In the 18th and 19th Century London was the centre of horological excellence, Dent, Frodsham, Tompion and of course John Harrison were all masters of their craft. Today only one company survives; we are proud to introduce to you Comitti of London, manufacturers of the very finest clocks and barometers since 1850.
In the 18th and 19th Century London was the centre of horological excellence, Dent, Frodsham, Tompion and of course John Harrison were all masters of their craft. Today only one company survives; we are proud to introduce to you Comitti of London, manufacturers of the very finest clocks and barometers since 1850.
In the 18th and 19th Century London was the centre of horological excellence, Dent, Frodsham, Tompion and of course John Harrison were all masters of their craft. Today only one company survives; we are proud to introduce to you Comitti of London, manufacturers of the very finest clocks and barometers since 1850.
In the 18th and 19th Century London was the centre of horological excellence, Dent, Frodsham, Tompion and of course John Harrison were all masters of their craft. Today only one company survives; we are proud to introduce to you Comitti of London, manufacturers of the very finest clocks and barometers since 1850.
In the early 18th Century the biggest single problem facing navigators was how to calculate longitude and so determine their true position in the vastness of the oceans. Countless lives were lost as ships were wrecked in unchartered waters and so the British parliament offered a prize of £20,000 for a solution equivalent to £2,770,000 in modern currency.
There were two schools of thought for the solving of this problem, the astronomers who believed you could calculate the true longitudinal position using the stars and the horologists who understood that an extremely accurate clock would allow the true east-west position or longitude to be calculated.
Over a period of many years John Harrison a self taught English clockmaker invented the marine chronometer, the most accurate timekeeper ever created which importantly would keep accurate time aboard a pitching ship and in extremes of heat, cold and humidity.
The Comitti ‘Grasshopper’ is a tribute to the skill,ingenuity and tenacity of one man who changed the course of history.
In the 18th and 19th Century London was the centre of horological excellence, Dent, Frodsham, Tompion and of course John Harrison were all masters of their craft. Today only one company survives; we are proud to introduce to you Comitti of London, manufacturers of the very finest clocks and barometers since 1850.
£10,500
The Grasshopper Clock is based on the first marine chronometer made by the world’s most famous clock maker, John Harrison (1693 - 1776). His marine timepieces made it possible for seafarers to navigate accurately and can be viewed at the Royal observatory in Greenwich, London. The clock features the “grasshopper escapement” operated by two interlinked pendulums that compensated for the motion of a ship. The movement is hand made from solid brass, polished and gold plated. The dials are silver plated with the seconds indicated by the scale above the clock face.Each clock is supplied with a copy of Dava Sobel’s book Longitude that reveals the story of John Harrison’s life.
All our products have a 2 year warranty
Copyright 2010 Comitti of London - grandfather, longcase, table top and chinoiserie clocks. Follow us on Facebook or the Official Comitti blog
