Modern day watches with stop-watch function is just that – a function to inform the passage of time. The time elapsed is measured in one-hundredths of a second. This function is mostly found in racetracks in Britain, Ireland or wherever horse-racing facilities are found. Sports centres of excellence such as athletes training in swimming, athletics, cycling among others are also places where the function of time is critical. There are many more examples where this function is required. The point of this observation is that there is no style or grace to this function. Computer digits flashing towards neural senses in the brain and before you know it the cognitive centres in the brain have processed the information and life moves on.
To add sweeping grace to this function credit goes to a British watchmaker by the name of George Graham who started using the watch mechanism known as dead-beat movement. Clocks in the 18th Century were using this mechanism in regulator clocks. A good example of clock regulator builder is another British watchmaker Townley. The second hand would tick once a second. In the words of Mat Craddock (Marching to a Different beat – the history of dead beat seconds, Dec 14, 2015) described the accurate “tick” as slivers of time reminiscent of poetry in motion. He describes dividing time by resplicing the second hand function into etherealness via horological engineering.
Sounds complicated and the matter of fact is the movement is a marvel of complication to splice that beat and hence the term ‘dead-beat’. The ‘dead’ refers to the hand at a stand-still between steps. The engineering solution of a pendulum clock beating at one hertz that registered the tick and converting the same to pocket watches and thereafter to marine chronometers consumed watchmakers in the 17th and 18th century. The passion to create can be compared to present day engineering challenges of reusing booster rockets to make space travel a reality for ordinary human beings.
Among the best-known dead beat seconds movement (it is still a rarity) is Arnold and Son; another British watchmaker. Litherland &Co. is also credited for producing dead-seconds watch in 1793. (An advertisement in the Liverpool Advertiser of 1793 listed this watch at £26 and 5 shillings. In today’s prices this could be anywhere between 3000 pounds if the watch considered as a commodity or 34,000 pound if equated to a labour value and about 52,000 pounds if income value was taken into account. (Source:www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare).
If you own or see a dead-seconds watch of vintage build hesitate not one bit. Irrespective of the condition take it straight to Perpetual Time in Manchester who not only will service the movement but also restore the watch to its original glory (within limitations). Just peruse Perpetual Time reviews to ascertain their credentials; and the most important part is the cost of bringing a dead-second watch to life is within reason. Several Perpetual Time reviews (trustpilot.com) are appreciative of the pricing of services by this Guild of Master Craftsman badge holder.
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