Clock Force team rescues time The Museum of Timekeeping has a special open day on Sunday 26 October 2025, which is a superb opportunity to see some historic exhibits, such as the iconic pocket watch that accompanied Captain Scott on his monumental Antarctic expeditions. You will discover three John Harrison replicas, including the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) regulator, or ‘late’ regulator, named as such to distinguish it from the earlier wooden precision pendulum clocks made by Harrison in the 1720s. You will find numerous watches, together with clocks of every description including monastic, lantern, turret and even electric ‘speaking’ clocks alongside magnificent antique longcases, station, tavern and domestic timekeepers, to name a few. Exciting news from the Horological Journal Editor, Justin Koullapis, is that a team of volunteer clockmakers and British Horological Institute (BHI) students – known as the Clock Force – will be in action to restore some timepieces in just a few hours. Members of the public are invited to bring along their broken clocks. Five clocks will be selected, and repaired on-site by the team in a matter of hours and the others will be given a free technical and value assessment. Clocks should ideally be single-train only, with one winding hole and be pre-1900. Anniversary and 400-day clocks will not be eligible. Clocktime Curator Dr Kristin Leith will be giving a free talk at 1:00PM, called ‘Celebrating British Clockmaking’ when she will show how the digital museum can excite and educate others about historic clocks, watches and their makers. If you would like more information, please contact Dr Leith here. The special open day is at the Museum of Timekeeping, at Upton Hall - the same space as the home of the BHI.
