Porto watchmaker Marcolino helps revive unique astronomical timekeeping instrument

Historic Porto watchmaker Marcolino is marking its 100th anniversary by helping reactivate a rare scientific instrument that once played a key role in setting Portugal’s official time.

The centenary celebrations will include a special event on June 20 at the Professor Manuel de Barros Astronomical Observatory of the University of Porto, where participants will have the opportunity to set their watches using the same astronomical principles that governed timekeeping for centuries.

The initiative centres on the Observatory’s Mirror Meridian Circle, a scientific instrument of exceptional historical and scientific value that is believed to be the only operational example of its kind in the world.

The experience is part of a partnership between Marcolino and the Observatory and will be offered to customers who purchased the company’s limited-edition 100th-anniversary commemorative watch.

Participants will be able to set their timepieces by observing a star crossing the meridian — the precise moment used by astronomers to determine exact time before the advent of modern digital technologies.

“Setting a watch today seems trivial and immediate. But for centuries humanity looked to the stars as the absolute reference for measuring time,” Miguel Neves, Chief Operating Officer of Marcolino, explains.

“Bringing this experience to Marcolino’s centenary celebrations is, in a way, a return to the essence of watchmaking.”

The Mirror Meridian Circle was inaugurated in 1957 and was used for decades, alongside the Lisbon Astronomical Observatory, to help determine Portugal’s official time.

Designed to measure with great precision the passage of stars across the meridian, the instrument represents a rare intersection of astronomy, engineering and horology.

According to the University of Porto, only two other examples of the instrument exist worldwide. Following an extensive restoration programme carried out over the past decade, the Porto instrument is now the only one currently operational.

The Observatory’s director, Professor José Luís Santos, said the initiative reconnects visitors with a centuries-old scientific tradition.

“Determining the time through astronomical observation is a process that combines science, precision and knowledge accumulated over centuries,” he said. “This initiative allows us to reactivate that historic connection between the sky and the measurement of time.”

The event highlights both Marcolino’s century-long contribution to Portuguese watchmaking and the preservation of one of Portugal’s most significant scientific heritage assets.

Source material: Executive Digest

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.