Grandfather, Longcase Clocks, London, UK

Pi Fight

2011-06-28T14:09:00.008+01:00

Dr Michael Hartl is proposing a movement in mathematical circles (no pun intended) that will mean a lot to Comitti engineers and designers or anyone with a vested interest in clock making and its inevitable concerns with radial trigonometry. Dr Hartl (an educator and former theoretical physicist) proposes the scrapping of pi in favour of a new constant symbolised by the Greek letter tau and which would be equal to 2 x pi. This measure fits more elegantly with the radian definition of circles rather than the conventional angular measure based on pi. The idea is that tau will simplify many areas of mathematics and engineering. Have a look at the BBC article for a deeper explanation of the concept: -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13906169

The Gitton Time Flow Clock

2011-06-22T10:32:00.007+01:00

Here at Comitti Clocks we like to show you something just a little bit different from time to time and as we have a vested interest in artfully crafted engineering clocks such as our Congreve and Grasshopper models we do like to consider other novelty designs and concepts at times.

Bernard Gitton is a french physicist and artist who combines a fascination for liquid engineering with a love for novelty. He is well known within horological circles for his amazing and very entertaining Time Flow clocks.

The Gitton Time Flow clock has to be one of the most ingenious and inventive clocks built in the last 50 years. It does, in fact, embody quite a revolutionary principal and is a masterpiece of hydrodynamic engineering. Without going into too much detail (because it is mind boggling) the Time Flow functions on a principal of cascading syphons and vacuum locking and breaking that forms a system analogous to the escapement mechanism in a mechanical clock. The system takes its primary power from a pendulum which drives a pump. This concept of a pendulum driven hydrodynamic system with a very beautiful aesthetic has conferred a certain legendary status on this clock and consequently the original Time Flow is a highly collectable (and very valuable) item.

Time Flow iPhone app :)

Gitton is known for many other innovative hydrodynamic inventions not least his liquid 'logic' devices which are analogous to digital electronic circuits, such devices have been used to create an extraordinary water calculator that actually has the same functional principal as its electronic counterpart only using flows of water instead of electrons. Of course it is not quite as fast as the electronic version.

For those who are interested click the link below for more detailed information on the Time Flow principal including a very technical explanation of exactly how it works.

The Gitton Time Flow clock

The Time Flow antique clocks

Time Eternal - Oldest Working Clock

2011-06-21T16:16:00.008+01:00

Salisbury cathedral

Salisbury cathedral clock is one of the oldest working timepieces in the world. We thought you may be interested in this nugget of information which also serves to remind us of our significant associations with horology and time keeping in the UK.

The clock is thought to date from 1386 and fell out of use for many years until it's restoration in 1956. As was common with many early church clocks the Salisbury machine does not drive hands on a face, but instead marks time by ringing the cathedrals tower bells by way of a striking train. At the time of its introduction the church had a much more significant place in the fabric of English society and culture than it does today, the clock was more important for its function as a device to remind the congregation(s) of the timings or intervals between the seven routine daily services rather than being an aid to other aspects of life which would have continued to rely on more instinctive ideas of time, if at all.

It is interesting to consider whether the assertion of the routines of religious worship or the technicalities of maritime navigation were the first practical motives for the social and industrial use of clocks.

Changing Time Zones

2011-06-20T13:56:00.004+01:00

A Brief History of Time Zones is an interesting BBC article on the thorny subject of global time differences. The item has a very engaging (flash) graphic that helps to delineate the topic very effectively. In our age of globally linked communications it seems a little odd now that cultural, political and other forces have contributed to the most complex disparities in global time references since the 19th century. The clamour for daylight saving time and other associated ideas which attempt to completely change our temporal frames of reference have a large part to do with this complexity. See more here:-

A brief history of Time Zones

New Coloured Chinoiserie Clocks

2011-05-20T10:33:00.007+01:00

Here is a brief preview of our new coloured chinoiserie clocks. chinoiserie has been part of the Comitti repertoire since the company began more than hundred years ago. It is a traditional European craft form dating from the seventeenth century and largely pioneered in France. Essentially, a whimsical evocation of classical chinese arts and craft design married to the classic European renaissance style.

Comitti now offer three new chinoiserie clocks in red, green and blue to compliment our existing range on black lacquer. These high colour treatments are also an authentic chinoiserie finish or style. In fact, red was one of the most common base colours for traditional chinoiserie decoration.

The Comitti red Chinoiserie clock

The Comitti blue Chinoiserie clock

The Comitti green Chinoiserie clock

Comitti and Walpole British Luxury

2011-05-20T09:54:00.001+01:00

Many of you may find this site to be quite interesting and also rather inspiring http://www.thewalpole.co.uk/ . Walpole British Luxury is dedicated to the promotion of all of our most iconic national brands and by default also provides something of an insight into the current state of classic British design.

Comitti are pleased to announce that we will be displaying some of our most iconic products to a select gathering of journalists and industry pundits later in June. We will report further on this next month and look forward to this highly prestigious publicity for our clocks.

Our Clocks on YouTube

2011-04-28T13:03:00.003+01:00

A new video demonstrating our Grasshopper and Congreve clocks along with others. This is a very good piece of work, shot in high quality, high definition video.

Committi at Baselworld

2011-03-28T15:32:00.003+01:00

Already Day 5 of the show and what a fantastic reaction we've had to the stunning new clocks! Comitti has brought the unique heritage of British Clockmaking to an international audience at Baselworld.

This is the best ever show for Comitti with interest from all over the world - including Australia, China, India, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, UAE and Canada.

The skeleton clocks have really drawn the visitors .. people passing the stand are compelled to look at the Grasshopper (in all versions), the Congreve and the Great Wheel and nearly all want to talk about them and are intrigued by the great history and romance behind each piece of 'horological art'.

Keep watching this space for more updates and photos from this event along with news about some of the new products revealed at Baselworld.

British clock makers Booming Export Trade

2011-01-11T14:49:00.001Z

A heartening story for British business but also a special coup for clock making in the UK. This BBC item tells the story of Smith clocks who are enjoying something of a boom in export orders despite the comparative state of economic stasis at home. Apparently, "Made in Britain" has become a popular selling tag in many eastern European countries and China and of course Britain has a very special place in the history of clock making and is renowned the world over as an innovator in horology.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12157437

Dr John Taylor & The Chronophage

2011-01-10T15:57:00.002Z

An interesting story about Dr John Taylor , inventive horologist and designer of the 'Chronphage' a very exotic novelty clock / work of art. Dr Taylor also cites John Harrison as a significant source of inspiration for his long term interest in clocks and horology.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/isleofman/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9330000/9330447.stm

HMS Beagle Chronometer – John Harrison

2010-10-12T14:04:00.006+01:00

HMS Beagle

The BBC “History Of The World In A Hundred Objects” series recently cited some of John Harrison’s significant horological inventions. None is more significant though than his work with maritime chronometers, devices that literally revolutionised the science of navigation at sea. The Comitti Grasshopper clock is a faithful reproduction of one of Harrisons more exotic chronometers but the BBC series focused on the historic time keeping device that was kept aboard HMS Beagle and accompanied Darwin on his epic voyages.

See more on the article here --- with photos.

Harrison Precision Pendulum Clock

2010-10-12T13:44:00.002+01:00

The BBC has recently broadcast a series of historical documentaries on Radio 4 entitled History of The World in One Hundred Objects. The series attempts to define the inventions or artifacts that have had a marked effect on the development of society, the evolution of science / engineering and ultimately defined aspects of modern life today. Obviously, the clock and time keeping is a very important aspect of this and a number of John Harrison’s inventions and patents have been cited in the documentary.

This is an interesting article about his Precision Pendulum Clock that became a vital time reference instrument, which played a significant role in maritime time keeping and navigation. In some ways it was a little like the base time atomic clocks of today.

BBC Harrison Precision Pendulum Clock

Pre Owned Watches from Cottrills, UK

2010-08-20T14:30:00.005+01:00

More high quality wristwatches and pre-owned high prestige watches from Cottrills UK. Many available at substantially discounted prices.

Pre owned watches, Cottrills UK

Patek Pre-owned Wristwatch

2010-08-17T10:35:00.007+01:00

An example of the pre-owned wristwatches currently available from Prestons of Bolton. The Patek Philippe Gondola Serata ladies watch is set with over 100 diamonds in a white gold casing with mother of pearl face. You can see the website entry here pre-owned Patek

Patek is a very distinguished name and one of the oldest Swiss watchmaking firms but probably not quite as well known as other prestige names such as Rolex and Longines. Prestons of Bolton are a major stockist for Rolex and also supply new watches by all of the other luxury brands. Over the coming months the pre-owned wristwatches collection is expected to grow exponentially and there are likely to be many interesting and highly collectable timepieces available for purchase at reduced prices.

More info here Prestons of Bolton pre-owned wristwaches

Prestige Pre - Owned Wristwatches

2010-08-13T15:37:00.004+01:00

For many years Prestons of Bolton (a well known jewelers in the northwest UK) have been renowned for their exquisite range of high prestige wristwatches. Prestons is the most significant Rolex dealer in the North but now they have also moved into the pre-owned high value wristwatch market. A new page has appeared on the website where you can see some of the magnificent and often highly collectable pre-owned watches that are currently available in store. Many of course, are available with substantial discounts!

Pre - Owned Wristwatches from Prestons of Bolton

Why We Love Comitti Clocks

2010-06-23T10:52:00.006+01:00

Comitti has had many delighted customers over the years and we thought we would include a few of the testimonials written for us by customers who
have had so much pleasure from their Comitti purchases.

Many of our correspondents describe how their clocks have provided a source of enchantment and interest. The comforting presence of a grandfather or grandmother clock is a theme that comes up fairly often too.

"Our Kensington gradfather clock arrived last week. It is absolutely beautiful! The mahogany pillars with brass caps I had requested are exactly how I wished them to be! He is now a British/Texan Clock. Very special indeed! We will always treasure him!
To you and everyone there, all our thanks! When we go by London we will come visit you."
Ana Morcate, Texas, USA

"It is very seldom that I write to a company thanking them for their service, but you compel me to act. My Trafalgar mahogany grandfather clock is absolutely perfect. I am over the moon. I only have praise for the person who installed it, very proficient and dedicated.
Ever since 1950 I always wanted a grandfather clock and now I have one.
Thank you very much for this splendid product."
Mr Salter, Surrey, UK

"This is to acknowledge the return of my clock.
Your service is very much appreciated and it is very pleasant to find a company that still believes in good customer service and I would have no hesitation, in the future, of recoomending your clocks."
R Cowx, Kent, UK

"I telephoned recently regarding a replacement key for a mantel clock. This has now been received and I would like to thank you very much for your kind attention and assistance in this matter.
It is reassuring to receive service such as this, which is most certainly a welcome change."
G West, Surrey, UK

"Just wanted you all to know how much I enjoy my grandfather clock which arrived today. It is the Admiral Nelson grandfather clock and is beautiful."
Joan Quigley, Massachusetts, USA

"We just wanted to convey our delight with our beautiful grandmother clock which was delivered and set up yesterday. I have always wanted to own a grandmother clock and it is everything I hoped it would be-and much more! It looks magnificent in its position in our hallway-in fact it looks as if it has been made especially for that particular space-and I just want to keep looking at it and listening to the chime! The skill of the craftsmen who made it is evident and I would be grateful if you could pass on our thanks and appreciation to them."
Mrs Tyson, Berkshire, UK

Just a handful of the many encouraging testimonials that we have received recently. Comitti are grateful for your feedback as we are a small and dedicated company and it is always interesting to know what our customers feel, and of course, we are always delighted to hear stories about how much pleasure our lovingly hand crafted clocks have brought into peoples lives.

British Railway Clocks

2010-06-17T15:33:00.006+01:00

Great Western Railway Clock c1870

Here is an interesting site dedicated to antique British railway clocks. Some of the designs have strong similarities to the Comitti Victorian Wall Clock and others. Railway clocks are particularly popular with collectors and thematic designers not to mention railway enthusiasts and heritage railway organisations. You can see that many of the clocks employ a particularly robust design with very interesting and often quite stout hands to complement heavy and bold face markings; these also include 24 hour scales. The site has clocks from all of the major pre-nationalisation companies along with early British Railways designs.

The Comitti Victorian Wall Clock

Comitti Congreve Clock

2010-06-14T15:16:00.013+01:00

This is an animation of the Comitti Congreve clock, another popular and well known specialty model from the makers of the equally notable Grasshopper.

The clock is based on a design by William Congreve c1808, a very popular concept clock with a curiosity value revered by collectors through the ages. The solid brass ball rolls along specially constructed guide channels on a tilted plate where it then triggers an escapement which in turn tilts the plate in the opposite direction sending the ball back to the other end of the channel and again triggering the escapement thus reversing the process once more.

The function of the clock manifests an engaging delineation of the passing of time as a physical process of momentum. The Victorians were particularly keen on machines or mechanical devices that employed novel systems or appeared to describe, measure, or define the magical, divine or simple processes of time and nature, this was a time when the barometer, music boxes and all manner of automata became popular household novelty items.

The Congreve clock actually pre-dates the Victorian era by more than 20 years and many of the innovations that came to be synonymous with the industrial age though it is a highly advanced piece of mechanical engineering. The cycle and regulation of the clock is determined by very complex calculations which take into account the mass, diameter and velocity of the rolling ball and part of this is a function of the angle of the sloping plate, the length of the guide track and radius of the bends in it. The passage of the ball from one end of the track to the other takes approximately 15 seconds. The essential appearance of the clock gives an impression that it is somehow in a state of perpetual motion with only gravity and the potential energy of the ball as a driving force but this can not be possible as another form of energy is required to lift the plate and the ball at each end of its travel. The main driving force for this clock is a large wound coil spring and this provides the lifting energy for the plate which is then transferred to the ball that in turn operates the escapement mechanism.

please visit the Comitti website for more information on the Congreve clock and other traditional grandfather clocks, table top and wall clocks.

The Comitti Grasshopper Clock --- Animated!

2010-06-11T16:39:00.010+01:00

Here is an impressive piece of work created by our new graphics junior, it shows an overview of the movement action of Comitti’s famous Grasshopper clock. This is based on a photo that has been used on both the Comitti site and some of our printed literature designed by the folks at the Gate.

The original form of this clock (an 18th Century design by John Harrison) can be seen at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. The animation demonstrates the movement of the double pendulums which were cleverly designed to counteract perturbations that can arise from changing orientation of the clock itself as would happen on board a ship. Our designer has applied the same animation technique to other specialty clocks by Comitti and we will feature those here in the coming days.

European Union Ban On Mercury Barometers

2010-06-09T16:53:00.010+01:00

The Sheraton Stick Barometer by Comitti of London.

Many people may already know that Comitti is one of a very small number of companies in the UK that manufacture traditional barometers. In fact, you could count these companies on the fingers on one hand. Barometer making has been a significant craft in Britain for nearly 350 years and ties in with that perennial British obsession --- the weather! This in turn has its roots in traditions arising from our status as an island based nation of seafarers. Barometers were first manufactured for maritime use and employed in both land based and sea going contexts, they gave seafarers a huge advantage as a knowledge of likely and impending weather conditions was so vital in the age of sailing ships.

Now after nearly 350 years the survival of the British craft of barometer making is once again facing a serious threat thanks to ongoing EU legislation on the use of mercury in non-medical instrumentation.

Traditional barometers rely on mercury which is used in the measuring tubes for both temperature and atmospheric pressure. The more sophisticated and scientifically orientated barometers may also contain a wet bulb hygrometer for measuring relative humidity; this is another component that makes use of a small amount of mercury. but later aneroid types with a dial dispaly also use small amounts of mercury for the high accuracy thermometer component. The aneroid barometer will be most familiar to the majority of people. We will keep all interested parties informed through our website, this blog and also the Comitti Face Book page.

Comitti Grasshopper Clock in Chinoiserie

2010-06-01T12:15:00.003+01:00

Comitti Grasshopper Clock in Chinoiserie

Comitti have just released a new version of the well know Grasshopper chronometer clock. This highly crafted and intricate time piece now comes with a base finished in Chinoiserie, a style of finish that invokes the feel of ancient Chinese decorations. Chinoiserie is in fact, a uniquely European style that is more a caricature of the traditional Chinese style, a romantic interpretation that appears to meld the oriental with a well established fondness for chintz in 18th century Europe. The Chinoiserie range is very popular and Comitti also make a wide range of table top (bell top) clocks replicating Georgian clock designs in Chinoiserie.

Spring Time --- Return of The Mechanical Wristwatch

2010-05-28T16:27:00.004+01:00

According to a recent BBC business news item there has been something of a resurgence of interest in wristwatches with mechanical movements, this in turn has increased the need for more craftsmen (and women) equipped with the unique time honoured skills required for precision watch and clock making. The increased need for specialist craftsman to service mechanical watch movements has also come about as a result of increased ownership of high value prestige time pieces by Rolex and Breitling etc , a legacy of more economically buoyant times. The maintenance of these exquisite and highly intricate watches requires considerable skill as some, especially those with chronograph and chime movements, involve levels of mechanical intricacy that are close to the limit of human dexterity.

The British School of watchmaking based in Manchester is now a rapidly growing institution that provides a comprehensive training in the full range of watchmaking crafts and skills, obviously considerable dexterity and patience is a prerequisite for any budding watchmaker and it is necessary for students to be able to work at the micron scale --- eventually. The schools training program starts at the big end so to speak, ‘big’ here means fractions of a millimetre but even at this scale the level of dexterity and concentration required is beyond many of us.

For more info have a look at the WOSTEP website and / or listen to the BBC in Business piece below.

The British School of Watchmaking

Comitti on Face Book

2010-05-24T09:20:00.002+01:00

Comitti Clocks on FaceBook

Comitti clocks are now on Face Book, please have a look at our page and become a fan --- if you can.

The Gastown Steam Clock

2010-05-11T16:52:00.001+01:00

I just found this on youtube and thought it was a little quirky, the clock movement is steam powered and a series of steam whistles take the place of more conventional chimes. These clocks are very rare though there are other examples across the world. All were designed by the Canadian horologist Raymond Saunders.

Comitti Longcase Clock Face

2010-05-10T15:28:00.008+01:00

The comitti flickr site has been a little dormant for the last few months but hopefully we will be able to upload some new images quite soon. This photo shows an artist hand painting the faceplate of a longcase clock. It is an age old tradition to decorate the face surround of longcase or grandfather clocks and the method is more specifically known as Japanning. Illustrations depicting an idea of time passing were very common with day to night motifs being particularly popular. The idea of time and the temporal cycle of life also ties in with patterns of celestial activity and the celestial connection with time was another common theme in clock face decoration. Anthropomorphic sun and moon iconography featured strongly and some clocks had beautiful sun – moon ‘flags’ that passed through cutouts in the face as the time passed from day to night and vice versa.
Our painter is illustrating this face with a nautical theme which is a little more novel but not uncommon in clocks specifically intended for nautical institutions. Many old clocks intended for industrial or company use had their faces hand painted with logos or other relevant details and many of these are exceptionally collectible. Large numbers of specialist and ornately decorated clocks were manufactured for the railways and shipboard use with major lines.

Comitti Clocks and Crafts on YouTube

2010-05-10T10:50:00.004+01:00

Starting our YouTube with a simple video, (well a still with sound track) of the Georgian break arch clock in chinoiserie. We hope to include more material in the coming weeks and some of this may give an insight into our range of crafts and manufacturing processes. Many of the crafts employed by Comitti are now exceptionally rare and highly specialised, often requiring considerable artistic talent and skill. Chinoiserie along with marquetry and ornate cabinet making are significant crafts at Comitti. We also employ the skills of highly creative metal workers who’s abilities are not only essential to the manufacture of traditional clock movements but also our range of specialty clocks with all moving parts on display, essentially constituting an artistic statement in mechanical form.

Grasshopper Clock by Comitti

2010-05-07T13:16:00.004+01:00

Comitti may be well known for their extensive experience in the production of more tradition clock designs and mechanisms but did you know that they also make a range of unique specialty clocks? The Grasshopper clock is a particularly interesting example, this exquisite clock is rhodium plated and based on a reciprocating mass concept employed in the first marine chronometers designed by John Harrison (1693 - 1776). It is a very reliable and robust design as befitting shipboard chronometers and more immune to changing orientation than a single pendulum clock.

For more details the Comitti Grasshopper Clock

Georgian Basket Top Clock --- Comitti London.

2010-05-06T12:40:00.006+01:00

Georgian Basket Top Clock

This is a new blog for all those interested in horology or clocks, clock making and especially the collection of antique or reproduction clocks. We have a particular interest in Comitti Clocks of London, a very well established clockmaker that continues to produce the most exquisite longcase (grandfather) clocks, mantle, shelf and wall clocks, many of which follow design patterns that are more than 250 years old. Comitti is committed to sourcing and retaining a wide range of associated skills in marquetry, chinoiserie, carpentry and cabinet making and the most skilled craftspeople in these fields have contributed significantly to the ageless or rather ‘timeless’ production quality of the Comitti range of clocks.

Over the coming weeks we will publish a range of stories, links and articles which you may find interesting or useful. These will include news items or other interesting articles from Comitti themselves.