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Clocks in the Scientific Revolution
Keeping good time proved an elusive objective for centuries, and it was only in the second half of the 17th century, during the Scientific Revolution (1500-1700), that clocks were made which lost seconds rather than minutes each day. The...
Definition
Democritus
Democritus (l. c. 460 - c. 370 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and younger contemporary of Socrates, born in Abdera (though other sources cite Miletus) who, with his teacher Leucippus (l. 5th century BCE), was the first to propose an atomic...
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Galileo's Design for a Pendulum Clock
A design for a pendulum clock made by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) in the last year of his life. Galileo never made a working model of the clock (although his son did in 1649). Illustration by Vincenzo Viviani. (Science Museum, London)
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Detail, Tompion Clock Face
A detail of a table clock made by Thomas Tompion (1639-1713). Perhaps made for Anne, Queen of Great Britain (r. 1702-1714) around 1708. (Science Museum, London)
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Eastgate Clock Chester
The Eastgate Clock, Chester, Cheshire, England. Stands on the site of the original entrance to the Roman fortress of Deva Victrix. Installed in 1899 CE.
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Harrison's Marine Chronometer
John Harrison (1693-1776) invented an accurate marine chronometer after several decades of research and development. While the pendulum clock had already been invented in the 17th century, a clock that could withstand the vagaries of the...
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Decimal Clock
A decimal clock manufactured during the French Revolution. Decimal time is measured on the inside of the clock while duodecimal time is on the outside, late 18th/early 19th century.
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The Clock of Andronicus Cyrrhestes
Also known as the Tower of the Winds because of the relief carvings of the eight winds near its top, this marble tower, built in the first century BCE, contained the clock which ran on water from the Acropolis spring. It was located in the...
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Huygen's Pendulum Clock
A reconstructed model of a pendulum clock designed and built by the Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695). The device has two weights and two pulleys which are driven by the swing of the pendulum. (Science Museum...
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Sejong-era Water Clock Replica
Replica of a water-powered clock invented in 1433 CE by the royal scholars under the guidance of King Sejong the Great (r. 1418-1450 CE).
Yeouido Park, Seoul, South Korea.