Background
Priestley was born in Lincoln) and since 2012 lives in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
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Philip Priestley
Edit ProfileEducation
He was educated at Lincoln City (Grammar) School 1946-1954 and at the University of Nottingham 1954-1957 (Bachelor of Science Honours Chemistry).
Career
He joined Kodak Limited in the United Kingdom and worked as an Information Technology Manager at several locations including the United States of America (4 years for Eastman Kodak). He holds several patents in the fields of measuring small temperature differences and thermometric reaction instrumentation. He served in the Royal Air Force for National Service as an Electronics Instructor.
From 1966 he was involved in the acquisition and application of the earliest process control computers to the manufacturing process.
He later became responsible for installing large commercial computers in Kodak. He retired from Kodak at the beginning of 1993.
In retirement, he has expanded his long-term interest in antique watches, specialising in those made in the United States of America. Whilst living in the United States of America, he completed his seminal work on Watch Case Makers of England 1720 -1920, being the first book detailing the trade of case making, makers and their marks registered at the various assay offices, published 1994. In 2000 this was followed by a second book, Early Watch Case Makers of England 1631 to 1720, also published in the United States of America by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Incorporated (NAWCC).
In 2002 he contributed to a seminar in Massachusetts entitled Boston: Cradle of Industrial Watchmaking the proceedings of which were published in 2005 by NAWCC. In 2004 he jointly, with the late Canon Maurice Ridgway, wrote The Compendium of Chester Gold & Silver Marks 1570 to 1962: from the Chester Assay Office Registers published by the Antique Collectors" Club Limited, England.
His latest book Aaron Lufkin Dennison, An Industrial Pioneer and his Legacy was published by the NAWCC in 2010.
Achievements
Membership
He was a member of Chiltern District Council for 26 years, retiring in 2011 representing Chalfont Common and later Chesham Bois & Weedon Hill Wards being Chairman of Council from 2007-2009. He is a Fellow of the London Society of Antiquaries, a Freeman of Lincoln and London, a member of the Silver Society and the Jewellery/Plate/Horology Society, a professional Member of the British Horological Institute, a Silver Star Fellow of the NAWCC, a member of the Antiquarian Horological Society and a Liveryman of the Clockmakers" Company.
