What could be better for your favourite horologist ? These Black Wach Tartan Boxes are perfect for keeping your watches safe and, if you’re like me, in one place. No more lost watches ! They are also great for cufflinks, tie pins, collar stiffeners etc. With silver hingest and catch together with a suede interior, just imagine the smile that will light up a human, if not a watch face.
Horology is perhaps an incorrect word since it derives from the greek for ‘study of time’ rather than collector of time pieces. Some of the earliest most valuable watches made in the UK were the work of Thomas Tompion. We know that he made a watch for King Charles II in 1675 but he also make clocks for the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. Maybe interstingly, Tompion didn’t just make mechanical clocks made there is a sundial designed by him at Hampton Court Palace.
Time & Distance
Did you know that navigating the world posed time based problems for our sea-fareing ancestors ? Measuring the highest point of the sun would give a reasonable idea of latitude but calculating longitude was a far harder problem. Not knowing where you are is something of a problem today but it was a disaster for 18th century sailors. As a consequence many ships an lives were lost. Parliament offered a prize for an accurate clock that would allow seamen to know what time it was in Greenwich when it was midday where they were the time differential would give a precise longitude. The problem was no one had made a clock that was accurate enough or robust enough. Ships, especially in those days, were not the most stable platforms. With the distances involved the clock would have to be very accurate for many months.
Up stepped John Harrison, who, over many decades came up with a solution and his Maritime Chronometer was a fantastic success. However he never received his prize. You can learn more about John Harrison in Dava Sobel’s Book “Longitude”. It’s a brilliant read. No time to read it ? Why not watch this video from Drachinifel’s Weekly Rum Rum Ration here.
