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100
Dial of Ahaz 700BC
SundialsThe first recorded clock is the sundial, which actually is recorded in the Old Testament (Isaiah 38:8) and was called the "dial of Ahaz". Sundials work by reflecting the sun's shadow on a stationary object and whilst the day progressing and the sun traverses the sky, the passage of the shadow (time) is recorded or taken note of. -
101
Hourglass 150BC
Hourglass The hourglass or earlier versions such as waterclocks also are some of the olderst time keeping devies known to man. The hourglass or "Clepsammia" as it is called uses a particular known substances, such as sand, which is transfered from one area to another in a known duration of time. The clepsammia or sand-glass was invented at Alexandria about 150 BC -
Jan 1, 1088
Su Song Mechanical Clock
Early Mechanical ClocksOne of the earliest mechanical clocks known wsa Su Song's Astronomical Clock Tower built in 11th century Kaifeng, China. It used a waterwheel (hydraulics) to record the passage of time. -
Jan 1, 1327
Abbey of St. Albans 1327
EscapementThe escapement is a device in mechanical watches and clocks that transfers energy to the timekeeping element and allows the number of its oscillations to be counted. The earliest description of an escapement is in Richard of Wallingford's 1327 manuscript Tractatus Horologii Astronomici on the clock he built at the Abbey of St. Albans. -
Jan 1, 1430
Spring Driven Clocks
Spring Driven ClocksThe earliest existing spring driven clock is the chamber clock given to Phillip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, around 1430. This led to the development of the pocketwatch. One of the first pocket watches, called "Nuremberg Egg", was made around 1510 and is attributed to Peter Henlein. -
The Pendulum Clock
The Pendulum ClockIn the 17th century Galileo had the idea of using a swinging pendulum to record time, but Christiaan Huygens, however determined the relationship between pendulum length and time. The first model clock was built in 1657 in the Hague, Netherlands. -
Electric Clocks
Electric Clocks Alexander Bain, Scottish clockmaker, patented the electric clock in 1840. The electric clock's mainspring is wound either with an electric motor or with an electromagnet and armature. This eventually leads to creating clocks with no moving parts at all! -
War & the Wristwatch
War & the Wristwatch Wristwatches were first worn by military men towards the end of the 19th century, when the importance of synchronizing manoeuvres during war, without potentially revealing the plan to the enemy through signalling, was increasingly recognized. The Garstin Company of London patented a 'Watch Wristlet' design in 1893. -
Rolex is founded
RolexHans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, founded Wilsdorf and Davis, the company that would eventually become Rolex SA, in London, England in 1905 -
The Quartz Clock
Quartz Clock The introduction of the quartz watch in 1969 was a revolutionary improvement in watch technology. In place of a balance wheel which oscillated at 5 beats per second, it used a quartz crystal resonator which vibrated at 8,192 Hz, driven by a battery powered oscillator circuit. This crystal oscillator creates a signal with very precise frequency, so that quartz clocks are more accurate than mechanical clocks. -
LCD Watches
LCD Watch
The first LCD watch with a six-digit LCD was the 1973 Seiko 06LC, although various forms of early LCD watches with a four-digit display were marketed as early as 1972 including the 1972 Gruen Teletime LCD Watch, and the Cox Electronic Systems Quarza. -
Mobile Phones
Mobile Phones Mobile Phones have revolutionized time telling. Watches are no longer the primary means of telling time for individuals under 30 years old. The first hand-held cell phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell[1][2] and Dr. Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973
