Jonathan Daniel Betts

Background

Betts, Jonathan Daniel was born on January 29, 1955 in Felixtowe, Suffolk, England. Son of Antony Drake and Margaret (Booth) Betts.

Education

Student, St. Joseph's College, Suffolk, 1970-1972;student, Hackney College, London, 1972-1974.

Career

From a family of retail watchmakers and jewellers, he took the British Horological Institute finals in technical horology. In 1975 he was awarded the Tremayne National Prize for Practical Watchmaking. For the following five years, he practised as a self-employed horology conservator.

In 1980 he was appointed Senior Horology Conservator at the National Maritime Museum, and in 1989 was presented the museum's Callender Award for his contribution to horological conservation. He was appointed Curator of Horology in 1990 and became Senior Specialist in 2001. He is the biographer of Rupert Gould, the restorer of the Harrison timekeepers.

The biography was published in 2006 by Oxford University Press under the title Time Restored: The Harrison Timekeepers and RT Gould, the Man Who Knew (Almost) Everything. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, of the British Horological Institute, and of the International Institute of Conservation.

Achievements

• Betts was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to horology. He receives the Prix Gaïa on September 17th, 2015 for his achievements in historical research.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The National Trust Pocket Guide to Clocks

• Other Work

  • Author, editor: Explanations of Timekeepers, 1983, The National Trust Guide to Clocks, 1985.

Membership

Fellow British Horological Institute, International Institute for Conservation, Royal Society Arts.

Interests

• Avocations: restoring vintage motor cars, opera.

Connections

Father:

Antony Drake Betts

Mother:

Margaret (Booth) Betts