Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné (1707-1778) was able to tell the time to within five minutes using his famous flower clock. He took advantage of the fact that every plant opens and closes its flowers at specific times. Sunlight is the decisive factor that synchronises the flowers' internal clock with solar time.
The Hora Floris sundial (Latin: hour of the flower) shows the solar time – the only time by which plants live. Inside the Hora Floris is Linnaeus' flower clock. A charming interplay between two natural clocks that together follow the natural course of the sun!
The multicoloured decoration is fired into the glaze at 800°C. Only full-tone ceramic colours are used, which are applied using a screen printing process.
High-quality horizontal sundial:
- Thuringian hard porcelain with white glaze
- Dial with black lettering
- Ball and removable shadow casters made of finely turned stainless steel
- Three rubber feet for stability
- Compass for north alignment
The word "hora" comes from Latin and means "hour" or "time of day". A fitting name for this horizontal sundial, as this design was the first instrument in human history to measure the time of day. The use of a shadow stick stuck in the ground has been documented in China as early as 2,500 BC. The time of day can be estimated from the length of the shadow.
The "clockwise" direction was also copied from the horizontal sundial. This is because the hands of wheel clocks, which were invented in the 14th century in the northern hemisphere, run clockwise, just like the shadow of the horizontal sundial.
The material used by Helios for Hora also dates back to the Chinese: the clock face of the sundial is made of porcelain. The Venetian Marco Polo brought it from China to Europe around 1300, but it was not until 1708, after many failed attempts, that the first European hard porcelain was produced in Dresden. The hexagon of the valuable material is associated with "white gold", the dream of European kings and princes that still echoes today.
The Rudolf Kämmer porcelain factory in Rudolstadt has been dedicated to the handcrafted production of high-quality porcelain art for over 100 years. Helios was able to win over the Thuringian family business to cast the clock face of the Hora from porcelain. Despite its simple design, manufacturing the clock face with the required precision and quality is by no means trivial, as the sundial must ultimately display the time accurately and meet high aesthetic standards.
The printed sundial scale is baked into the glaze to make it weather-resistant. The central hemisphere made of stainless steel catches the shadow at the angle of the latitude. The sundial stands on three rubber feet and can be placed on a sunny windowsill or outdoors all year round.
The Hora sundial benefits from the excellent properties of porcelain, such as its scratch-resistant, waterproof surface and outstanding weather and frost resistance.
The oldest timepiece known to mankind, featuring elegant design and precision craftsmanship – these are the sundials from Helios.
