Clock Number 5 – French Double Pendulum Regulator
During the construction of clock No. 4, while studying the intrigue of double pendulum resonance clocks, Buchanan became aware of Abraham Louis Breguet’s Clock No. 3671, a double pendulum regulator owned by the Queen of England and part of English Royal Collection.
As Clock No 4 progressed, Buchanan became much aware of what a massive technical understatement Breguet’s clock is. A truly elegant design which incorporates superb functionality into a simple uncluttered form.
And when the opportunity came for Buchanan of Chelmsford to make a clock of its choice. It was decided to produce a clock that would be an in-depth analysis of Breguet’s Clock No.3671 and built in honour of Breguet’s genius.
The majority of information available to Buchanan at the design stage was in George Daniels’ ‘The Art of Breguet’ and Derek Roberts’ ‘Precision Pendulum Clocks’. This meant that Buchanan had to study every detail in the small number of photographs available. Through Buchanan’s knowledge of what mechanical functions were required, conclusions were drawn as to the detailed workings of the clock. Interestingly, numerous hidden refinements and genius innovations were discovered which Buchanan has endeavored to reproduce in this clock.
The prime focus of this clock is on the harmonic motion between two pendulums. Breguet’s theory, which has been proven, is that two pendulums hanging on the same support will influence each other. The method is that the pendulums are each rated separately. Once rated separately, the pendulums are then started together and will lock in anti-phase. Following this, if there is any influence that affects the rate of one of the pendulums. The other pendulum will act as a resistance or cancelling out effect to this change. The outcome therefore is a clock that is very much more accurate than a single pendulum clock
No detail has been bypassed on this clock. Even the fire box which Buchanan believes would have been used for temperature calibrating the pendulum and possibly maintaining a constant temperature within the case has been included.
Once again Buchanan has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure that the build of this clock is traditional in every way.