Amazing pendulums

Plaine-des-Cafres (Reunion Island) has long been plagued by its water supply. The problem was resolved in the late 1980s by harnessing the Pont du Diable spring. From Grand-Bassin to Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix through Petit-Tampon and Ligne d'Équerre, the precious liquid could at long last come pouring in. To mark the event, the Southern Municipality decided in 1988 to erect a water clock at Bois-Court, on the platform overlooking Grand-Bassin. The brainchild of Bernard Gitton, a physicist at the CNRS, this scientific curiosity has become the emblem of an entire region. Designed to withstand wind speeds of over 260 km/hour, this clepsydra was, despite everything, swept away barely one year after its inauguration by the violent hurricane Firinga.

Rebuilt in its wake, according to draconian standards of resilience, it is now supposed to withstand winds of 288 km/hr. Since its resurrection, it has been tirelessly recording the passing of time for its many admirers. Its balance distils the instant in a perpetual movement. Blue water cascades through transparent pipes to fill or empty the bulbs which mark the hours and minutes of the day according to a principle which its inventor prefers not to disclose. So that, as he explained at the time to the press, it prompts questions from everyone while leaving space for dreaming and the imagination. And it should be recognised that mystery works like a clock. This clock was sold in February 2003 by Antiquorum of Geneva.