Robert Bray

Robert Bray (Bob) came to clock making relatively late in life. Leaving school at 15 he embarked upon a craft engineering apprenticeship with a small company who specialised in making of precision gears. In 1979, Bob obtained a first-class honours degree in Production Engineering from Brunel University. From then till 1995 he continued to work for the same company and was involved in all aspects of engineering from Design, Production and Quality control of small gears and gearboxes for Aerospace, Defence and Medical applications.

In 1995, looking for a new challenge, Bob was introduced to Mike Harding, by his Uncle Brian Kitson. The company was one week away from closing, with no orders and no workforce. Undeterred Bob decided to take on the company and to redirect his skills to the art clock making or as Bob described it to the BHI ‘the Gearbox that works backwards’.

From the start Bob’s simple goal was to be totally independent and capable of making every part for each clock. In 2017 this goal had been realised, Bob has personally been involved in the introduction of all the in-house capabilities: Precious metal plating, Fusee chain, hand tuning bells, French polishing, engraving and hand silvering of dials and mainspring manufacture.

Today, with a team of 9 (mainly family) who are all involved in many processes throughout the manufacturing process. With this intense process of craftsmanship results in a clock, which is aesthetically pleasing and reliable, with real soul and character that hopefully goes some way to ensuring a more certain future for English horology.

Member since: 2007
Nationality: British
Born: 1956 – Yorkshire, Great Britain


Sinclair Harding (UK) Ltd
Phillips House
Chapel Lane
Emley, HD8 9ST
Great Britain

T: +44 1924 840666

info@clockmakers.com
www.clockmakers.com