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The History of Clockmaking
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 The
history of clockmaking is a very rich history, indeed. To rich to
fit into a small article. Therefore, we will just go over a few
of the important highlights of the history of clockmaking.
Clockmaking has gone through many stages through the times, as
the concept of time has changed and as technologies have. In ancient
times, a sundial was oft used to keep track of the time of day by
the direction of the shadows cast by the sun. People were able to
keep track of hours and minutes by using an hourglass full of sand
that would funnel through a small hole at a predictable rate.
Ancient Egyptians also used water clocks. Water clocks (clepsydra)
measure time by letting water flow through a small aperture out
of a container. Water clocks are not nearly as accurate as our clocks
today, but they were the most accurate clocks until the pendulum
clock was invented and perfected in the 17th century.
The history of clockmaking also includes some mechanical clocks.
There might have even been a mechanical clock (the Antikythera mechanism)
from about 87 BC - but historians debate whether or not this
truly is an early clockwork mechanism.
Weight-driven mechanical clocks with escapements changed the history
of clockmaking. These early mechanical clocks were precursors to
the pendulum clocks that would be made in the 17th century based
on a design by Galileo himself. Weight-driven mechanical clocks
were used during the 15th century.
Clockmaking has definitely become more accurate over the years.
The earliest “accurate” clocks are from the 13th century.
Thirteenth century tower clocks were used to announce the canonical
hours between set times of prayer.
The earliest table clocks are from the mid-16th century. These
clocks only have one hand were readable only to the nearest 15 minutes.
The history of clockmaking has certainly come a long way from this
point.
One of the most major developments in the history of clockmaking
was the pendulum clock. As aforementioned, Galileo invented the
idea behind the first pendulum clocks. Of course, Christiaan Huygens
is credited as the inventor of pendulum clocks. It was Huygens that
determined the mathematical formula that related to the proper pendulum
length. The length of the pendulum is essential to keep a pendulum
clock accurate. Even accurate pendulum clocks, though, are often
fast or slow by up to 1 minute per week, even today. That is why
pendulum clocks need to be reset every week.
The history of clockmaking expanded greatly after the advent of
the pendulum clock. People started to make longcase clocks and other
types of clocks. Electronics developed in the 20th century greatly
changed the history of clockmaking. With electronics, clocks could
tell time without any basic clockwork parts like escapements and
weights at all.
There is so much more out there to learn about clocks. Remember,
this has only been a condensed history of clockmaking.
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