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600 BCE
The Sundial
Sundials were some of the earliest formal keepers of time.Used throughout much of the ancient world, Though some were in use as far back as 1500 BC, they were popularized throughout Egypt, Greece, and Italy around 600 BC. -
150 BCE
The Sand Hourglass
According to the American Institute of New York, the sand-glass was invented and popularized at Alexandria around 150 BC. Alexandria was a famous ancient port that is remembered for is wondrous ancient library, which was destroyed by fire in 48 BC by the army of Julius Caesar. The hourglass is made of two rounded glass bulbs connected by a narrow neck of glass between them. A measured amount of sand particles stream through the top to bottom bulb of glass, accounting for time passed. -
1300
A Modern Revolution: Mechanical Clocks
Mechanical clocks, which use weights or springs, began to emerge in Europe in the 1300s. Initially, they appeared with a 'face' or 'hands' and would ring a bell every hour. Eventually, technology progressed allowing for and 'escapement', or a lever which pivoted and meshed with a tooted wheel at certain intervals. -
1400
Spring Clocks!
In the 1400s the implementation of coiled springs into mechanical clocks allowed for the movement of the hands on a clock. This lead directly to smaller clocks, and eventually watches, possible. -
Pendulum Clock
Christiaan Huygens is credited with inventing the pendulum clock, which became much more accurate than previous clocks. They were often only off by less than a minute a day, compared to 15+ minutes a day of earlier clocks! -
Handheld 'Pocket' Watches
As exploration took off, the British government motivated tinkerers with a reward for anyone who could create a accurate enough clock for use at sea. A clock that was incorrect by one minute could mean a navigational error of 15 miles, resulting in many shipwrecks. John Harrison invented a small enough clock to use for navigation, a pocket watch. Incredibly, the tiny watch lost only 5 seconds in 6.5 weeks! -
WWI and the Wristwatch
At the beginning of the 20th Century, it was only common practice for women to wear wristwatches. However, the inconvenience of checking a pocket watch during the horrors of World War One's trench warfare elevated the "Social acceptance" of wristwatches for all. -
Atomic Clocks
In 1967, scientists discovered how to use cesium-133 atoms to tell time. This clock had an error ratio of 1 second for every 1.4 million years! Since then, scientists have developed a watch which is only off by one second every 20 million years!! -
Watches Get Smarter
As technology continues to develop to this day, the advent of the smartwatch has signaled the next great change in timekeeping. Simply put, it is a computerized wristwatch with functionality that goes way beyond merely timekeeping. These watches combine many of the features of digital technology and function as "wearable computers". Where will timekeeping technology travel next?
