A wooden desk clock in the Napoleonic style

Exclusive design from England combined with the highest quality materials creates the Comitti manufactory.

A sip of magnificent history

In 1845, Italian precision instrument manufacturer Onorato Comitti traveled to England seeking new opportunities in a country enjoying unprecedented prosperity from the industrial revolution. In 1850, he opened his workshops alongside other specialists in Clerkenwell, London. Dedicated to the pursuit of perfection and innovation, he quickly gained an unrivaled reputation for his recording instruments, including high-quality mercury and aneroid barometers. During the late Victorian era, the company became renowned as one of the best clockmakers in England, receiving an Honorary Diploma for craftsmanship in 1888. Over 150 years later, Comitti remains a family-owned brand, run by the fifth generation, faithful to Onorato Comitti’s principles, and continues to uphold its international reputation in luxury clocks, following the finest traditions of English watchmaking.

Original Comitti barometers and clocks from those early days are now sought-after and valuable antiques. Interestingly, some styles created by Comitti at the end of the 19th century are still produced today, using many of the same techniques and attracting the same wonder as always. This heritage allows the company to offer custom maintenance and restoration services for all antique clocks and barometers. It was the architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries that inspired the greatest English furniture designers, such as Thomas Sheraton, George Hepplewhite, and Thomas Chippendale. The fashion for the highest quality cabinetry created by these craftsmen influenced watchmakers as well.

Georgia-style craftsmanship and skills of master artisans, such as veneer cutters and inlay makers, have been employed using exotic woods sourced worldwide to create and decorate the visible areas of the finest clock cabinets. The long case clocks produced by Comitti today reflect all the skills and traditions of the bygone era. The highest quality seasoned solid hardwoods and exquisite veneers have been selected for their natural beauty. Veneers are cut, joined, inlaid with inlay work, and assembled by hand, making each piece unique.

The processes of manual polishing using French techniques are applied to enhance the natural beauty of the cabinets. The pores of the wooden surfaces are filled and sanded with fine papers to create a smooth base before applying lacquers. Finally, the surface is buffed and waxed with beeswax to achieve a rich, natural patina. The long clock produced by Comitti is a work of art, a heritage piece that will be treasured by future generations.

Products made using inlay techniques

Inlay is an art form traceable back to early Egyptian and Assyrian craftsmen and is essentially a decoration created by forming patterns or images from veneers of wood or other materials. The zenith of inlay art occurred between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when the craft achieved high artistic status through royal patronage in France.

The arrival of William of Orange with his wife Mary and their court in 1689 sparked the fashion for this highly decorative craft in England. It had a direct influence on furniture designers, especially on longcase clocks. For the first time, home furnishings became aspirational, driven by fashion and the highest standards of design inspired by technical education and classical architecture. Comitti artisans continue to produce inlay work to these high standards using traditional techniques and noble, rare woods. The time required to create these intricate panels is measured in days, and each piece is unique.

What does navigation have to do with Comitti clocks?

At the beginning of the 18th century, the biggest problem faced by navigators was calculating longitude, and thus determining their true position in the vastness of the oceans. Countless lives were lost as ships were wrecked in uncharted waters, which is why the British Parliament offered a reward of £20,000 for a solution equivalent to £2,770,000 in today's currency. There were two schools of thought on solving this problem: astronomers, who believed that true longitude could be calculated using stars, and horologists, who understood that an extremely precise clock would enable the calculation of east-west position or longitude.

For many years, John Harrison, a self-taught English clockmaker, invented the marine chronometer, the most accurate timekeeping device ever created, which, importantly, would keep precise time onboard a ship in extreme temperatures, humidity, and conditions. The Comitti Navigator is a tribute to the skill, ingenuity, and perseverance of one man who changed the course of history.