Rome RM1336 Polished Brass 18-Inch Diameter Armillary Sundial

This is a quality piece. Heavy and solid. I believe it is solid brass with verdigris paint overlay with some parts polished shiny. I will leave it unlacquered as my wife prefers it weathered.Took around 10 minutes to assemble. Very easy.I dont get the complaints about accuracy. If you need this to keep time you are in trouble. Get yourself a $10 timex. Besides, I find it quite heavy strapped to my wrist all day.

We loved the look of this handsome armillary sundial - substantial in size, commanding in appearance. Unfortunately, the 1 1/2" wide brass band did NOT arrive connected to the time band (as identified in the instructions). Additionally, the band was badly bent and torqued. Fortunately, my husband had the tools to remedy the situation, but it would have been a return for anyone else.

This is a preliminary review, so I'll update after more usage.(Warning. "Damp rated" by manufacturer means this dial is not weatherproof. It is meant for covered locations! Why you'd want to put a sundial in the shade is an unanswerable question. Some reviewers say it's holding up fine outdoors. I plan to spray a sealant on mine to reduce the inevitable weathering.)1. As stated in other reviews, assembly instructions are overly brief. But using the on-line picture as a guide, you should have no problem getting it put together. Use the instructions for sequence of assembly. A clear picture is worth more than the few words of instructions.2. Two assembly suggestions: Make sure the hour band is oriented properly, with the "I, II, III" to your right as you view it. The other band, swiveled at right angles to the hour band with a hole for the arrow, will also only fit correctly in one orientation. Try both before deciding which is correct.3. The hour ring on mine appears somewhat oval instead of circular shape. I'll report later if /how this affect accuracy4 Ideally, when adjusting the "aim" of the arrow, it should point due north and upward from the horizontal at an angle equal to your location's latitude. For example, Indianapolis is at about 40 degrees north latitude, so you'd point the arrow 5 degrees below the halfway 45 degree position. It's easy to adjust this with the decorative set screw at the base.5. Sun time varies from Standard or Daylight time throughout the year, but there are apps (or tables if you like to avoid smart phones) that give you the correction factor for your location and time zone. (That correction factor is based on "The Equation of Time" and your angular distance from the center of your time zone.)6. I wish there was some kind of marker at the center of the arrow to cast a shadow on the VERTICAL ring at local noon to indicate equinoxes and solstices, which would have the marker shadow range up and down 23.5 degrees through the year. I may need to improvise something.Update 1:I epoxied a small (#8) flat washer on the arrow shaft, centered exactly between the top and bottom of the hour arc. At local solar noon, the shadow of that washer (an oval shape) projects on the vertical ring and indicates the travel of the Sun above and below the equator throughout the year. That range should be 23 1/2 degrees above (after autumnal equinox) or below (after vernal equinox) the 12:00 screw-- maximum at the solstices, and directly on the screw at the equinoxes. On the 14 inch diameter of the vertical arc, 23 1/2 degrees translates to a travel of 2.87 inches.If your solar time is off after orienting the sundial properly, wait for local solar noon and get it to read XII by pushing down on either the left or right end of the hour arc. There is play in the construction that allows the rings to wobble a bit. Although this item is mainly decorative, it can approximate solar time.Update 2:4 stars...5 for the lawn ornament, 3 for the timekeeping. I hope the sealer I sprayed on keeps the nice green and shiny brass looking as they do new. The construction is not conducive to keeping accurate sun time, however. One positive feature is the ability to adjust the angle of the arrow...not all decorative dials do that. Not sturdy enough (it pivots on the XI hour tichtened screw, and rocks on the tightened star-shaped set screw on the base). The hour arc needs to be circular, but at least mine has an oval shape that distorts the shadow projection onto the correct hour mark. It's iron so can't be bent back into a rounder arc. Finally, the arrow is not centered correctly within the hour arc. All these flaws keep it from being an accurate sundial.Update 3: To minimize time errors, try to keep the vertical arc perpendicular to the base. The set screw tends to tilt it away from vertical. I used a shim on the right side of the base's slot to keep it from tilting in that direction. Also, try to assemble the hour arc perpendicular to the arrow, and use a lock washer on the screw at XII O'Clock to keep it there. I went even further and inserted more washers between the hour arc and the brass arc to squeeze it and keep the brass screws flush with the inside of the hour arc. I even wired the ends of the hour arc closer together to get closer to a circle than an oval. It now stays wihin a minute or two of solar time until later afternoon when it wanders by about 15 minutes. (My setup doesn't show early morning Sun)Final Update: Tweaking now shows solar time within about 5 minutes...sometimes early, sometimes late. The non-circular hour arc and free play in the set screw on the vertical arc limit any better accuracy. The primary factor limiting better accuracy, however, is that the arrow's axis is not perfectly centered, but sits too low in the hour arc. That means its shadow is closer to the center "XII" both approaching and receding, translating into a later time reading in the morning and an ealier one in the afternoon.One Year Later: Several coats of clear sealant last summer have kept the brass shiny. The painted areas appear more blue than green now, but generally survived the 4 seasons well. I put another coat of clear on this month.

Great looking sundial for your garden. It does come disassembled and the instructions were written by a minimalist. So be prepared to read between the lines. One brass screw was about an inch longer than needed.I purchased this item in conjunction with the Rome B19 column. The sundial and column are designed to be compatible with one another and come with the necessary mounting hardware.If you are looking for a sundial that is accurate to within ten minutes, then you'll need to look elsewhere. I'd say that this one is good to within 15 to 20 minutes for most of the day.

I contacted the supposed manufacturer to order a base and found out it was a counterfeit, but not badly done

Excellent item, very substantial and nicely finished. Not difficult to put together, but it would be easier if the item were shipped with an illistration of the assembled armillary. It looks great in a newly landscaped ornamental garden. This and a heavy cast iron base were shipped together and arrived ahead of schedule. The exterior box was damamaged, but the contents were fine.

If you are thinking of purchasing this item be aware that this item is not **POLISHED BRASS** 98% is green distressed. The title is misleading and I returned mine to Amazon. Just be aware. OK?

We had one of these for 20 years, until it was stolen from our front yard. This one is exactly the same as the one we bought and put together 20 years ago, so I know it will last. The 1" brass screw that is supposed to attach the time band to the 3/4 arc band was too big for the hole drilled through the numeral XII, so in the middle of assembly, we had to run out and buy a #10 1" brass screw and nut to replace the supplied #14 brass screw and nut.I drilled 3 holes through the base so that I could mount the armillary on a concrete pedestal. I drilled into the pedestal and used masonry screws to attach it to the pedestal. Once mounted, I used spray lacquer to protect the brass finish. That's something I had to do yearly with the old one and will have to do so with this one.Once it was mounted, we calibrated it using our known latitude, length of sides and some rudimentary trigonometry and oriented it with a compass. (No protractor to give us the angle of the arrow to the base!).Rome could have easily supplied the correct screw and printed a protractor on the back side of the instruction sheet. (I suppose I could have found one and printed one, but for $235, they could have shipped a plastic protractor!) They didn't, so I dinged them 2 stars for ease of assembly. Accuracy is 10 to 15 minutes off early and late in the day, but is pretty good the closer the sun is to zenith, so I only dinged them 1 star for accuracy.It is gorgeous, it is sturdy and I hope that this one lasts for 20 years.