It was my father who stimulated my interest in horology.  Living through the depression of the thirties had taught him to seek diverse ways of earning a living.  One of these was the repair of clocks and watches.  He was entirely self-taught but, in those hard times, ordinary working people had little money to spend on repairs at the local jewellers so he had no shortage of customers.

It was due to this hobby that I was able to wear a watch when none of the other local children possessed one.  I recall Dad had a number of wooden trays in which he kept spare watch parts.  These were absolutely fascinating to me and I would sit for hours holding each tiny part and wondering what function it performed.  My favourite parts were the fusees with their miniature chains.

From these humble beginnings my fascination with clocks and watches grew and has never abated.  I found, wherever I went, clocks and watches in need of repair or restoration.  Each timepiece a challenge to discover the fault and rectify it.  Happily, I can report, very few failures were encountered and, like my Father, my reputation ensured a ready supply of non-ticking timepieces was always on hand to while away the hours.

Naturally, with knowledge comes appreciation of quality.  A study of great watchmakers reveals the most ingenious mechanisms which have been created to enhance the timekeeping qualities of the watch.  Most laymen think of Rolex and Omega as the apogee of the art but I would beg to differ.  If I had to choose a favourite it would be Lange & Sohne.  If you would like to know why, have a look at their website Lange & Sohne.  The craftsmanship and quality are second to none, the site does not state prices but, in the manner of Rolls-Royce, “If you have to ask the price you probably can’t afford one.”

 

Of course, the practical will ask why buy such an expensive item when you can get pretty accurate timekeeping from any quartz watch for less than twenty pounds.  That is true to a degree although you actually need to spend at least £150 to get accuracy of a minute a year.  The reason you buy such a watch is precisely why some people buy a painting by a great master, because you appreciate beauty and craftsmanship.  I should point out that while I would happily buy such a watch, I would never buy a painting by a master, I would be perfectly happy with a photograph of the painting, after all, it has no function other than to portray a scene.

 

So what makes a great watch?  Craftmanship, style and design I would say.  Style is a factor which affects everyone, there are watches I think are hideous (anything over ornate, especially with diamonds!)  I prefer simple and elegant although I also like “busy” watches with inset dials and extra functions like stopwatches.  The design of a watch is a very important factor for me.  The “workings” of a watch are usually hidden inside the case but knowing how it was designed and what principles are involved are are essential to a full appreciation of the instrument.

Let’s look at an example of a watch I would be proud to own (if I could afford it!)

The Lange 1 is a classic design which is not usually seen these days.  The main dial shows the time at a glance, if you need to have accuracy to the second, the seconds dial is a model of clarity.  The date is clearly shown and, important for some, the winding state is revealed by the pointer beneath.  Elegant and functional.  Inside the watch there are two power trains which give the movement enough power to last three days on a full winding,  This is a fine watch but the finest watch in the collection (in my opinion) is the Lange Tourbillon. 

The tourbillon - French for whirlwind - is considered to be one of the most fascinating complications ever devised.  It was in the 18th century when inquisitive minds discovered that the spring of the balance - the beating "heart" that regulates watches - has a systemic error. Because of its helical shape, the spring's centre of gravity is not precisely in the middle. The consequence is that the regularity of its oscillations is affected by the earth's pull as soon as the watch is moved out of the horizontal position. The tourbillon corrects this interference because it suspends the balance wheel and balance spring in a cage that rotates about its own axis once a minute. Thus, the position error is automatically offset.  For more information on the tourbillon (and some fine watches) I recommend the Blancpain site.

 

And what about clocks, I hear you say.  No difference really, except you can’t wear a clock on your wrist!  There is more variety in clocks of course since they can be any size or shape.  However this leads to some grotesque designs as makers catered to the fashion of the times.  My favourite clocks are the astronomical regulators simply because they achieved the best timekeeping of any mechanical device.  By 1900, the Riefler company of Germany was making regulators accurate to 0.01 seconds a day.  By 1920 W H Shortt was producing regulators believed to be accurate to 0.002 seconds a day (believed because science had not invented a way to check such accuracy).  However, when one of these regulators was tested in 1984 it was found to be accurate to 0.0002 seconds a day!  Put another way, it would take 13 years, 8 months and 12 days before it would be a second out!  Now that’s what I call timekeeping.  I should point out that these clocks used electrical power to maintain the pendulum in beat, in this way the escapement was freed from the duty of impulsing the pendulum.  For a fascinating insight into these types of clock go here  The animations are superb. 

 

 

The works of a Rolex Oyster.

This is the 1570 movement from 1972.

The measurement of time has fascinated mankind since ancient times.  Few measurements have engendered such diversity of apparatus and variety of applications.  From water clocks to atomic clocks, man has sought ever more accuracy in measuring the fleeting hours!

A chain-driven fusee

Film Photo

Computing

Railways

Digital Photo

Back to

The Lange 1 from A Lange & Sohne.

The Lange Tourbillon.