INTRODUCTION

For over 40 years I’ve had an intense interest in precision time. At every opportunity that was available to me, I studied the famous precision clocks of the past, in particular the electrically operated regulators of the late 19^th Century into the mid 20^th Century. I had over the years, the opportunity to own many of the most interesting and famous of these clocks including examples of Riefler, Leroy, Shortt, Fedchenko, Strasser, Hipp and Godman as well as many earlier clocks that could not be described as precision clocks but helped to form the basis upon which the later electric regulators were designed. Over a period of time, I formed some ideas of my own as to how I might build a number of  different new experimental precision electric clocks utilizing different principals and I embarked on my project.

The first clock that I designed (Clock Q1) is a seconds beating regulator type using a Schuler type pendulum, magnetic impulsing and runs in a relatively high vacuum within a glass tank. This clock has been running for about a year now and the performance is excellent. The second clock (Clock Q2)  that is currently under construction is a smaller than Q1 and is meant for a table top. It is also seconds beating using a normal compound pendulum, knife edge suspension and quartz pendulum bobs and rod. It has a form of constant force escapement and should be finished this year (2004).
Q2 is finally finished and running (Feb. 2005) . I'm not sure what its performance will be but I'm shooting for a minute or two a year. Time will tell!

SITE UPDATED 02/08/2005