John Harrison's chronometers: earlier recognition and continued refinement

How much earlier could John Harrison have developed his marine chronometer without bureaucratic roadblocks?

Official acceptance could have come earlier, since working machinery preceded the prize award. The delays are also credited with pushing further redesign and improvement, so the earlier accepted version might have been less refined.

A working chronometer and official prize recognition are different milestones in Harrison's development work. Functioning machinery preceded the award normally used to date his success. Removing bureaucratic obstacles would therefore have allowed earlier official acceptance. Repeated demands to compete and demonstrate performance also encouraged further refinement and redesign. An earlier accepted version is consequently judged unlikely to have reached the eventual instrument's quality. No definite number of years is given.