Born in 1933, Derek Bryan was educated at the Northampton Polytechnic Technical School. His first contact with clocks came when he was awarded a scholarship by the Clockmakers' Company when he was still at school. In 1950 he began a four year apprenticeship to Frank Mercer of Thomas Mercer & Co. of St Albans. Forty-one years at Mercers saw him finish his career as Production Director.
Derek Bryan has been making his own clocks and escapement models for the last seven years and also lectures regularly for the British Horological Institute. The pendulum shape and suspension of No.7 should give an accuracy of +/- 1 second per week. The aim is a rate remaining within +/- 2 seconds per month from the average rate. This is the equivalent of an error of one part in a million. In other words, instead of ticking exactly 1,000,000 times in eleven and a half days it may tick 999,999 or 1,000,001 times.