Part of Kelvin Hughes' history includes producing the first Type Approved commercial radar in 1947 as well as the first paper chart tracing service in 1971.

Modern day products that Kelvin Hughes sell include SharpEye, a solid state radar with clutter management and Doppler processing.

From 1876 White was producing accurate compasses for metal ships to Sir William's design, and this became an important part of his business in the latter years of his life.

At the Cambridge Street premises, the company continued to make the compass Sir William had designed during the 1870s and to supply it in some quantity, especially to the Admiralty.

The firm manufactured binnacle compasses and deep sea sounding machines, many of which were installed on the great ships built on Clyde side.

In 1934 Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd built an instrument factory at Basingstoke which was later to become the Smiths Industries Aerospace site.

The Hughes family were originally clockmakers in the East End of London who progressed into supplying sextants and marine chronometers to ships coming into the River Thames.

His son, Thomas Hughes (junior) had his business at 25 New Bond Street London and was elected as Master of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in 1762.

Joseph Hughes, believed to be the son of William born in 1781, lived and worked at 16 Queen Street, Ratcliffe.

In 1838 Henry Hughes & Sons was founded at 120 (later at 59), Fenchurch Street, London as a maker of chronographs and scientific instruments.

Kelvin Hughes Ltd was formed in 1947 by the merger between the scientific instrument manufacturing firms of Henry Hughes & Son Ltd, London, England, and Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland with Marine Instruments Ltd acting as regional agents in the UK.

During 1994 the Chart and Maritime division was enhanced with the acquisition of Brown and Perring (London) and Observator (Rotterdam) Kelvin Hughes acquired QUBIT in August 1994 adding their range of integrated navigation, data acquisition and processing systems to the product range.