A superb round brass silvered dial mahogany case domestic regulator grandfather clock. The ‘8 day’ duration movement by Gravell & Tolkien. This together with dead-beat escapement, maintaining power and wood rod pendulum. The makers were successors to Eardley Norton. A very special clock and of superb colour and patination. Tolkien is reportedly the great Grandfather of the author J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit , Lord of the rings etc ) Finally I would say a lovely clock that would suit any home.
An elegant walnut and ebonised German regulator wall clock Together with timepiece movement and single weight. ‘8-day’ duration movement.
The following piece ,’The Swing of the Pendulum’, is taken from April 2014 edition of Antique Collecting. It is based on John Andrews interview and discussions with myself Daniel Clements. Manager of Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd.
It takes courage to come from a business in the provinces and open up in the West End of London. Especially when so many antiques concerns have been doing precisely the opposite. But this is what Pendulum did twenty years ago Taking Fred Perry’s shop and residence at 51, Maddox Street by buying the freehold. We then had control over the rent as one important cost element. This having been achieved as a deliberate long-term measure. The costs of converting the shop were a safe investment and Pendulum of Mayfair was launched.
Many businesses in this field have come about as a result of what was a part-time hobby. A source of incidental income becoming so absorbing that the plunge to launching into full time was taken. Daniel Clements says that his father is a classic example. He used to say that he became a dealer in 1974 to pay for his vice of collecting. As a qualified mechanical engineer he was engaged in building factories. Designing new machines all over the world, acting as engineering director at Pilkington’s. But his love of clocks, playing with and restoring them, became a passion. This provided relaxation from the stresses of work. Eventually bringing about the decision to leave his job and set up as a dealer full time.
When he did this 40 years ago it was considered to be a crazy thing to do. Like many who have entered the antiques business after years of dealing on the fringes of it. The impulse was too strong to resist. Even now, in his seventies, Mr Clements love of clocks is still as powerful as it was when he set up the business of Coppelia Antiques in Cheshire forty years ago. This passion has led to the establishment of a highly regarded business with a worldwide field of activity.
Throughout the 40 years since its start, Daniel Clements says the greatest pleasure the business has provided is in finding special antique clocks. Then restoring them as sympathetically as possible. Over the years they have developed the skills of lots of young people in their care. Trying to instill a love of old things and learning about their origins along the way. Touching old things, smelling them, and getting under ‘their skin’ is a long process and needs patience and understanding.
The clock workshop is the hub of the entire operation and nothing is allowed to leave until Mr Clements is satisfied with the result. A familiar motto of the business is the saying ‘well bought, is half sold’. The special type of antique clocks Pendulum look for are so hard to find, selling them is the easiest part.
Over the years many special pieces have come into their hands and customers have become friends.Examples of this provide instances of expertise combining with history to provide the customer with a truly remarkable acquisition. One particular clock sold to an Australian client was by the clockmaker Henry Lane. This was a superb musical Bristol Longcase clock from c.1790. Henry Lane, as it happens,was the first clockmaker in Australia. The story of how this comes about was a compelling one.
Henry was sentenced to death for forging money.This sentence was later changed by an act of clemency to transportation to Australia. He left Spithead on the Perseus with 112 other male prisoner son the 12th February 1802. This is what Clements feels is so special about antique clocks: they have a history and you can research more about the clockmaker’s life. They are a living working museum to the past and attractive pieces of furniture as well. How proud master clockmakers would feel if they could see their clocks still working perfectly in many homes today.
With the Pendulum shop being situated right in the heart of London they have sold and restored clocks to many VIPs. Large companies like Asprey’s and Garrard’s, and major hotels like the Conaught. Recently they had the pleasure of restoring some really complex antique clocks for the Russian Embassy in London. Clements states that ‘the Ambassador and his assistants have shown us great kindness and consideration. We have lovely presents from them and also were delighted to attend their special day earlier this year. This was another of the fantastic memories we have built up over the years. The clocks were a challenge but they now look wonderful and are now fully functioning & proudly taking up their prestigious places at the Embassy. It was a real honour for us, and it shows how far we have come as a business over the years.’
Another entertaining example comes from their local specialist auction house in Chester. They had a lovely little clock for sale at auction about 20 years ago. There were four clocks in the sale,of which one was of great interest: it was catalogued as an ‘electric clock‘. When the hood was taken off the clock, the movement looked as though it was in a salmon tin, because it was enclosed. ‘We instantly knew what this clock was,and so, says Clements, my mother and father decided to split up in the room.My father said to my mother: you bid; if the other dealers see me bidding they will twig. My mother started bidding on the clock but she was very laid back. So much so that the auctioneer asked her are you bidding Ma’am? She said yes and the auctioneer slammed the hammer down.
One dealer who was standing by my father noticed it was his wife bidding. He asked what the clock that she had just bought was. My father said, ‘oh, my wife collects electric clocks.’ Of course it was not an electric clock at all. The clock’s movement had been dust encased. It was a fantastic clock by John Holmes of London. The cartouche had been reversed on the dial and engraved electric clock. It clearly had been used as a ‘slave clock’ in the early 20th century, to drive other clocks around a factory.
‘Daniel Clements says ‘I wish these bargains happened more often but it is not the case. Everyone thinks they have a master piece under their pillow or in their garage. The guy who purchased this ‘electric’ clock was told the story. He laughed; luckily he did not mind paying a handsome profit at the time.
This clock will have appreciated many times in price since then though. Investing in antique clocks is just about as safe as houses. These master timekeepers come from an age where intrinsic labour costs are built in. Movements are handmade and built to exacting standards; they will continue telling the time in peoples’ homes for hundreds of years to come. Even throughout the recession, good genuine clocks have always appreciated in price.’
‘I also remember when we purchased a lovely regulator clock with a painted dial. This clock was made for Catherine the Great of Russia. She was the most renowned and long ruling female leader of Russia. The clock came from the Winter Palace.It was brought out on a horse and cart just before the Russian Revolution at the start of the 20th century. I wish we had kept this clock, but then I wish we had kept many clocks we have sold over the years. We are in a business where we only buy what we love and we grow very attached to all our clocks. They are like extended branches of our family. Once you have restored the clocks, you feel part of them.Like selling puppies etc., the potential owners of our clocks, all get proper vetting! Luckily the people who love clocks are generally lovely people.’
‘Every clock we buy and sell has its own story. You realize you are always learning new things; a lifetime is not nearly long enough. We can be proud of restoring and bringing back to life some lovely antique clocks. Yesterday’s craftsman’s work will live on at our shop in London, Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd. We stock some of the finest antique clocks anywhere in the UK. All these are fully restored and come with a year’s guarantee. All antique grandfather clocks are delivered free of charge anywhere in the UK. We have a full export shipping service to all four corners of the world. The USA is one of our biggest markets.’
At a time when there are so many stories of retrenchment in the antiques business it is a pleasure to find one of sturdy optimism.Pendulum of Mayfair at 51 MaddoxStreet, London W1S 2PH
Tel: 0207 629 6606
For antique furniture and clocks different types of wood were used in their manufacture. In this handy guide I am going to cover some of the main woods used. These woods can be of solid form but most flamboyant grained woods are used as hand cut veneers. The carcass is generally made from oak or pine in the provinces or oak generally in London.
In London oak is only used as a carcas material in the 17th and 18th centuries. Whereas in the provinces you will find antique grandfather clocks being made of oak as the finished wood. Clearly oak was veneered on as well, especially in London by English Walnut up to say C1750 . Then from this date fine Honduras and Cuban mahogany veneers are found. On some clocks you will find very early examples to be of ebony construction or ebonized (black stained fruitwood generally)
You can also get oak grandfather clocks in London that were painted and decorated by Chinoiserie or lacquer work. The finest examples were sent out on boats and decorated in China. On some later clocks you will see these veneered in more exotic woods. Rosewood or maple or even ewe wood. I suppose the smaller size means you can use veneers of the more slow growing and smaller trees. With early clocks these exotic woods were used as well in small pieces and matched. We have owned a lovely walnut burr oyster veneered grandfather clock.
Below is a selection of woods used for antique clocks and furniture during the 17th and 18th and 19th centuries in England. A brief insight into each wood pictured is given. I hope from this blog you will discover what type of wood your clock or piece of furniture is manufactured from.
Mahogany can be a beautiful wood, it starts in the UK being used around C1750 and continues being used throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Two most common variants are Honduras (lighter) and Cuban mahogany (darker). It is a close grain hardwood coming commonly from the South America or the West Indies type regions. This tree can be found quite wide and so large sections could be veneered with this wood.
English oak is a slow growing and so very heavy wood. Used in construction and veneered some of the time, but it is a beautiful wood in its own right. Oak being so heavy and close grained it is good at preventing things like wood worm. It is one of the reasons why London used it in the construction of its clock cases ahead of pine. Pine is used in the provinces as a rule for carcases as it is cheaper. You will notice the weight difference between an antique clock veneered on oak and an antique clock veneered on pine. Oak just gets better with age and polishing, we call this the patina. Less close grain oak can come from countries like Japan. This wood although called oak, is a far poorer wood to the slower growing English oak.
Walnut is a lovely wood and English walnut gets used as veneers in antique furniture and clock manufacture up until C1750. After this date most walnut used is Continental walnut. Continental walnut is a quicker growing tree and so the grain is never as fine as English burr walnut. Again English walnut is a very heavy wood with a close grain. The tighter the burr or knot in the walnut the better. Walnut can range in colour from quite light if the sun has taken it, to quite dark. Walnut is used on all of the German wall regulators or commonly called ‘Vienna style’ wall clocks etc through the 19th century.
Satinwood being a very light wood was used towards the end of the 18th centuries and early 19th centuries in the main. Many expensive pieces are manufactured with Satinwood veneers. We have some Pergolesi painted tables with satinwood veneers. I suppose the light colour makes the painting stand out better.
Pine, many of you will be familiar with this wood. It is rare to see a surviving antique grandfather clock made in this wood like the above. It was prone to woodworm unfortunately. Some were painted and this helped preserve them.Many provincial cabinets were constructed out of pine and then veneered. Pine is also used alot today as it is a relatively cheap wood, unlike oak. Clearly as you can see from the grain and if you lifted it from the weight , it is a fairly quick growing tree.
Oak was only used on internal construction of cabinets of English London clocks. When this wood was used and if it is not veneered in London you will find it sometimes decorated with lacquer work or Chinoiserie. This is gold leaf and gesso. The best types of these works are seen when they were sent out to China in the early/mid 18th century and decorated their.
I think I have covered the majority of main woods used in English cabinet making. There are others like ewe wood, maple , elm, fruitwood and rosewood. These are not covered as they are used alot less. I hope this blog has been of help to you. If you are still struggling with finding out what wood your clock or piece of furniture is made from, please send me a picture to PendulumClocks@aol.com
Daniel Clements – Pendulum of Mayfair
It is this time of year when many students start thinking about careers. Working in the field of antique clocks as a horologist can be very rewarding.
In the 17th and 18th centuries it was one of the top professions. Now I suppose the doctors and dentists or bankers and accountants are today. It is a shame that many colleges do not offer courses in horology but some still do. West Dean College still provides excellent courses in horology. There is an excellent article in the Independant newspaper on these horology courses and ‘breathing life into old treasures’. It is possible to do home study courses in horology with the British Horological Intstitute. It is also possible to do a BA Hons course at Birmingham City University in horology.
I believe it is an excellent career path for young students. What I have found in the last 20 years or so is many people retiring into studying horology. This is fine but if young people knew how rewarding learning and working with antique clocks was, they would gain a head start in the field. Many people retire to work in horology as it has many benefits. It brings enjoyment in bringing something special back to life. Many workshops can be setup at home and so it is a great way to work for yourself and be your own boss.
It is also a great career path to other forms of engineering or maybe working as a specialist auctioneer of clocks and watches. Working and repairing antique clocks brings you lots of knowledge along the way about the way things were made. Knowing how to date antique clocks for auctioneering. This is all valuable information and a great basis from which you can carve out a valuable and rewarding career in what ever you then may choose to do.
There are fewer specialists in this field today and so a bigger chance to make a name for yourself. In the 17th and 18th century every little village had its own clockmaker and London was the centre of clockmaking with the Clockmaker’s Company. Today there are few world recognized horologists. George Daniels was a watchmaker who was regarded as a special talent, he died recently. He gave alot to his field and certainly made a difference. It is certainly possible with the right enthusiasm and drive for students who enter this field today. Make the same difference and to enjoy what they do. I suppose this is a rare in many jobs today. Most people go to work to earn a living, but to actually enjoy your job, this is what makes your job special.
Daniel R Clements – Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd
I get asked many times about what I would choose if I was starting a collection of antique grandfather clocks. We feel privileged in helping many special customers and friends source their own private antique clock collections. The most important part if you are deciding to build your own antique clock collection is to purchase them somewhere you can get a guarantee they are genuine. I would also take you time in building up this collection, it can not be achieved overnight.
I believe the greatest antique grandfather clocks were produced between C1680 and C1820. I am now going to suggest a possible date and styles that you could choose to form this collection. It is true you might prefer a particular style of antique clock and then you could just collect this style. There is nothing wrong in doing this. You may prefer just famous London makers from the 17th and early 18th centuries like Thomas Thompion or Edward East or George Graham. I have no problem in collectors heading down this route.
A route I will suggest here is a broad spectrum of special antique clocks from the entire range of the period suggested above. The collection could be increased still further from what is listed below by different dial shapes or antique clocks from different towns also showing distinctive case features.
1)
I think it is important to start your collection with a special early example of a London marquetry brass square dial grandfather clock by a reknowned but not necessary ultra famous maker. This clock will date from around C1690 and be a good ‘8-day’ example, usually with a lentical to the trunk door.
2)
I think next on the list would be a good ‘8-day’ or ‘month’ duration English burr walnut square brass dial grandfather clock, again by a good London clockmaker.
3)
I think it is then important to source a good arch or square brass dial early lacquer clock from C1715. This again will be a London area example.
4)
A burr-walnut arched brass dial caddy top London grandfather clock is also essential to any collection. These tend to date from C1715 to C1750.
5)
A good early arched or square brass dial provincial oak grandfather clock should form part of any collection. These dating from early to mid 18th century. These will be good ‘8-day’ examples with maybe an early ‘penny’ moon feature or automaton to the arch or dial centre.
The clocks do not have to cost the earth.
6)
An early oak or maybe pine 30 hour duration clock with brass square dial would be nice in any collection.
7)
Moving on to my favourite period in antique clocks from C1760 onwards. A good C1770 London mahogany arched brass dial is vital.
8
A superb London mahogany arch white dial ‘8-day’ grandfather clock.
9)/10)11)
Moon examples of 7 and 8 are also important to any collection, as is an automaton example.
12)
A good Manchester moonphase grandfather clock from around C1770
13)
A typical Liverpool moonphase grandfather clock from around C1770
14)
A typical Bristol tidal times moonphase mahogany grandfather clocks from around C1770
15)
A typical Hull pagoda top mahogany grandfather clock from around C1770/C1790
16)
A good Edinburgh grandfather clock from the end of the 18th century
17)
A good white dial Dundee or thereabouts mhaogany arch dial grandfather clock from C1790
18)
A good London with attached hood columns arched brass dial mahogany grandfather clock.
19)
A good London with attached hood columns square silvered brass dial mahogany grandfather clock.
20)
Various Precision Regulator examples with the differing means of pendulum compensation.
Conclusion
I have tried to form the basis of a wide ranging collection This could be a good tool for you to start building your own antique clock collection. Clearly there are some great clocks from other provincial towns around the country that I have not mentioned. You can also throw in some special provincial makers like Barber or Ogden or Deacon to the mix. I suppose a wide ranging collection should encompace as many differing cabinet styles from all the areas of the UK. These may also include one from the west coast of Scotland, or Ireland, even though I am not a big fan of the typical 18th century case styles from the these areas. This is just a personal taste though and one clock from each place as an example would not be out of place in any collection. I suppose this depends on space and finance though. I believe a minimum of 25 grandfather clocks would be required to be purchased to obtain a good overall wide ranging collection. This can then be bulked out if necessary be adding more towns or special collectible makers. Clock collecting can be quite addictive.
– Daniel Clements – Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd 51 Maddox street, London –
The term ‘Vienna Regulator’ wall clock is commonly used to describe a narrow weight driven wall clock. All these clocks seem bundled together in one big group. This is wrong in my opinion. There should be a clear differentiation between a true ‘Vienna Regulator’ clock and the later ‘Vienna Style Regulator’ wall clock or properly described as a ‘German Regulator’ wall clock.
Vienna regulator wall clocks are very special and an original example can be very expensive. These clocks were manufactured throughout the 19th century, but most were made from about C1800 to C1850. These clocks were hand made and of very fine quality. These clocks are also very simple and very elegant. As the value of clocks like this are high many of these type of clocks coming onto the market in recent years are copies. Only buy an early Vienna wall clock from a specialist antique clock dealer. They should give you a money back guarantee that it is genuine and fully restored.
German wall regulators can still be nice clocks. I particularly like the first 10 or 20 years they were made from about C 1860. After C 1880 these clocks become very ornate and the quality tends to decrease. These clocks were made in factories specifically set up to produce them. With the typical German efficiency, lots of these clocks were produced. The value is alot lower than the earlier Austrian handmade examples.
I often get asked how do you tell if I have got a German wall regulator or an earlier Austrian example. The easiest way you can tell the difference is that German weight driven wall clocks often have an imitation second hand to the dial. Austrian wall clocks did not normally use this feature, unless the clock could actually beat seconds. A seconds pendulum means the pendulum will need to be about 1 meter long.
If you timed the period of 1 rotation on a German wall clock of the so called seconds hand, it will take about 40 seconds. It was in effect just a gimmick, put on the dial just for looks. The Austrians were purists and did not do this. An example of a true Austrian Vienna wall clock will a proper seconds hand is pictured above. You will notice the clock is very long. You will also see two examples below.A German wall regulator and an Austrian vienna regulator. See if you can see which one is which from my reasoning above.
Daniel Clements
My last post was about my most special antique clock makers. I jumped to the support of a superb provincial clock maker at the expense of the hundreds of high quality London makers. In no way was I undermining the great London clockmakers though. We sell more London clocks than any others. I must say we all owe a great deal to the formation of the Clockmaker’s Company in London. The Clockmaker’s Company set standards high and as a result we have lots of special clocks. The UK and London became the centre of clock-making in the 18th century. It is something I am very proud of.
I do think there is a place though for the simple 30 hour clock produced in the provinces. London looked down on the simple 30 hour in the 18th century. No 30 hour grandfather clock examples I believe were produced here after the about C1700. They thought the same of oak cabinets. You will not see a genuine oak London longcase clock I believe, all these were veneered in walnut/marquetry or in figured mahogany, or decorated with chinese lacquer work.
The Clockmaker’s Company kept standards in London high. Provincial 30 hour clocks though have a character of there own. In the 18th century you still had to be well off to own a grandfather clock. They were normally the most expensive item in the household.
30 hours clocks can have a single hand or two hands to tell the time. Most examples do not have a second hand. For a 30 Hour clock to have a second hand it would need a extra wheel in its train or it would run backwards.
Original 18th century 30 hour oak or pine clocks that have not been altered or have not suffered from the dreaded rot or worm infestation are rare though, many have lost parts of their bases over the years or had their movements converted from 30 hour to ‘8-day’ examples. Both of these dramatically effects the value and I would not recommend purchasing one of these.
If you own a cottage though there is nothing better than a simple oak ’30-hour’. You will find they will be very reliable and will fit in with the low ceilings in a cottage much better. Most collectible ’30-hour’ grandfather clocks will have either 10 or 11inch dials, this makes them smaller and slimmer than their standard ‘8-day’ equivalent.
Most of these clocks are wound with a rope or chain, since this rope or chain is on a continious loop, the clocks weight is always engaged when winding. This means that the clock will not stop or lose time during winding. This is effectively the same as ‘maintaining power’ on the fine regulator clocks. They will strike on the hour and it is the same weight that drives the time or going side and the striking side. This is partly why the clock will only last one day on a wind. If you put a clothes peg on the flywheel of the strike mechanism, a 30 hour clock would normally last for about 3 days before needing to be wound.
If you do decide to take the plunge and buy a collectible 30 hour after reading this. Make sure you buy from a recognised dealer. They will give you a money back guarantee that the clock is genuine. Remember to enjoy your search for your grandfather clock whether that be a simple 30 hour clock or a ‘8-day’ example.
As with all antique clocks you are only a custodian of them for future generations. They with live long beyond us if cared for properly.
The speed of the clock is the only thing that controls timekeeping. Adjusting the pendulum will make the clock go faster or slower. All other factors can be considered constant. This can be seen from the equation relating to the period of swing of a simple pendulum.
T = 2π√(L/g)
where
If your antique clocks are correctly set up and are fast and gaining time, you will need to lengthen the pendulums. If your clock is slow, you will need to shorten the pendulum of the clock, to quicken it up.
All clock pendulum rods and bobs prior to the temperature compensated pendulums either will expand or contract with temperature changes. They need to be adjusted accordingly. Most antique clocks in centrally heated houses will be re-markedly accurate though, after you have adjusted to your mean temperature.
Probably the earliest method for trying to overcome deviations in timekeeping as a result of temperature changes was the wood rod pendulum. In long grain the wood rod will expand only a little.This expansion will be compensated by the addition of a large brass cased lead bob. This brass bob will also expand slightly up and down from the rating nut, with temperature changes.
Refining the accuracy of the very best precision clocks started from the early 18th century with Harrison’s grid iron pendulum. Differing expansions of metals was understood many years earlier. Harrison devised a pendulum with a specific proportion of brass and iron. These two metals would have rates of expansion and contraction that would effectively cancel each other out.
In 1722 Graham produced a mercury compensated pendulum. The mercury as seen in a regulator clock in the picture above is contained in a jar. This is effectively acting the same as a normal brass pendulum bob. Mercury will expand roughly 6 times the rate of steel and so in the ratio 1:6. The expansions will roughly cancel each other out. The thermal coefficients of the differing metals is therefore important when building compensated pendulums. Glass being a poor conductor of heat was the only real negative to this invention but this method proved very effective and the pendulums do look stunning. These type of clocks are very collectible.
There were various other pendulum’s developed like Ellicott’s compensated pendulum and Richie’s compensated pendulum on regulator clocks.Then the eventual use of metals like Invar which is a mix of nickel/iron and small quantities of carbon and manganese.
All these compensated pendulums are just trying to keep the effective length of the pendulum the same. When I say effective length of the pendulum, this will be from the bending point of the feather at the top of the clocks pendulum, to the centre of gravity of the pendulum near its bottom. This is why on some clocks coins or small weights were added on the rod to change fine timekeeping. I will happily answer more question if you contact me.
Time is at the heart of life itself. From the moment we are born, to the moment we die, man has always been intrigued by time. From the earliest days on earth, even pre-historic man lived by a form of time. Life for them revolved around light and dark: sleep, wake, hunt, eat,sleep again. Life and time are cycles that we cannot stop, we cannot slow. What the early mathematicians and astronomers tried to do was make time more exacting.
‘Water clocks’, ‘candle clocks’, and early ‘sundial clocks’ were developed, many of these in countries like China. It is amazing the evolution of countries over time, China played a huge part in the introduction of many new ideas and inventions, in the early world. It was in the UK that developed the measurement of time and put it in a more practical way. All these early antique clocks show the passing of time and try and measure it. Sundial clocks like Cleopatra’s Needle dating from about 1500 BC, was brought to England in 1877 and now stands on the Thames Embankment in London. Forms like Cleopatra’s needle and later sundials all use the elevation of the sun in the sky to tell the time.
As society developed a more accurate way of measuring time was needed. Sundials, all well and good, are a pretty useless way of telling the time on a cloudy day. Also sundials are not accurate, because of the eliptical rotation of the earth. This inaccuracy is up to 15 minutes per day, sometimes slower, sometimes faster than sundial time. Mathematicians developed a yearly equation of time sheet for these inaccuracies. From this, is was possible to set your clock from these sheets.
Some amazing clockmakers produced this equation of time feature, on a year calendar, on their actual clocks. Setting you clock in the 17th century was not easy though and many were still not accurate. It was not until the introduction of the long pendulum, invented by Christian Huygens in 1657 did both clocks accuracy increase and more widespread sale of clocks happened. Towards the end of the 17th and early 18th centuries clocks became more affordable.
As many will know as a result of the great book by Dava Sobel – ‘Longitude’, the problem of inaccuracy of clocks, was even more important at sea.
King Charles II founded the Royal Observatory in 1675 to solve the problems of Longitude of sea. The produced a Lunar method of telling time at sea. This could be inaccurate though and had many problems.
As a result in 1714, the British Government by Act of Parliament, gave a reward of £20,000 (a huge prize at the time) to solve the Longitude problem. John Harrison devoted his life’s work to solving this issue, and he produced various chromometers on display in Greenwich, London, these were called H1, H2, H3 and H4 dating from 1730 to 1760.
Longitude
These clocks were fantastic and clearly solved the problem. Harrison though was not part of the establishment at the time, he was a simple carpenter from Lincolnshire. It took him over 10 years to win his prize, and even then, only by the intervention of the King. Harrisons inventions led to the modern day ships chronometer, these were still widely used until the middle of the 20th century. His inventions led the UK to become an important sea power, and saved countless sailors lives.
Antique clocks were crucial in the 17/18th centuries both on sea and land. During the 18th century accuracy came to within a few minutes a week. It was not until temperature compensated pendulums and other regulator features on the movements, that happened in the latter part of the 18th century, that accuracy came to within a few seconds a week for these precision clocks.
The quest for the measurement of time was in effect solved. Time is central to everyones life, like it was with these great ancestors of ours. Many sayings are taken from these antique clocks, time flies , time shows the path of mans decay, all very morbid, but it is fact. We might have learnt how to measure time, but we can not slow it.
Nothing is so important as time, it is fundamental to life itself. We at Pendulum of Mayfair care for all aspects of antique clocks, please contact me at https://www.pendulumofmayfair.co.uk.