This post was written by Charles Ormrod. Robert Miles’s landmark work, Synchronome: Masters of Electrical Timekeeping, sold out a few years after its original publication in 2011. Since then, copies of this highly sought-after book have been selling … Continue reading →

Jonathan Betts. Almost exactly ten years ago I had John Harrison’s magnificent first marine timekeeper H1 in my workshop at the Royal Observatory. It was being dismantled for study, cataloguing and conservation for the new chronometer catalogue. I had a film crew with me … Continue reading →

At the Mannheim electric clock fair, now in its twentieth year, one unusual item usually attracts a lot attention. This year (2019) was no exception. The images show an early form of German ‘treppenhausautomat’, loosely a ‘staircase lighting timer’. Lighting, … Continue reading →

Until recently, there had been little research carried out on the typography of wristwatch dials. However, over the past decade, the increased interest in collectable vintage wristwatches appears to have sparked the interest of brands and collectors alike. While wristwatch … Continue reading →

  Every clock that left the workshop or factory on its way to a buyer has, we may assume, been coveted by and, we may hope, given satisfaction to its owner. But most of this goes unrecorded, and where traditional … Continue reading →