Robert Hooke

Wikipedia describes Robert Hooke as an English natural philosopher, born in 1635 at Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, who began as Robert Boyle’s assistant.³

Wikipedia gives his posts: from 1662 the Royal Society’s Curator of Experiments, and from 1665 Professor of Geometry at Gresham College.³

He said he applied springs to the balance of a watch about 1658, to solve the longitude problem.^1, 2

Boyle and Lord Brouncker tried to win him a patent about 1660; the deal failed when Hooke refused a clause that would let others benefit from improvements to his principle.^1, 2, 3

He said he showed spring-regulated models in a Gresham College lecture in 1664, and a Royal Society note of 23 June 1670 records a demonstration of a balance-controlled watch.^1, 3

When Huygens announced the spiral spring in 1675, Hooke had Tompion make watches to his design; one for Charles II was signed with both his claimed date of 1658 and Tompion's of 1675.^2, 4, 5

He published the principle behind springs, 'ut tensio, sic vis' (as the extension, so the force), as an anagram in 1676 and solved it in 1678: Hooke's law.^2, 3

He attacked the Royal Society's secretary Oldenburg over the printing of Huygens's announcement, and the Society made him withdraw the charge that Oldenburg trafficked in intelligence.^1, 2

Historians still disagree how far his claim goes: the DNB saw no doubt of his priority, while the editors of Huygens's works note that his mechanism was never published and may not have been a spiral.^1, 2

Wikipedia notes that his published diary shows him in constant contact with the clockmaker Tompion.³

Wikipedia's account of escapements credits him with the anchor escapement for pendulum clocks, about 1657, a claim disputed by the clockmaker William Clement.⁷

He died in London on 3 March 1703.^2, 3