Precision, accuracy, and a smattering of etymology. Chris and Jon discuss Simon Winchester’s latest book, The Perfectionists.

• The Perfectionists A new book that traces the impact that ever increasing levels of accuracy have had on our world, from the industrial revolution, through to the digital age

• Ned Ludd An English weaver, from whom the term “luddite” was derived

• Bokeh The blur that occurs when an object within a photograph does not fall inside the bounds of the lens’s depth of field

• Leica The camera division of Germany’s Leica Microsystems

• The Essentials of Precision Timekeeping A talk delivered by Jack Forster at the Horological Society of New York in early 2018

• Bullseye Diagram A visual depiction of the distinction between accuracy & precision, from Winchester’s The Perfectionists, where A is accurate, B is precise, C is neither, & D
is moderately precise & accurate

• History of the Steam Engine A brief history of steam power during the Industrial Revolution

• Watt Engine Friend of the show, Rich Loen, standing in front of a Watt Steam Engine

• John Wilkinson An industrialist who helped James Watt refine the Watt Steam Engine

• Henry Maudslay An incredibly talented machinist, whose work helped usher in the age of industrialization

• Joseph Bramah A renowned locksmith & inventor

• Off Hours Episode 21 The episode on multi lead threading, where we first mentioned Bramah & Maudslay

• The Lord Chancellor A micrometer that was one of, if not the most, precise measuring instrument of Maudslay’s era, crafted by Maudslay himself

• Cromwell Lathe A style of lathe that Chris has in his shop, which was favoured by Rolls-Royce in the mid 20th century

• Rolls-Royce Casting A look at how lost wax casting continues to be used today in the manufacturing of Rolls-Royce turbine engines

• Off Hours Episode 3 An early episode in which we delved into the subject of lost wax casting

• Additive Manufacturing TheWatches TV takes a look at the potential promise additive manufacturing holds, while not shying away from the ways it still falls short of the accuracy needed for crafting timepieces

• Rolls-Royce Swarm Bots Rolls-Royce is investing in tiny, collaborative swarm robots to help provide quality assurance & routine maintenance of its jet turbines, without needing to take them completely apart

• Qantas Flight 32 An airline crash, detailed in The Perfectionists that was found to be due to error in how accurately a particular hole had been drilled

• Grand Seiko Official website of the Shizuku-Ishi studio in Japan, where Grand Seiko timepieces are assembled