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Timekeeping
H1 (ZAA0034)
| Object name: |
Marine timekeeper
We
have 4 objects of this type online
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A2757, Marine timekeeper (H1), front
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
About our images
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| Artist/maker: |
John Harrison
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| Date made: |
1735 |
| Place made: |
Barrow-on-Humber, Lincolnshire, England |
| Materials: |
brass; bronze; steel; oak; lignum vitae |
| Measurements: |
Overall display height: 673 mm |
| Credit: |
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Ministry of Defence Art Collection |
| Collection: |
Chronometers, precision watches and timekeepers
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| Other views: |
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Description:
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Marine timekeeper, H1. This is the first experimental marine timekeeper made by John Harrison in Barrow-on-Humber between 1730 and 1735 as a first step towards solving the longitude problem and winning the great £20,000 prize offered by the British Government. Now known as 'H1', the timekeeper is unaffected by the motion of a ship owing to its two interconnected swinging balances. It compensates for changes in temperature and thanks to extensive anti-friction devices, runs without any lubrication. It was the first relatively successful marine timekeeper of any kind and was the toast of London when Harrison unveiled it in 1735. It is one of the great milestones in clock-making history. See also; ZAA0035 (H2), ZAA0036 (H3) and ZAA0037 (H4).
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