The MOD's horological collection is extremely important. It falls into two main parts:the maritime clocks and chronometers-many having specialised functions - and the longcase and bracket clocks in many offices, residencies and meeting rooms, several of which have been in roughly the same place for a nearly a hundred years and some for much longer.
Most of the specialised marine regulators, chronometers and clocks are on long term loan to the Royal Observartory at Greenwich and to various other public collections, where access to the general public and to the specialised researcher is easily achieved.
This technical clock is displayed in the Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth. It was made in London during the 1820s by the clockmaker E Dent. Regulators are extremely accurate clocks; their purpose is to act as the standard by which other timepieces are set.
Most regulators, including this example, are weight-driven and have a deadbeat anchor escapement which maintains power. This particular model is known as the "Portsmouth Standard"; it was originally connected by a wire to the Portsmouth post Office and thence to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.