With John Harrison’s innovations, his clocks were more precise than any clock had ever been. The bad news was: his clocks still weren’t precise enough to win the Longitude Prize. “The amount awarded under the Act was commensurate with the accuracy of the invention in determining longitude: 10,000 pounds for 1 degree, £15,000 for 2/3 of a degree, and £20,000 for 1/2 of a degree.”
Rather than give up, Harrison tried something different. Instead of designing a precision clock, he turned to designing a precision watch. A watch is an analogue or mechanical (not digital) timekeeping device small enough to carry around with you. You can hold one in your hand. People attached an end of a chain to their watch, attached the other end to a belt loop or button-hole and kept the watch in a pocket.
Random side-note: A pocket-watch and chain play a part in the O. Henry short story, The Gift Of The Magi. https://www.enotes.com/topics/gift-magi Spoiler alert! DON’T unlock the summary until you’ve had the pleasure of reading the story itself.
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