The ‘Time Globe’ – Invented by Louis P. Juvet of Glens Falls

            Advertised as “the only instrument that illustrates the difference in time between any two or more places,” a ‘time globe’ invented by a Warren County man was exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876.  The inventor was the Louis P. Juvet, a Swiss immigrant who conducted a jewelry store business in Glens Falls for many years.

            Juvet’s store was located in what is now City Park.  The building was owned by Henry Crandall and the city’s first library was on the second floor above Juvet’s shop.

            The Juvet ‘time globe’ was an ornate contrivance mounted on an elaborate four-legged base.  “The time globe,” said an advertisement on the back of an old photograph, “is a miniature representation of the Earth in position and daily motion; an instrument at once scientific and simple.  The globe, 12, 18, or 30 inches in diameter, is revolved once in 24 hours upon its own axis by means of a chronometer works located in its interior.  It gives local time on a dial above the North Pole, and the time of any or all parts of the world at a glance on the equatorial zone.

            “It shows at all times the position of different parts of the Earth, with reference to mid-day, midnight, morning or evening twilight, and by simple computation the exact size of any country on the globe as it passes the meridian ring and equatorial dial.

            “It is the only instrument that illustrates the difference in time between any two or more places.  It can without injury be put in sidereal position or placed horizontally to be used as a clock.  All parts of the surface can be readily examined.  The globe is made of a new material as strong as steel, light as cork, and unaffected by the atmospheric influences.

            “The map surface has all the latest geographical discoveries and political changes, the isothermal lines, the ocean currents, etc.  The works are simple, but unexcelled, and easily adjusted by any mechanic.”

                  In 1880 Scientific American, enthusiastically recommended Louis P. Juvet’s time globe to its readers. It was, the magazine found, “a fit ornament for any library, a valuable adjunct in every business office, and a necessity in every institution of learning.” The clockwork-driven globe was undeniably useful for studying geography, determining world time, and illustrating the rotation of the earth. The basis of its appeal, however, was even broader. Prominently displayed in the parlors and drawing rooms of Gilded Age America, the elegant time globe clearly demonstrated the wealth and culture of its owner. (Source:  the internet)

            Juvet made the first time globe around 1867.  The first time globes were produced in Connecticut, but in time (circa 1879), Juvet had a business partner, a James Arkell, who produced the time globes in Canajoharie, New York.  In 1886, a fire destroyed the factory and production ceased.  Today you can find one of Juvet’s time globes in the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, connected to the library.

The manuscript for this article was found in the Warren County Historian’s office.  It was updated and added to by Stan Cianfarano, Warren County Historian, for the Warren County Historical Society.