CULTURE
The First Pendulum Clock, C. Huygens invent, S. Coster fecit
1956 Oil painting by Hugh Chevins of Coster’s workshop, The Hague
The First Pendulum Clock Salomon Coster Replica In 1657 a man named Salomon Coster built the first domestic pendulum clock. He would die two years later, during which time it is estimated he produced more than 30 clocks. It is thought that the most expensive of these was an eight day pendulum clock without strike, which it is believed sold for around 130 guilders – perhaps £80,000 by modern day standards. Why so expensive? At this point in history most regulated the time by judging noon by the sun being at the highest point in the sky. Virtually no-one owned a clock. But what was it about these clocks that made it so valuable at the time? It was the use of the pendulum for regulation, increasing the accuracy of the time keeping. Aided by John Fromanteel, Salomon Coster produced the first of these pendulum clocks, working closely with Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens – the man credited with their invention. The importance of the pendulum in a clock’s mechanism is the regulation of power release. Speaking simply, a clock is a controlled release of a power source through a regulator; along with the means to interpret the rate of this release. The quality and accuracy of the time keeping mechanism can be affected by many factors such as the power source, gearing, regulator and lubrication. In a perfect clock the power source would be uniform, the gearing friction-free, the regulator would oscillate with equal intervals of time, and the oil would suffer no degradation over time. But it’s not a perfect world, and the clockmaker must make use of all the innovations available to them. The pendulum is designed to regulate the steady release of the wound spring power source. The Coster pendulum was suspended on a silk thread between two symmetrical curved plates, which interfered with the path of the fine silk as the pendulum swings, progressively shortening the length of the pendulum the greater the pendulum amplitude. It was known 32
that varying impulse results in a varying pendulum amplitude, and consequently erratic timekeeping. The results of Huygens pendulum development achieved an improvement of the accuracy of timekeeping from minutes in an hour to less than a minute in a week. Coster’s clocks were masterworks, created by working with the very best materials, machines and tools available to him at the time. John C Taylor clocks are made by skilled craftsmen in this same tradition, using the best materials and production techniques available. The Salomon Coster Replica by John C Taylor is designed and constructed using precise measurements and computerised drawings of each original component, tempered with minor design alterations to suit the modern age. Each internal component is machined on the Isle of Man, making these unique timepieces a spectacular collectible, with production numbers limited to just 100. Dr. John C Taylor himself celebrated his 75th birthday on November 25th, which was marked by a party at his home and the firing of a cannon. A XIV 24lb bronze naval cannon from the late 17th century that was last fired by Holland & Holland in 1969, no less! [We have no information on who they were aiming the cannon at] It was recovered from Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell’s Flagship HMS Association by the Royal Navy in ’63, and was originally from a French naval vessel. ISLE OF MAN STYLE MAGAZINE