Overview

Beginning with the designs of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), pendulums set in motion an evolution in accuracy and utility of clocks and watches. Various escapements managed motion into regular intervals. Balance wheels made miniaturization possible. Reliability became the holy grail of clockmakers, as temperature, torque, and friction were countered. Measurements became precise enough to justify adding a second hand, and clocks and watches became standard instruments for navigation and scientific experimentation. Ultimately, accurate clocks initiated changes beyond the measurement of hours, minutes, and seconds, creating mechanical devices, new philosophical concepts, and a new view of time itself.

Background

There is only one measurement most people make every day—that of time. Clocks and watches are both widely used and highly personal devices. For timepieces—and a mechanical view of time—to permeate our culture, they had to...