This video illustrates so many fascinating things about 18th-century horology but also about the differences between routine watch service and the conservatorship of priceless pieces of history. K1 isn't a watch you disassemble and toss into the ultrasonic cleaner. The engineering that went into it is simply stunning. Thank you for this highly informative presentation.
Fantastic insight into what was a truly amazing part of history.To be able to make this in 1769 is truly amazing, to be so beautiful also is testament to the pride put into there workmanship.😍😍😍
I had the opportunity to see the collection at Greenwich about twenty something years ago. I was admiring K2 in its glass display case when the building's custodian came over and whispered to me "That's Captain Bligh's watch!" The history behind these is just amazing. Thank you for a great peek inside!
Thank you for this brilliant video! Your approach to the "defects" of the watch will ring in my ears for as long as I live: "This is now part of the history of the watch." Well said and well worth applying to most vintage watches.
This is a story that needs to be told and repeated. This almost forgotten history gives rise to the myth that mechanical watches are somehow inferior to modern quartz movements. Just not so. Almost no mass produced quartz watch today could come within the 5 second deviation in 81 days at sea that John Harrison’s H6 watch achieved. As a collector of watches both quartz and mechanical I am awed by the engineering put into the H series he produced.
What a wonderful and interesting video on this historical watch. It is indeed amazing how those watch parts could have been made that long ago. Many thanks for your presentation.
Astounding video that does a great job of driving the point home about how K1 and then K2 are a link between the Harrison sea watches and the simpler, cost-effective marine chronometers that were later standardized by the likes of Arnold and Earnshaw
Very interesting video. I have a pocketwatch from that time period (1775) and it runs well enough. It is a London maker as well. It was interesting to see that these chronometers used a verge escapement with a fusee. Seeing it disassembled and going over the movement was much more interesting than most talks on the Harrison clocks and chronometers. The detail in these things is amazing really considering the time.
It's extraordinary to think what they could accomplish without even artifical light let alone electricity. I sometimes wonder if our current great watchmaker RW Smith could achieve what he has were it not for that! A superb video and thank you for publishing it.
It's sobering to reflect on the fact that a timepiece can still be functioning perfectly decades or centuries after it's maker and the original owners are dead. When I look at my Patek Philippe, I guess there's every likelihood that someone will be wearing it long after I'm gone and forgotten...
Fantastic Video. Loved to see the overview of the K2: Is that Bligh's/Christian's? The concept of Longitudinal Time Calculation was carried through even to the late days of terrestrial navigation with LORAN. We used atomic clocks (I had 3 Cesium 133 synthesizers in a rack next to my desk) to generate hyperbolae within a network of transmitting stations, but the concepts were the same. Our clocks were all set to GMT, and we could always tell you what time it was in London from a small island in the Bering Sea.
250 years ago August 1773 James Cook 2nd voyage and the testing of Marine chronometers (K1, Arnold n° 3 on Resolution, Arnold n° 1 & 3 on Adventure). #Longitude #MoonwatchUniverse
Kinda' surprising that (as soon as) K2, he ditched the Remontoire and reworked the temperature compensation. Seems a bold thing to to do a design that isn't even your own!
Hi there. Originally it would have been done by experiment, although by this time, Harrison had done so much experimentation in his Sea Clocks that he knew the ratio of expansion of steel to brass, and had written about it. How much change there would be against a given balance spring would still have needed a lot of experimentation, because balance springs were far from standardised.
After 250 years someone’s wonderful idea to leave it open for people to gawp into has left it with a patina similar to the scorching of a nuclear blast.
I respect what you are trying to do but it has to be said a computer generated model or pictures would be very boring there's no point coming to the museum I can just google an image please dont hide it away in a drawer somewhere
Those decisions are made at a very high level in the museum management at the Old Royal Observatory, but I am sure that public opinion matters if they hear about it.
This video illustrates so many fascinating things about 18th-century horology but also about the differences between routine watch service and the conservatorship of priceless pieces of history. K1 isn't a watch you disassemble and toss into the ultrasonic cleaner. The engineering that went into it is simply stunning. Thank you for this highly informative presentation.
What an absolutely fantastic video, thank you so much for sharing it. The remontoir is absolutely gorgeous and is rarely shown in this detail.
Fantastic insight into what was a truly amazing part of history.To be able to make this in 1769 is truly amazing, to be so beautiful also is testament to the pride put into there workmanship.😍😍😍
I had the opportunity to see the collection at Greenwich about twenty something years ago. I was admiring K2 in its glass display case when the building's custodian came over and whispered to me "That's Captain Bligh's watch!" The history behind these is just amazing. Thank you for a great peek inside!
@BHI what an incredible production. Thank you so much. More please!
Absolutely glorious to see the inner workings of the mechanism. Would love to see more like this- please keep these videos coming!
Thank you so much for your explanations and this very rare opportunity to see the insides of this historical timepiece👍
It's such a privilege to see and learn about this astonishing device.
These watches are MINDBLOWING!! Thanks for a great guided tour.
Thank you for this brilliant video! Your approach to the "defects" of the watch will ring in my ears for as long as I live: "This is now part of the history of the watch." Well said and well worth applying to most vintage watches.
This is a story that needs to be told and repeated. This almost forgotten history gives rise to the myth that mechanical watches are somehow inferior to modern quartz movements. Just not so. Almost no mass produced quartz watch today could come within the 5 second deviation in 81 days at sea that John Harrison’s H6 watch achieved. As a collector of watches both quartz and mechanical I am awed by the engineering put into the H series he produced.
And Rolex still can't match that sort of performance today!
What a wonderful and interesting video on this historical watch. It is indeed amazing how those watch parts could have been made that long ago. Many thanks for your presentation.
Astounding video that does a great job of driving the point home about how K1 and then K2 are a link between the Harrison sea watches and the simpler, cost-effective marine chronometers that were later standardized by the likes of Arnold and Earnshaw
What? No use of Brasso? Lovely presentation and a delight to see inside Cook's K1. Mind boggling workmanship.
Really enjoyed this! Thank you 😊
Magnificent.
Very interesting. Genius work
Very interesting video. I have a pocketwatch from that time period (1775) and it runs well enough. It is a London maker as well. It was interesting to see that these chronometers used a verge escapement with a fusee. Seeing it disassembled and going over the movement was much more interesting than most talks on the Harrison clocks and chronometers. The detail in these things is amazing really considering the time.
Thank you for this, great to watch the watch.
Quite fascinating, thank you for the thoughtful analysis of the design. Might a follow up video be able to explore the design for manufacture please?
Very interesting video being an ex retired repairer I didn’t know that there was similarity to the individual who made each timepiece
Amazing video
It's extraordinary to think what they could accomplish without even artifical light let alone electricity. I sometimes wonder if our current great watchmaker RW Smith could achieve what he has were it not for that! A superb video and thank you for publishing it.
You’re like Jonathan Ferguson but for clocks this is great
An excellent video.
It's sobering to reflect on the fact that a timepiece can still be functioning perfectly decades or centuries after it's maker and the original owners are dead. When I look at my Patek Philippe, I guess there's every likelihood that someone will be wearing it long after I'm gone and forgotten...
EXCELLENT VIDEO THANKYOU
Fantastic Video. Loved to see the overview of the K2: Is that Bligh's/Christian's? The concept of Longitudinal Time Calculation was carried through even to the late days of terrestrial navigation with LORAN. We used atomic clocks (I had 3 Cesium 133 synthesizers in a rack next to my desk) to generate hyperbolae within a network of transmitting stations, but the concepts were the same. Our clocks were all set to GMT, and we could always tell you what time it was in London from a small island in the Bering Sea.
250 years ago August 1773 James Cook 2nd voyage and the testing of Marine chronometers (K1, Arnold n° 3 on Resolution, Arnold n° 1 & 3 on Adventure). #Longitude #MoonwatchUniverse
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Any hope of seeing K3 serviced?
Kinda' surprising that (as soon as) K2, he ditched the Remontoire and reworked the temperature compensation. Seems a bold thing to to do a design that isn't even your own!
Amazing watch on his wrist (SKX)…..K1 is Very nice too🤣
Wouldn't some vacuum seal with a gas allow for viewing but without enclosing the case? Wonderful video.
A glass (or similar) case with filtered air doesn't sound overly complex
@@paulwomack5866 I agree. It would be an easy thing to make a hermetically sealed display case and use Argon or Nitrogen inside.
Fantastic. Is that an SKX on your wrist?
At the time 16:30 do you know how much of a change in the length of change that bi metal bar can make
Hi there. Originally it would have been done by experiment, although by this time, Harrison had done so much experimentation in his Sea Clocks that he knew the ratio of expansion of steel to brass, and had written about it. How much change there would be against a given balance spring would still have needed a lot of experimentation, because balance springs were far from standardised.
Is this the watch Del and Rodney found and what finally gave them the wealth they dream.ed of .
Is this the early example of constant force?
After 250 years someone’s wonderful idea to leave it open for people to gawp into has left it with a patina similar to the scorching of a nuclear blast.
If the watch is not going to be operated, but just displayed, perhaps no lubricant should be used at all. Just a thought.
Wish you had better camera work,close up and a tually showing the part when talking about it .
It's massive looks more like K2 lol
I respect what you are trying to do but it has to be said a computer generated model or pictures would be very boring there's no point coming to the museum I can just google an image please dont hide it away in a drawer somewhere
Those decisions are made at a very high level in the museum management at the Old Royal Observatory, but I am sure that public opinion matters if they hear about it.