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Horology
The Origin
The word horology is derived from the Latin Horologium and the Greek ὕρα (hora), "time".Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, hourglasses, clepsydras, and timers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.
The earliest known clock with a date indication is the Prague astronomical clock, built in 1410. The development of mechanical clocks in Europe was driven by two factors: the desire to regulate everyday life through timekeeping and the need to accurately calculate longitude for navigation.
In 1656, Galileo Galilei invented a pendulum clock that used a swinging bob to count the passing seconds. This was a step toward modern clocks that use quartz crystals as their timekeeping element instead of mechanical gears. The first reliable mechanical clocks, with heavy weights and pendulum movements, were created in the 17th century.
Mechanical Masterpiece
Mechanical watches were originally a curiosity, since they were the first watches that could be precisely regulated and relied on mechanical parts instead of the oscillations of a pendulum or balance wheel. While precise regulation is one defining feature of an accurate timepiece, it was historically not possible for a watch to be entirely accurate due to its dependence on the regularity of human-made clockwork mechanisms. Mechanical watches evolved from spring powered clocks into self-winding devices without springs, which are referred to as automatic watches or self-winding movements. Today only high-end watchmakers have mastered the art of making mechanical watches with over 100 wheels, gears and springs working together to create high precision timepieces.
