Speedometer applying a patent of Nikola Tesla
Plinth Dates: 2-4 September 2011
Speedometer by the Waltham Watch Company applying a patent of Nikola Tesla, c.1925
When he wasn’t revolutionising the electrical and radio world, pioneering science genius Nikola Tesla was involved in a number of engineering projects. One of these was in collaboration with the Waltham Watch Company to use Tesla’s speedometer patent (US #1209359, the first patent for a speedometer).
The Waltham Watch Company, of Waltham, Massachusetts, was a prestigious instrument maker, making Abraham Lincoln’s timepiece, as well as having one of their watches flown on a moon-landing mission in 1971. It is only fitting that their association with the great Tesla should have yielded what is arguably the first device to measure speed, distance, and time.
Contributed by Spiro Vranjes