Fertile Ground

There are few crafts that combine science, mechanics and aesthetics so comprehensively as Horology.

This is obvious to anyone with a casual interest in horology but for those with a deeper involvement, it drives our fascination to a degree where we frequently marvel at the skill and thought given to even the most mundane components. This is particularly true when there’s an opportunity to consider items firsthand.

Whether we arrive here appreciating a history full of stories and legends, or as creators or aficionados it's no wonder that the craft becomes so consuming! Horology has always been fertile ground for the creativity. As creators, the fascination is compounded by the potential of this art form and with the advent of current technologies it seems this potential is limited only by imagination.

For myself as a former restorer, every new project added another layer of appreciation, revelation, and an opportunity to learn. Although for the most part I’ve long since left restoration to explore sculptural clockmaking, I still draw on the incredible history I’ve been exposed to in my career and utilize the technologies available.

In the 1970s, Martin Burgess, an English sculptural clockmaker mused aloud that there was an opportunity to draw on our horological history to create a radically new approach to Horology. Burgess subsequently created some remarkable sculptural clocks largely based on the work of John Harrison (1693 – 1776).

Although watches tend to dominate the horological landscape a small group of contemporary independent clockmakers take a sculptural approach. Miki Eleta, Florian Schlumpf and Jean Kazes in Switzerland, Philippe Wurzt, Matthius Naeschke and David Atkinson in Germany, Eric Frietas, James Bordan, Nathan Bower, Rick Hale and David Walters in the US, Robert Bray of Sinclair Harding and Brian Law in the UK, myself in Canada and Will Matheson and the Buchanans in Australia to name a few. All have unique approaches and styles to their work.

I began experimenting with sculptural clock making in the mid-nineties. My early work was more of an abstraction of horological norms, so I considered it to be more horologically inspired kinetic art than true clockmaking. Lately, though I’ve had the opportunity to delve more deeply into the work with a more classical approach building on ideas I’ve had over the past couple of decades. I’ve recently published the designs in Chronometric Concepts, available free through The Naked Watchmaker. If any of the designs are of interest they’re available by commission.

My interest has always been clock escapements. Specifically those from the Grasshopper and Gravity families. Working with the geometries of escapements is incredibly fascinating. Each family and their derivatives are a bookmark in history, and lend themselves well to sculptural reinterpretation. Consequently escapements feature strongly in my work.

Currently, I’ve been experimenting with a novel adaptation of the Grasshopper escapement. I designed the escapement some time ago for a horologically inspired kinetic work titled Figheadair. Rather than the single escape wheel with an offset pallet assembly used in the traditional grasshopper my variation uses two mirrored escape wheels and a central mirrored pallet layout. Initially, I reworked the geometry for aesthetic balance but realized that it may have promise as a good timekeeper owing to its balance of torque delivery to the pendulum. The work on this clock is, for the most part, complete and undergoing tests. Progress of the work can be seen on my Instagram feed @chronometricmachineworks.

Although the geometry of this escapement is very much that of the Grasshopper I renamed it the ‘Spider Escapement’ considering the pallet assembly resembles a spider in its appearance and action.

The clock is in the regulator style featuring dual time zones. I was able to use a minimal train for the clock by driving it with a frequently rewound Wagner type remontoire hidden behind the mounting plate. Being keen on anything related to the clockmaker John Harrison I thought it appropriate to use his chordal pitch gearing for the center wheel and roller pinion for the escape wheel.

Philip Abernathy

Over the coming months examples of Philips work will be posted along with the motivation behind each piece. To learn more about Philip https://www.philabernethy.com/