A full-scale recreation of John Harrison's revolutionary H1 sea-clock will debut in London next month, marking the culmination of a three-year collaboration between Yorkshire clockmaker Bob Bray and luxury jeweller Pragnell. The Pragnell Bray Origins Clock replicates the 1735 maritime chronometer that first proved accurate timekeeping at sea was possible, solving navigation's greatest challenge.

Bray reverse-engineered the original mechanism through painstaking analysis, photographing the sealed H1 through display glass at Greenwich's Royal Observatory. Working with nine craftsmen at his Sinclair Harding workshop, he reconstructed what he calls "a 3D jigsaw puzzle with no picture." The 2-metre, 158kg kinetic sculpture features a pivoting ship's hull mechanism that rocks dramatically, recreating the unstable maritime environment Harrison's clock was designed to master.

Five editions of the Origins Clock will retail for £575,000 each, targeting serious collectors seeking both horological excellence and historical significance. The piece arrives amid growing interest in mechanical artistry, joining recent luxury timepieces from Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre that blend storytelling with craftsmanship. Pragnell positions this as an intersection of true history and decorative art for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

The recreation represents more than technical achievement—it celebrates Harrison's unconventional genius, a self-taught carpenter who revolutionized navigation. Bray acknowledges the irony of recreating a "step along the way" rather than the final solution, but the project captures the experimental spirit that changed maritime history forever.