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Saddle watch and pedometer
Gout, Ralph - Enlarge image
Saddle watch and pedometer
- Place of origin:
London, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1800 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Gout, Ralph (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Gilt base metal case, with enamelled and gilt base metal mount
- Museum number:
6954-1860
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 118e, case 8
Object Type
A pedometer - which can be worn or carried by a person or an animal - counts the number of steps taken (Latin 'pes' means a foot), and uses this to provide an estimate of the distance travelled.
People
Ralph Gout was active as a wholesale watchmaker in the parish of St Luke's, Old Street, on the edge of the City of London, from about 1770 to 1829.
Technology
The word 'PATENT', which is engraved on the top plate of the movement, refers to the patent (no. 2351) obtained by Ralph Gout for improvements to the design of pedometers in 1799. In this saddle watch and pedometer, the movement of the horse causes the watch and outer case to jerk up and down, making the chain pull on the pedometer mechanism each time, and record the number of paces. The small dial on the right counts up to ten paces, the dial on the left 0-100 paces. The perimeter of the main dial is calibrated with 0-10,000 paces The top dial shows the time.
