Precision clock for scientific fieldwork, c.1905

Overview

This is an example of a ‘transport’ regulator manufactured by Riefler c.1905, intended for scientific measurements during fieldwork onsite. At this time, Sigmund Riefler was the de-facto manufacturer of precision timekeepers for astronomical observatories: he had been an early adopter of Invar – a metal with an exceptionally low thermal coefficient – for pendulum rods, and his design also incorporated a double wheel escapement and an electrically reset remontoire, with impulses given to the pendulum through the suspension spring.

This clock was manufactured with a Riefler J pendulum (no. 409), which remains at The Clockworks but is not currently fitted to the clock. It is listed in Riefler’s register as having been dispatched in February 1905 to Odessa - presumably to the Odessa Observatory. The Clockworks collection also includes an example of a Riefler observatory regulator in a vacuum tank (TCW 1042).