The History of Timekeeping

Sundial

Clepsydra

Astrolabe

Candle Clock

Sandglass

Mechanical Clock

Spring-Driven Clock

Pendulum Clock

Quartz Clock

Cesium Atomic Clock

 

Spring Driven Clock
  It’s not entirely known, however some people suggest that the spring driven clock was invented in Europe in the early 14th century. They were basically a portable version of the mechanical clock. Despite advances in the time telling, these spring driven clocks were often very inaccurate. Thus many spring driven clocks contained a sundial or a compass. The mainspring, also the clock’s power,displayed problems when the force from the spiral balance spring was exerted. When this was done, the spring loosely unwound. The clock’s pace then varied as it ran fast when the spiral balance spring was fully wound, yet became slower as the spring began to release. In 1674 to 1675, a Dutch astronomer named Christian Huygens discovered a way to fix this problem. The way would make the spiral balance spring similar to the way in which the pendulum works in the pendulum clock. The balance spring would unwind and wind with always the same energy being produced by the mainspring.