The Dutch city of Delft is world famous for being the birthplace of painter Johannes Vermeer, refined hand-painted Delft Blue pottery, and the renowned Delft University of Technology, which is now widely praised for its focus on engineering, product design and architecture. If that is not enough, the town also has a strong historical link to our royal family, being the stronghold for William 1 of Orange during the Eighty Years' War. From here, he led the Dutch uprising against Carl V of Spain. This eventually led to our independence in 1648. Ever since, all royal family members are buried in the New Church on the market square in the city center of Delft.

Although not commonly known, Delft also has an impressive history related to timekeeping. Although the world's oldest functioning clock is located in the Cathedral of Salisbury, England, it was actually built by three clockmakers from Delft who were commissioned to construct it. The clock was completed in 1386 and is based on a so-called verge escapement. Despite its impressive age, it still has a remarkably high precision and keeps time within two minutes per week. 

About three centuries later, in 1656, famous mathematician, astronomer, physicist, and horologist Christiaan Huygens (born in The Hague at only about 15 kilometers from Delft) invented the pendulum system. From then on, precision in timekeeping could improve dramatically, making the medieval verge escapement obsolete. Only a few years later, in 1660, Delft clockmaker Coenraad Harmensz Brouckman was appointed to create a new clock for the Delft city hall. The short time in between the invention and the clock’s development, and the short distance to The Hague must have had an effect on the design. Remarkably, this clock was designed from the ground up to make use of the pendulum escapement, making it possibly the oldest tower clock with an integrally designed pendulum system.