Edition of 760 specimens

Dividing and measuring time as it passes – man has always focussed on this by observing nature. Above all, astronomical events such as the movement of the sun and the different phases of the moon are clearly identifiable thanks to their periodical recurrence.

From these, our forefathers once developed the calculating units for year, month, day, and hour. The year with its different seasons is calculated from the orbit of the earth around the sun. The month corresponds with the movement of the moon around the earth and the change in the phases of the moon. The day results from the rotation of the earth around itself and the consequent change of day and night. In the further course of history, the sun served to divide the day into hours and minutes.

From the orbit of the moon around the earth, which lasts just under 30 days, man divided the year into twelve months. Lit by the sun, only one half of the moon is turned towards the earth. Based on the position of the moon and sun are and the relation to each other, we see varying amounts of the moon's illumination. The four phases of the moon which can be seen, new moon, first quarter moon, full moon and last quarter moon, are embossed on the cap of the Pelikan fountain pen in high relief.

In ancient times, the Babylonians and Greeks used the position of the sun in the sky and created the first sundials. A vertical shadow stick, whose shadow fell on a clock face, served to measure time. Pelikan has engraved the structure of a sundial with eleven marked hours onto the cap of the fountain pen. The twelfth hour appears as an embossed high relief in the lower part of the clip, which at the same time adopts the symbolic function of the shadow stick.

Early developed cultures liked to show the cycle of the year in pictures. Each month is represented by an activity or event adapted to a season. On the Pelikan fountain pen, a cycle from the early Middle Ages can be found. Themes such as sowing seeds, harvesting, and use of natural products characterize these early calendars or months in pictures. The seasonal vegetation cycle can also be recognized.

Today in many parts of the world the Gregorian calendar is used. Named after Pope Gregory XIII, it was adopted after numerous calendar reforms due in part to its precision and ability to accurately mark time at the end of the 16th century.