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Object Overview
This Orbital Barometer, dating to around 1950, by the renowned French instrument maker Jules Richard, is an object in which mid-20th-century French techno-modernism brought together science, aviation, and the dream of space into a single, futuristic composition. It belongs to the era of jet aircraft, altitude records, the first rockets, and the dawn of the space age. The barometer itself appears like a navigational instrument from an aircraft cockpit or an early satellite—an impression the manufacturer clearly sought to emphasize.
The case of the barometer takes the form of an almost perfect sphere—a shape that, in the mid-20th century, became a visual code for science and the future. The sphere evokes planets, orbits, gyroscopes, and navigational instruments. Here it underscores the autonomy and self-contained nature of the system, as if the instrument itself were a small model of the atmosphere.
The case is composed of two equal hemispheres: the rear hemisphere is metallic, and the front hemisphere is made of transparent acrylic, serving as a viewing window.
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crank mechanism
aluminium, brass, cast iron, chrome, plastic, steel
The metal hemisphere was originally finished in a deep black—strict, technical, almost military in character. Over time and under the influence of light, this finish has faded, transforming into a rare and expressive dark orange tone, with a natural gradient ranging from a warm copper-orange at the top to an almost black shade near the base. This effect lends the object a vivid material presence, as if it had seen long service—like an aviation instrument exposed to sunlight, cockpits, and hangars. Between the two hemispheres runs a chromed band encircling the instrument along its entire circumference. It functions as the visual equator of the sphere—a clean line that emphasizes engineering precision and the division of functional zones. The entire sphere rests on a small metal stand, on which the instrument can rotate freely as a whole.
The dial is executed as a metal base coated with black industrial lacquer, bearing a stencilled golden scale and sealed beneath a multilayer transparent lacquer. This finish gives the surface a glass-like depth, reminiscent of verre églomisé.
The dial carries two interconnected barometric scales: the upper scale in centimeters of mercury, and the lower scale in millibars. Their expressive character is reinforced by the system of hands. Both the main indicating hand and the trend indicator are double, resembling the hands of a compass. The upper tip of the indicating hand points to the value on the upper scale in centimeters of mercury, while its lower tip simultaneously indicates the corresponding pressure in millibars. In this way, atmospheric pressure can be read at once in two measurement systems. The trend indicator hand is likewise double and can be used simultaneously across both scales. Visually, the two hands create the effect of intersecting rays, recalling a sighting reticle, an artificial horizon, or a course indicator.
The trend indicator is adjusted by means of a knurled gear-shaped knob positioned on the right side of the chromed band, within a specially cut recess. This element appears deliberately mechanical in character. The knob drives a second, much larger gear located directly behind the dial, which is connected to the axis of the trend indicator.
Along the outer upper arc of the dial runs a traditional textual weather indication in French. The inscription at the bottom of the dial, “Pression réduite au niveau de la mer,” indicates that the barometric scale shows pressure reduced to sea level.
In the lower part of the sphere, hidden from view, is an especially interesting movement, executed in a particular configuration to fit within the hemispherical volume. The sensitive aneroid capsule, made of nickel silver, contains a powerful internal spring of unknown form; however, a magnetic test yields a strongly positive result. Furthermore, photographs clearly show the upper and lower diaphragms of the capsule being forced apart in opposite directions, despite the absence of any external springs of the type traditionally used in aneroid constructions. The main lever transmits the motion of one wall of the aneroid capsule (the other wall being fixed to the metal base) to the main shaft. From there—most unusually—the motion is conveyed to the hand arbor via a long cylindrical helical extension spring, which is in turn connected to a short segment of fusee chain. A similar pre-loaded cylindrical extension spring may be encountered, for example, in a gym expander; such springs operate according to Hooke’s law within the elastic deformation range, possess an initial preload, and are designed for repeated cycles of extension.
This Orbital Barometer by Jules Richard is a rare example of a meteorological instrument transformed into an object of scientific imagination. It represents a highly distinctive and uncommon construction, likely produced in limited numbers. It is a model of the world compressed into a sphere—an object in which a futuristic image, embedded within French techno-modernism, speaks the language of navigation, science, and the future itself.