Precious Time: George III’s Astronomical Clock, 1765

Astronomical Clock
1765
Made for King George III
Mahogany, Brass, Silver, Enamel
The Royal Collection

King George III had a keen passion for clocks, horology and science in general. Items such as this clock were infinitely attractive to him. This astronomical clock cost the then-astronomical sum of £1042. The cost was well worth it. The end result is a magnificent creation with a shining mahogany case, brass palm-frond columns and silver plaques with bas relief figures of the Royal lion and unicorn.


In June of 1765, this bracket clock was installed in Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace), and George III was fascinated by it and its many functions. It features a complex quarter-striking movement which displays the time of day on the front clock face on a 24-hour dial with hands for mean and solar time. The central portion of the clock features a painted landscape which shows the passage of the sun across the sky as well as a small dial which records the time at thirty locations around the world. A dial at the top of the bracket records the date and month with the year being recorded to the left and the location of the planets on the right. A silver sphere at the reverse, shows the phases of the moon as well as high and low tide at thirty-two seaports across the world.

It’s an extremely complicated device, and frankly does as much as any modern creation, but in a much more elegant and attractive way.