Great British Masters revived thanks to the Swiss

British horology has a very rich history. In the city of London, the Guildhall Museum of Horology, currently undergoing restoration work, has been getting ready since the autumn to unveil its treasures once again.

The golden age of the English watch was between the late 17th century and early 18th century. 

Seven creators would, each in their own way, make decisive contributions to the art of watchmaking: Thomas Tompion, Daniel Quare, George Graham, John Harrison, Thomas Mudge, John Arnold and Thomas Earnshaw. Tompion (1639-1713) is regarded as the father of English watchmaking. His foremost invention, the cylindrical escapement, made it possible to manufacture flat and compact watches, prefiguring the modern-day wristwatch. 

In the late 17^th century, his rival Daniel Quare (1648-1724) invented the repeater mechanism, making it possible to sound the hours and fractions of an hour without a cumbersome chime. Thomas Tompion's nephew by marriage, George Graham (1673-1751), inherited his business and his official title of best British watchmaker, which he largely earned by contributing several major inventions to his art. After perfecting the cylinder escapement created by Tompion, Graham went on to invent the mercury compensated pendulum, which eliminated the negative effects of the meteorological environment on the movement.

In 1715, he built the "dead escapement", which eliminated any recoil and allowed a degree of precision hitherto unknown in pendulums and watches. The system was used for a century and a half. For many, Graham was also the pioneer of the chronograph since he was the first to measure the duration of an event with a pendulum. Like his uncle, Graham was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, among the pantheon of England's great men. 

His apprentice Thomas Mudge (1717-1794) pushed the precision and reliability of watches further still by introducing the lever escapement and complications such as the perpetual calendar or minute repeater to them for the first time. In 1776, he was appointed watchmaker to King George III, a great lover of watches. The major contribution made by John Harrison (1693-1776), another hero of British horology, harks back to the fortunes of the British Empire. He succeeded in solving a major scientific problem: determining longitude at sea. He was awarded the "Longitude Prize" by the British Parliament and received the astronomical sum in those days of 20,000 pounds. 

Equally ingenious rivals John Arnold (1736-1799) and Thomas Earnshaw (1749-1829) are often regarded as the fathers of the modern chronometer. 

Arnold was a master of miniaturisation, producing a repeater watch half an inch thick (1.2 cm) and a very precise pocket chronometer accurate to within three seconds a day, quite a feat at the time. Earnshaw, for his part, popularised the chronometer by simplifying its production, managing to sell his timepieces in large numbers now that they were affordable to ordinary mortals. 

The outstanding legacy of these inventors lives on today through the "British Masters" series produced by the company Les Monts SA, set up in 1997 by Eric Loth and Pierre-André Finazzi, both from La Chaux-de-Fonds, with the support of Pierre Halimi, a Miami-based watch distributor, by the manufacturer Jean-Pierre Jaquet and by investors introduced by Ernst Thomke, remembered for his central role in the creation of Swatch and at Omega. 

These fanatics wanted to channel their skills by focusing on historical and prestigious names. But as the patronyms of the patriarchs of French and Swiss watchmaking were out of the running, it was to the rich, and sometimes misunderstood, history of England that these Swiss men turned in their quest for adventure. The increasing success of their timepieces, embellished with the names of all the great British watchmakers except for John Harrison (his name could not be acquired), is testament to their quality. By dedicating a percentage of their turnover to a fund set up to finance British youngsters wishing to train as watchmakers in Switzerland, British Masters are also keen to see the art of watch manufacturing blossom once again across the Channel.

Le Temps
Thierry Meyer
Londres 3 avril 2002