While wirkin as an instrument makker at theVarsity o Glesga, Watt becam interestit in the technology osteam ingines. He realised that contemporary ingine designs wastit a great deal o energy bi repeatitly cuilin an reheatin thecylinder. Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser, that avoidit this waste o energy an radically impruived the pouer, efficiency, an cost-effectiveness o steam ingines. Eventually headaptit his ingine tae produce rotary motion, greatly braidenin its uise beyond pumpin watter.
Watt attemptit tae commercialise his invention, but experienced great financial difficulties till he entered a pairtnership wiMatthew Boulton in 1775. The new firm oBoulton and Watt wis eventually heichly successfu an Watt becam a walthy man. In his reteerment, Watt conteena'd tae develop new inventions tho nane wis as signeeficant as his steam ingine wark. He dee'd in 1819 agit 83.
He developit the concept ohorsepouer,[2] an theSI unit o pouer, the watt, wis named efter him. he ad a statue o imself
↑Awtho a nummer o itherwise reputable soorces gie his date o death as 19 August 1819, aw contemporar accoonts report him deein on 25 August an bein buiried on 2 September. The date 19 August oreeginates frae the biografieThe Life of James Watt (1858, p. 521) biJames Patrick Muirhead. It draws its (supposed) legitimacy frae the fact that Muirhead wis a neffae o Watt an tharefore shoud hae been weel-informed. In the Muirhead papers, 25 August date is mentioned ensewhaur. The latter date is an aw gien in contemporar newspaper reports (for example, page 3 oThe Times o 28 August) as weel as bi an abstract o an codicil tae Watt's last will. (In the pertinent buirial register o St. Mary's Kirk (Birmingham-Handsworth) Watt's date o daith is nae mentioned.)
