Victor Kullberg (1824–1890) was one of London's most famous
watchmaker
A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their par ...
s, described by one authority as "one of the most brilliant and successful
horologist
Chronometry or horology () is the science studying the measurement of time and timekeeping. Chronometry enables the establishment of standard measurements of time, which have applications in a broad range of social and scientific areas. ''Hor ...
s of the 19th century."
Early life
Jakob Victor Kullberg was born in
Visby
Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...
on the Swedish island of
Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
on 13 August 1824 to Johan Kullberg and Hedvig Christina Ahlstrom. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to a local watchmaker where he learnt how to make every part of a
chronometer
Chronometer is a name for certain types of clock. It may refer to:
* Chronomètre of Loulié, a precursor to the metronome
* Chronometer watch, a highly accurate watch
* Marine chronometer, a timekeeper used for marine navigation, as in
** Longit ...
by hand.
At the end of his apprenticeship he travelled to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
where he entered the service of Louis Urban Jürgensen, son of the famous chronometer maker
Urban Jürgensen
Urban Jürgensen (5 August 1776 - 14 May 1830) was a Denmark, Danish watchmaker. The company has been continuously operated since its founding by Urban's father in 1773. His son took over design and production after his death under the name Jules ...
.
After attending the
1851 Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...
Kullberg decided to relocate to London and start his own enterprise as an
escapement
An escapement is a mechanical linkage in mechanical watches and clocks that gives impulses to the timekeeping element and periodically releases the gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands. The impulse action transfers energy to t ...
maker.
Career
Kullberg's superb escapements soon established his reputation as one of England's premier chronometer and watch manufacturers. His innovations in
marine chronometer
A marine chronometer is a precision timepiece that is carried on a ship and employed in the determination of the ship's position by celestial navigation. It is used to determine longitude by comparing Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and the time at t ...
s and other
horological
Chronometry or horology () is the science studying the measurement of time and timekeeping. Chronometry enables the establishment of standard measurements of time, which have applications in a broad range of social and scientific areas. ''Hor ...
objects earned him nine gold medals, various silver medals, and ‘Grand Diploma of Honor’ at various Universal and national exhibitions.
He regularly submitted his marine chronometers to the annual competition held at the
Greenwich Observatory
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich (ROG; known as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998, when the working Royal Greenwich Observatory, RGO, temporarily moved south from Greenwich to Herstmonceux) is an observatory situated on a hill in G ...
, winning ten times between 1862 and 1890, a record for any one person in the late 19th century.
Kullberg is mostly known for his further development of
compensation balances, eliminating middle-temperature errors, and his use of
reverse fusée. His company ''V. Kullberg'', was listed as ''maker to the Admiralty, The Indian & Colonial Governments and the navies of many countries''. From the 1880s the company was run by his nephew Peter John Wennerström under the name of V. Kullberg. Following Peter's death in 1935
Sanfrid Lindquist was briefly in charge, until 1940 when the firm's premises at 105
Liverpool Road
Liverpool Road is a street in Islington, North London. It covers a distance of between Islington High Street and Holloway Road, running roughly parallel to Upper Street through the area of Barnsbury. It contains several attractive Terraced ho ...
,
Islington
Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...
were destroyed by a bomb during the
Blitz of London.
The Kullberg Records survive as part of the
Clockmakers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers was established under a Royal Charter granted by King Charles I in 1631. It ranks sixty-first among the livery companies of the City of London, and comes under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council. The ...
Library held at
London's Guildhall.
Later life
By 1876 it was reported that Kullberg had gone blind.
In 1881 one of his timepieces won first prize in a
Clockmakers Company
The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers was established under a Royal Charter granted by King Charles I in 1631. It ranks sixty-first among the livery companies of the City of London, and comes under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council. The ...
competition, which also conferred the
Freedom of the Company, an honour which he declined as it would have required him to become a
naturalised British citizen
The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and North ...
.
He died on 7 July 1890 at his home, 83 Tufnell Park Road, Islington, and is buried in a family grave on the west side of
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...
. Right up to his death he was still entering his ever-improving marine chronometers into the annual Greenwich competitions and his final entry was said to be the finest instrument ever tried at the Royal Observatory, with a performance which was actually better than the
Standard Clock against which it was measured.
Gallery
Louis Urban Jürgensen (1806-1867).png, Louis Urban Jürgensen (1806–1867)
Family grave of Victor Kullberg in Highgate Cemetery.jpg, Family grave of Victor Kullberg in Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kullberg, Victor
Swedish watchmakers (people)
Swedish clockmakers
People from Visby
1824 births
1890 deaths
Burials at Highgate Cemetery
Defunct watchmaking companies
Horology