Tompion meets Hooke In 1674, master clockmaker Thomas Tompion met the polymath Robert Hooke. This was the beginning of a long and productive professional relationship between the two. Both were members of the Royal Society, and Hooke and Tompion often dined together, sharing their ideas. They worked with one another on many projects, for example collaborating on the design of the balance spring, which greatly increased the accuracy of watches. In 1675, King Charles II purchased a watch with a balance spring made by Hooke and Tompion. Tompion fitted the balance spring into the watch under Hooke’s direction. Image Credits Left: Thomas Tompion. Courtesy of The John C Taylor Collection Limited Right: Robert Hooke. No drawing of Robert Hooke seems to have survived. This one is reconstructed from contemporary descriptions. Pencil drawing by Rita Greer 2006. Rita Greer, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons
