Tide Clock Instructions

These instructions from the manufacturer of the clock movement


Setting the Time/Tide clock

When set correctly at HIGH TIDE on the day of the full moon, the tide movement will display minimum variation (error) throughout the entire month.  Usually any discrepancy will be less than 30 minutes.  Typically only 4 or 5 days each month will have a variance as great as one hour.

Move the hands to display the time of the last high tide.  Now set the red tide indicator straight up (High Tide).  Now, move the minute hand around to the current time.  As you do, the tide indicator will move the appropriate distance.

More Information about tides:
Inaccuracies are not because of the movement itself.  It is the assumption on which the movement was based, which is that the moon (and only the moon) controls the tides.  However, it is this assumption that allows the tide and time movement to be used by people all over the world.  The moon is one of the main contributing factors to the cause of high tides and low tides.  The “Lunar Day”, or the time between two rising moons, is 24 hours and 50 minutes.  The tides rise and fall twice in the time between two rising moons (or two evenings).  This rise and fall is regulated by the moon’s gravity.  When water is at “low tide”, it rises gradually for about 6 hours until it reaches “high tide”.    It then falls gradually for about 6 hours until it reaches “low tide” again.

There are other important influences to note when observing tides with your movement.  The sun, for example, will have half the influence of the moon.  When the sun, moon and earth are aligned, their influences combine to create a higher tide than normal, as well as a lower tide than normal.  When the sun and moon are at right angles (during the first and last quarter moons) the sun cancels some of the moon’s effects and the range of the tide is smaller than normal.  Also during the first and last quarter moons, the sun may affect the times of the tides, making tides somewhat earlier or later than normal.  This is why, for the most accurate readings, you should set the tide movement on the day of the full moon, as the movement assumes that the moon is the dominating effect.

To find current tide charts, click the link below:

Find Your Tides