Arthur Beverly
Dunedin’s Watchmaker/Inventor and the Self-Winding Clock That Still Runs
Arthur Beverly occupies a distinctive place in the history of New Zealand horology as a watchmaker whose work extended well beyond routine repair and retail. Born in Scotland in 1822, Beverly was trained in the precision trades of watchmaking and optical work before emigrating to the southern colonies in the mid-nineteenth century. He ultimately settled in Dunedin, where his career combined everyday timekeeping with a strong interest in scientific measurement and mechanical invention, following a regional tradition of individual makers that also included figures such as James Oatley in early colonial Australia.
Unlike many colonial watchmakers whose work focused primarily on imported goods, Beverly developed a reputation as a technically minded craftsman. Contemporary accounts and later biographies describe him as self-taught in mathematics and astronomy, with a practical understanding of mechanical design that informed both his horological work and his wider experiments with measurement.
From Scottish Training to a Dunedin Workshop
According to the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Beverly apprenticed in the watch trade in Scotland and continued independent study in geometry, surveying, and astronomy throughout his life. These interests shaped the type of work he pursued after emigrating.
After a period in Australia, Beverly moved to New Zealand in the late 1850s and established himself in Dunedin as a watchmaker and jeweller. At the time, Dunedin was expanding rapidly as a commercial and administrative center, and reliable timekeeping was increasingly important for daily life, trade, and institutional use, paralleling developments seen slightly later in cities such as Melbourne under Thomas Ambrose Gaunt.
The Beverly Clock
Beverly is best remembered for the Beverly Clock, completed in 1864 and exhibited at the New Zealand Exhibition of 1865. The clock attracted attention because it departed from conventional weight-driven designs. Described in contemporary sources as an “atmospheric” clock, it derived its motive power from changes in the surrounding environment rather than from manual winding.
The clock survives today and is held by the University of Otago, where it remains on display within the Physics Department. Its preservation provides a rare opportunity to examine a nineteenth-century New Zealand-made clock that reflects both mechanical ingenuity and scientific curiosity.
Precision Beyond Timekeeping
Beverly’s interests were not limited to clocks. Historical records from Dunedin institutions note his work on precision instruments and measurement techniques, including a planimeter exhibited in 1865. These activities place Beverly within a broader tradition of instrument-making, where horology intersected with surveying, mathematics, and applied science.
In this respect, Beverly’s work aligns internationally with makers such as Dent of London, whose precision clocks and instruments likewise sat at the intersection of horology, astronomy, and scientific measurement during the nineteenth century.
A Legacy Preserved in New Zealand
Arthur Beverly lived into the early twentieth century, and his legacy remains closely associated with Dunedin’s scientific and technical history. Through surviving instruments, institutional records, and the continued display of the Beverly Clock, he is remembered as more than a local tradesman. His career illustrates how watchmaking, invention, and scientific inquiry could intersect in colonial New Zealand, producing work that continues to be studied and appreciated today.
References and Further Reading
Beverly, Arthur (Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara)
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum: Arthur Beverly - The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum profile presents Arthur Beverly as a Dunedin-based watchmaker, mathematician, and inventor.
University of Otago Library (Hocken Blog) - First NZ Exhibition 1865—includes Beverly’s “atmospheric clock”
Papers Past (Otago Daily Times) - Period advertising referencing A. Beverly’s watch/clock trade
