Clocks and scientific instruments form a broad collecting field covering timekeepers of every kind together with instruments made for measuring, observing, calculating and navigating. Clocks include longcase, bracket, lantern, mantel, carriage, wall and skeleton clocks, while scientific instruments range from barometers, thermometers and sundials to globes, telescopes, microscopes, surveying equipment and marine navigational instruments.
London became one of the world's leading centres of clockmaking in the late seventeenth century, with makers such as Thomas Tompion and George Graham producing clocks of outstanding precision and quality. Provincial English makers supplied thousands of longcase clocks, and in the nineteenth century French carriage clocks, German and American mass-produced clocks and Austrian regulators became widely available. British instrument makers, including Dollond and Negretti and Zambra, were internationally respected. Collectors assess the maker, the quality and originality of the movement, the condition of the dial and case, and whether parts have been replaced or married together from different pieces. Clocks and instruments should be serviced by specialists, as poor repairs can cause lasting damage. Beyond their technical interest, these objects bring a sense of order and craftsmanship to libraries, halls and studies.
