Hi Mario,

The oldest "Ivory Diptych" or 'tablet dial' from Nuremburg that I am aware
of was made by Lienhart Gresel in 1531.  There were earlier ones made of
wood some time in the 1480's.

I found this information in a book about the sundial collection of Harvard
University  (Cambridge MA, USA).
The book is called "Ivory Diptych Sundials, 1570-1750".
 It is a "Catalogue of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments,
Harvard University".  Published 1992.
 Harvard has 82 iIvory diptych (tablet) sundials.
The book is distributed by the Harvard University Press.

(I found your answer on page 35).

It is a wonderful book that gives you a real feeling for just how these
dials were used and describes the different types of hours used, the dial
furniture and so on.  What surprised me the most was the fact that they
could also use the moon to tell time at night. 

I hope this helps! 

Chuck O'Connell
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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