John Harrison and his sea watches


John Harrison was born in 1693 in Foulby, West Yorkshire and lived for most of his life in Barrow upon Humber. He became a carpenter, like his father, and was a gifted musician. He was a self-taught watchmaker, creating his first timepieces entirely out of wood.


He moved to London in the 1750s, at the height of his development of his “sea watches” and died in the capital in 1776. The ship’s chronometers were rediscovered at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in the mid-20th century and restored. Today the H1, H2, H3 and H4 are on display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The H5 is owned by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, and is displayed in the Clockmaker’s Museum in London’s Guildhall.


Orderline 0844 875 1515 21


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