Nevertheless, to get to this standardization, it had to go through several stages unknown to many Chileans that we describe as follows:

1884: Commander Francisco Vidal Gormaz graduated, Hydrographic Office's Director is appointed, by the Supreme Government, to represent Chile in the first Meridian Conference held in October of that year in Washington, to discuss and agree on a single meridian internationally accepted, which should be used as common zero of longitudes and norm for time calculation in the globe and thus, determine the universal time.

1894: On March 1st begins to operate in Valparaiso the first time signal (mean time of the place) at the façade of the ex-Escuela Naval, which today corresponds to the Naval and Maritime Museum. It consisted of a black ball released to slide down a mast, from 5 meters high, at 12:00 hours (local mean time) equivalent to 04 hours 46 minutes 34 seconds (Greenwich Mean Time).

The mast was located in lat. 33° 01’ 50’’ S, long. 71° 38’ 00’’ W.

This signal was also released at some vessel request, except Sundays and holidays. This information was spread days before by the Hydrographic News bulletin No. 3, notice 11/1894 of February 24, 1894.

1899: When the Hydrographic Office, under the direction of Captain Mr. Luis Pomar Avalos, is moved from Santiago to Valparaiso to a building near the Pratt dock area, almost by the end of that year, the Charts and Instruments Department and the Time Station were incorporated and merged with this office. But for lack of infrastructure to install this station, it remained in the facilities of the Escuela Naval.

1900: Bulletin No. 21, notice No. 133, announced that the cannonshot fired at noon at fort Covadonga would be coordinated with the time ball of the Escuela Naval. In consequence both signals would be absolutely simultaneous and released at 12, local mean time, equivalent to 4 hours 46 minutes 34 seconds Greenwich Time.

1902: On May 14, by Supreme Decree No. 1519, was created the Navy’s first Time Station; which was operating and depending on the Escuela Naval in Cerro Artillería. It was in charge of 2nd pilot Mr. Luis A. Winroth, supported by Mr. Arturo Mariotti B., who worked as observer and Mr Marcos Canales P, as 1st gatekeeper. On June 11 of that year, appeared Mr. Luis J. Bergendahi, civil employee, who was hired as a precision technician according to Supreme Decree No. 1920, dated June 10, 1902. This station used mechanical pendulums Seth Thomas.

1903: In the Coquimbo bay, in a pontoon where operates a School for second pilots, a signal to assist the mariners is installed. This signal consisted of a cone that was pulled up of a mizzenmast, 5 minutes before midday and was dropped at 12 o’clock exactly, local mean time, which corresponds to 4 hours 45 minutes 20,7 seconds of Greenwich. The error can reach approximately 3 seconds. However, due to lack of electrical devises, it was not possible, back then, to tell the time with the accuracy needed to correct the speed of chronometers. This information was spread by the Bulletin No. 20, notice No. 157. This was the second time station installed in the country, but it did not depend on some State Department.

1904: Mr. Enrique Scheel, timekeeper of the Hydrographic Office built the first tower clock in our country; which was placed in the tower of the Escuela Naval.

1906: As a result of the violent earthquake that devastated Valparaíso, the time signal of the Escuela Naval was withdrawn because part of the building where the Time Station operated was destroyed. Reason why it had to be used the noon cannonshot at Covadonga fort which did not offer any strict accuracy. This news was published by the Bulletin No.23, notice No.288 of September 3, 1906. The fall of part of the building where the Time station was located, fully destroyed one of the three pendulum clocks existing at that time and by extension the signal of the black ball announcing midday to the civil population and industries, stopped working temporarily.

1908: The time signal of the ball was made coincide with a cannonshot from the Mariners Depot, ex-Bueras fort, current Naval War Academy, where this tradition of announcing the right time of civil midday to the Population of Valparaiso remains even today.

On January 1st, of that same year, the signal of the black ball announcing midday to the civil population and industries is reestablished. It was also announced that in the front of the building of the Escuela Naval, at 75 meters above the sea, was placed a clock with a quadrant of 2 meters of diameter electrically illuminated at night and visible from the whole bay. This clock did not depend on the time station, and its implementation was made known by the Bulletin No. 2, notice No. 7/1908.

1910: Since January 10 the standard time of the meridian 75° west (zone +5) is used as the Official Time of Chile. Information provided by the Bulletin No. 1, notice No. 1/1910; furthermore this document reported that the signal time of the black ball would continue being used with some modifications after the earthquake of 1906. That year the second tower clock, built by timekeeper Mr. Enrique Scheel was installed, at the city council building of Valparaiso. This clock currently operates in the Chilean Navy building.

1912: After 28 years of the Meridian Conference held in Washington, 18 nations, among which was Chile, gather in Paris at the International Time Conference, where after long discussions they arrived at a solution and came to an agreement on the problem, with the so-called “Time Zone System”, which our country joined. In this conference they agreed to assign to Chile the time zone No. 19, that is, zone + 5 (meridian 75° west), Meridian of the Lo Espejo Observatory.

1913: The Time Station is relocated to the Hydrographic Office, where at present is its successor the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy, located in Errazuriz Street at Cerro Playa Ancha. It is first installed in the printing workshops, and later on in the basement of these workshops. At present, can be found in this facilities the conference room and part of the Service’s museum. In this location, it was for many years under the responsibility of Pilot Mr. José Caro y Bach. The astronomy glass used was a Pistor und Martin.

1916: On July 1st, the standard time was changed and adopted the meridian time of the Astronomical observatory of Quinta Normal in Santiago, as the official time, that is, 4 hours 42 minutes 46.3 seconds of Greenwich.

1918: On January 1st, under the direction of Captain Mr. Arturo Acevedo starts the first time signal transmission through the radio at 500 Kc. 600 meters, at 01:00 (Greenwich Mean Time), through the Naval Radio station of Playa Ancha. This news was reported by the Bulletin No. 52/1917. In March of that year, the frequency of the signal transmission was changed to 1.100 meters. On September 10 of that year, the standard time is changed, adopting the official time of the meridian 60° west (zone +4). This was reported by the Bulleting No. 22, notice No. 129/1918 of August 23, 1918.

1919: From July 1st, the standard time was changed, adopting as the official time, the meridian time of the Astronomical Observatory of Lo Espejo in Santiago that is, 4 hours, 42 minutes, 46.3 seconds, corresponding to 70°41’34.5’’ W, of Greenwich, instead of zone 20 of the terrestrial time zone. Information spread by the Bulletin No. 24, notice No. 103/1919.

1927: By Supreme Decree No. 5.693 of August 22, two different hours were adopted. The winter official time, corresponding to the meridian 75° west (zone +5) and the official summer time, corresponding to the meridian 60° west (zone +4), changes were made on April 1st and September 1st of each year. This news was spread by the Bulleting No.11, notice No. 56/1928. This economic time system became effective only on April 1st, 1928.

1928: A cable lined with lead was purchased to the Telephone Company in order to connect the Time Station with the Radio Station of Playa Ancha and, in turn, with the cannon at Silva Palma quarters. At that time Mr. Cristian Wiegand O. was Chief of the Time Station.

1941: By the time the Navigation and Hydrography Department was 67 years of existence, the Time Station had five clocks of high precision known as “pendulums”, which controlled each other. Three of these five pendulums were electrical and two were mechanical in their clockwork. From among these three pendulums the main and of greater precision was the “electric masterful pendulum” which functions within a copper bell with glass above, below a vacuum of 150 millimeters. The other two pendulums were relays of the masterful one. The two mechanical pendulums known as Seth Thomas, were mounted on top of pillars of cement deeply embedded in the earth and thus, avoid vibrations. Its great pendulous mass was composed of 20 kilos of mercury that completed its stability for external agents trying to vary its correct functioning. In addition it was used for the time signal transmissions of a Telefunken receiver.

1943: The pendulum clock that had been destroyed in the 1906 earthquake is totally rebuilt and put into operation by the staff from the Chronometer section of the Navigation and Hydrography Department. This clock still remains in operation at this Service together with other three very old ones.

1946: On August 27, it is issued the law No.8.522, that required urgently a change of time for Santiago and the central area of the country, due to the inability of electric plants to meet the demands of energy for industries, commerce, homes and street lights, therefore, leaving the capital and the central area with the time zone of +3 hours and the rest of the country with a time zone of +4. Bulleting No.20, notice No. 380/1946, dated October 31 of 1946.

1947: Dated May 17 by Supreme Decree No. 8.777, it is abolished the law of the year before and the standard time is changed, adopting the official time corresponding to zone +4 (meridian of Lo Espejo Observatory, 60° West) valid for the whole Republic, starting from May 21 of 1947 at 23 hours. Bulletin No. 10, notice No. 249/1947, dated May 31 of 1947.

1959: Electronic quartz clocks, “Rhode & Schwartz” are purchased, armed and installed, along with a period of testing. These began officially to operate in 1964.

1964: On May 12, is inaugurated the quartz-crystal clock equipment, “Rhode & Schwartz”, which through a radio link with the Naval Station Las Salinas, allowed the transmission in 5 schedules and several frequencies of the signals throughout Chile. Its stability is of one centesimal second daily. It was built with valves technology and its main oscillator was quartz crystal with frequency of one megacycle, the impulse of the second was obtain through frequency divisions. In addition it had an oscilloscope of high persistence used to controlled the time signal of the Service with other time centers of the world, by using the connection of an HF receiver, model R-E-G 1887. The precision of this control is of one millisecond. Riefler Pendulums remained in operation for emission of time signals to civil use through commercial radio station connected with its own lines, via the telephone, to the time station.

1966: By Supreme Decree No. 25, of January 11, it is established that the Navy Hydrographic Institute, is the only Official Authority of the State regarding the control and spreading of the Official Time of Chile and time signals for navigational purposes.

1968: By law No. 16.771 published in the Official Newspaper of March 22, it is established that the Navy Hydrographic Institute constitutes the technical and permanent Official Service of the State with regard to all time signals among other jurisdictions. That same year, by Decree of the Department of the Interior No. 1.474 of October 31, it is stipulated that the Official Time throughout the Republic will be the one that corresponds to the meridian 5° W (zone +3), starting from November 2, 1968. This Decree was a way to establish a time for summer (saving time).

1969: By Decree of the Department of the Interior No. 367 of March 25, the country returns to the Official Time of the meridian 60° W (zone +4), starting from March 29, 1969. By Decree of the Department of the Interior No. 1.587 of November 14, 1969, the time zone +3 was applied from November 22, 1969 to March 28, 1970.

1970: By Supreme Decree No. 1.489 of October 6, it is stipulated that each year the Official time will be adjusted forward 60 minutes, starting from 24 hours of the second Saturday of the month of October for a period between such date and the 24 hours of the second Saturday of the month of March immediately after. The time zone +3 began to be applied from October 10, 1970 to March 13, 1971.

1971: During that year starts operating the cesium clock, Ebauches brand, Oscillaton B-5000, purchased in Switzerland, whose operation is based on the great stability of oscillation of cesium atoms, which allows its use as primary pattern of time and frequency, and intended to control time signals originated in the quartz clocks, and for calibration and frequency control. This pattern of cesium has an accuracy of 1 x 1011, what is equivalent to one daily backward or forward adjustment of a millionth second, or which is the same, one backward of forward adjustment of a second each 3.000 year.

1973: By Supreme Decree No. 1.252 of September 26, the Supreme Decree No. 1.489 that had established the annual change regime of the official time is amended, in that the time forward adjustment of 60 minutes starting from the 24 hours of the second Saturday of the month of October would be applied from that year, beginning on September 29.

1980: By supreme Decree No. 1.142 of October 20, it is established the official time of the western insular territory of Chile, Easter Island and Salas and Gomez Islands by assigning it the meridian 105° West, corresponding to the time zone +7, which will remain unchangeable throughout the year.

1982: By supreme Decree No. 61 of January 19, the Supreme Decree No. 1.142 of October 20, 1980 is amended, assigning to Easter Island and Salas and Gomez Island the time zone +6. Thus, there will be two hours of permanent difference between the official time of the continental territory of Chile and the official time of the Chilean western insular territory.

1987: By Supreme Decree No. 326 of March 2, the Supreme Decree No. 1.489 of October 6, 1970 is amended, which established the annual change regime for the official time. In this occasion the amendment stipulates that the forward adjustment of the official time of the continental and western insular territory of Chile, which begins to operate at 24 hours of the second Saturday of the month of October 1986, will continue to be used, only for this time, until the 24 hours of Saturday 11 of April 1987, due to the visit to the country of H. H. John Paul II.

1988: By supreme Decree No. 1.263 of September 09, both the Supreme decree No. 1.489 of October 6 1970 which established the annual change regimen of the official time; and the Supreme Decree No. 142 of October 20 1980, which establishes the official time of the western insular territory of Chile for Easter Island and Salas and Gomez Islands, were amended. In this occasion the amendment stipulates that the forward adjustment of the official time of the continental and western insular territory of Chile will be put into effect, by the year 1988, starting from the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the month of October, due to the plebiscite of October 05 of 1988.

1990: By Supreme Decree No. 155 of February 20, it is stipulated that the forward adjustment of the time will be maintained until March 17, due to the broadcasting of the presidency handover ceremony. That same year, by Supreme Decree No. 643 of October 31, it is amended the Supreme Decree No. 1.489, of October 06, 1970, when the official time of the continental and western insular territory of Chile is adjusted forward as a result of the unfavorable hydrological conditions. This was put into effect, in the year 1990, starting from the 24 hours of the third Saturday of the month of September.

1992: By Supreme Decree No. 564, of May 25, it is amended the Supreme Decree No. 1142 of October 20, 1980. With the purpose of enhancing the national presence in the Chilean Antarctic Territory, the service of time signal must be transmitted as: official time of Continental and Antarctic territory of Chile.

1995: In parallel it is put into operation a standard of frequency and time, synchronized by satellites, with a rubidium oscillator, which in contrast with the atomic cesium clock reuses its atomic components, which self calibrates through his permanent connection with the GPS satellite. In addition, this equipment delivers a tridimensional position.

1996: It is inaugurated a system that allows to deliver both to the maritime and civil community a digital voice service of signal time, either through the Maritime Telecommunication Center of Valparaiso or through a telephonic extension from the Oceanographic and Hydrographic Service. The Service is identified as the only official authority for the transmission of the time in Chile.

1997: By Supreme Decree No. 482 of March 04, it is amended both the Supreme Decree No. 1.489 of October 06, 1970 which establishes the annual change regime of the official time, and the Supreme Decree No. 1.142 of October 20, 1980 which establishes the official time of the western insular territory of Chile for Easter Island and Salas and Gomez Island. In this occasion the amendment stipulates that the backward adjustment of the official time of the continental, Antarctic and western insular territory of Chile, will be put into effect, in the year 1997, starting from the 24 hours of the fifth Saturday of the month of March, as a result of the unfavorable hydrological conditions that affect the country.

1998: Begins to operate a telephonic line of public service, No. 800 800 780, to which the user can have access throughout the country directly and without cost to the time signal transmitted through digital voice by the Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service. That same year, by Supreme Decree No. 1.903 of September 21 it is amended both the Supreme Decree No. 1.489 of October 06, 1970, which established the annual change regime of the official time, and the Supreme Decree No. 1.142 of October 20, 1980, which establishes the official time of the western insular territory of Chile for Eastern Island and Salas and Gomez Island, in this occasion the amendment stipulates that the forward adjustment of the official time of the Continental, Antarctic and western insular territory of Chile, would be put into effect in the year 1998, starting from the 24 hours of the fourth Saturday of the month of September, due to the unfavorable hydrological conditions that affected the country.

1999: By Supreme Decree No.1.134, of March 03, it is amended both the Supreme Decree No. 1489 of October 06, 1970, which established the annual change regime of the official time, and the Supreme Decree No. 1.142 of October 20, 1980, which establishes the official time of the western insular territory of Chile for Easter Island and Salas and Gómez island. In this occasion the amendment stipulates that the forward adjustment of the official time of the continental, Antarctic and western insular territory of Chile, would be put into effect in 1999, starting from the 24 hours of the first Saturday of the month of April, due to the remaining unfavorable hydrological conditions and severe drought that affected the country.

2008: by Supreme Decree No 316 of February 8 of 2008, from the Department of the Interior. Both the Supreme Decree No 1489 of October 1970, establishing the annual change regime of the official time and the Supreme decree No 1142 of October 1980, that establishes the official time for the Western Insular Territory of Chile, Eastern Island and Salas and Gomez Island are amended. Due to the unfavorable hydrographic conditions and severe drought affecting the country, it is necessary to restrict the electric energy supply in order to make better use of the natural light. Therefore, it is stipulated that the forward adjustment of the time for the continental and western insular territory of Chile will last until 24 hours of the last Saturday of March 2008.