Satori passed away on March 8, 1954 after a short and severe illness in his 83rd year.
Source: watch-wiki