The first mechanical clocks invented by the Chinese were powered by huge, slowly turning wooden water wheels. In the 1300s. wheel clocks were introduced, driven by dropping weights, but these clocks were unreliable and inaccurate. The watch required a movement control mechanism that was invented in the 1600s. The mint became such a mechanism, which found its first practical application in watches.
In 1582, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei demonstrated that a pendulum - a weight suspended on a thin rod - always swings from constant speed... In addition, he proved that the speed of oscillation depends only on the length of the pendulum, and not on the size of the weight attached to its end. For example, a pendulum 1 m long makes one oscillation (back and forth) in 1 second. But if a pendulum of this length continues to swing, then it can be used to measure time in seconds. Galileo had this idea, and in 1641 - a year before his death - he told his son Vincenzo how to make a clock, the course of which is regulated by a pendulum. But Vincenzo did not have time to finish the work; the first pendulum clock appeared only in 1657.They were designed by the Dutch scientist Christian Huygens, and made by the watchmaker Solomon Koster in The Hague. They lagged behind or ran away by 5 seconds a day, which significantly exceeded the accuracy of all the clocks of that time.
The clock pendulums did not use threads, but metal rods. But the temperature affects the metal, so the length of the rods changed, which affected the accuracy of the watch. In hot weather, the metal rod lengthened, and in cold weather it shortened. For example, for a clock with a one-second pendulum, to lose one second per day, it is enough to increase the length of the pendulum by 0.025 mm, which occurs when the temperature rises by only 2 "C. The inventors soon solved this problem by creating a pendulum of constant length. In 1722 English mechanic George Graham invented the mercury pendulum (announced in 1726) by attaching a glass vessel with mercury to the end of the pendulum.When the pendulum lengthened downward due to the increase in temperature, this was compensated by the expansion of the mercury in the vessel, acting in the opposite direction.
Another solution was a lattice pendulum of alternating strips of steel and copper, invented by the English watchmaker John Harrisoy in 1728. Copper expands more than steel, so its expansion was compensated for by the smaller expansion of steel. Now the rods of pendulums are made of Invar - an alloy of iron with nickel, which hardly expands when heated. This alloy is also used to make tape measures and tuning forks, for which constant length is very important.
Galileo's pupil, the Italian scientist Vincenzo Viviani, made this sketch of a pendulum clock; for the reconstruction of the pendulum, see Fig. on p. 13.
This pendulum clock model was created in the 19th century. based on Viviani's sketch of Galileo's project. The source of energy for the clock was not indicated there, so it can be assumed that they were set in motion by dropping weights.
In a mechanical watch, the rate at which the energy of a descending weight is released is controlled by a mechanism called a descent. A hammer suspended from a pendulum makes the anchor swing. The anchor alternates between stopping and releasing the escape wheel, allowing it to gradually release the energy from the descending weight that drives the main wheel. An hour hand is attached to the axis of the main wheel.
11/01/2017 at 23:25
The history of the origin of mechanical watches clearly demonstrates the beginning of the development of complex technical devices. When watches were invented, they remained the main technical invention for several centuries. And to this day, historians cannot agree on who, in fact, was the first to invent a mechanical watch, based on historical facts.
Watch history
Even before the revolutionary discovery - the development of mechanical watches, the first and simplest device for measuring time was sundial... Already more than 3.5 thousand years ago, based on the correlation between the movement of the Sun and the length, position of the shadow from objects, the sundial was the most widely used device for determining the time. Also in the future, references to the water clock appeared in history, with the help of which they tried to cover the shortcomings and errors of the solar invention.
A little later in history, mentions of a fire clock or candle clock appeared. This method of measurement - thin candles, the length of which reached up to a meter, with application along the entire length of the timeline. Sometimes, in addition to the sides of the candle, metal rods were attached, and when the wax burned out, the side fasteners, falling down, emitted characteristic blows on the metal bowl of the candlestick - meaning a sound signal for a certain period of time. In addition, candles helped not only to determine the time, but also helped to illuminate the premises at night.
The next, not unimportant invention to mechanical devices, is the hourglass, which made it possible to measure only short periods of time, no more than half an hour. But, like the firing device, the hourglass could not achieve the accuracy of the sun.
Step by step, with each device, people developed a clearer idea of \u200b\u200btime, and the search for a perfect way to measure it continued. The invention of the first wheel watch was a uniquely new, revolutionary device, and from the moment of its inception the era of chronometry began.
Creation of the first mechanical watch
This is a clock with which time is measured by mechanical oscillations of a pendulum or a balance-spiral system. Unfortunately, exact date and the names of the masters of the invention of the first mechanical watch in history remain unknown. And all that remains is to appeal to historical facts, indicating the stages of creating a revolutionary device.
Historians have determined that mechanical watches began to be used in Europe at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries.
The tower wheel clock is the first representative of the mechanical generation of time measurement. The essence of the work was simple - the single-drive mechanism consisted of several parts: a smooth wooden axle and a stone, which was tied with a rope to the shaft, thus the function of a weight worked. Under the influence of the gravity of the stone, the rope gradually unwound and behind it contributed to the rotation of the axis, determining the course of time. The main difficulty of this mechanism was the colossal weight, as well as the cumbersomeness of the elements (the height of the tower was at least 10 meters, and the weight of the weight reached 200 kg), which entailed consequences in the form of large errors in timing. As a result, in the Middle Ages they came to the conclusion that the work of the clock should depend not only on a single movement of the weight.
The mechanism was further supplemented with several more components that managed to control the movement - the Bilyanets regulator (it was a metal base located parallel to the surface of the ratchet wheel) and the trigger distributor (a complex component in the mechanism, with the help of which the resulator and the transmission mechanism interact). But, in spite of all further innovations, the tower mechanism continued to require continuous observation, while remaining the most accurate time measurement device, even without looking at all its shortcomings and large errors.
Who invented the mechanical watch
Ultimately, over time, the mechanisms of the tower clock turned into complex structure with many automatically moving elements, a varied combat system, arrows and decorative ornaments. From that moment, the watch became not only a practical invention, but also an object of admiration - the invention of technology and art at the same time! Certainly some of them are worth highlighting.
Of the early mechanisms, such as the tower clock in Westminster Abbey in England (1288), in the Canterbury Temple (1292), in Florence (1300), unfortunately, none of them managed to preserve the names of their creators, remaining unknown ...
In 1402, the Prague Tower Clock was built, equipped with automatically moving figures, which during each chime battle displayed a certain set of movements, personifying history. The most ancient part of Orloi, a mechanical clock and an astronomical dial, was reconstructed in 1410. Each component was produced by the watchmaker Mikulas from Kadani according to the design of the astronomer and mathematician Jan Schindel.
For example, watchmaker Junello Turriano needed 1,800 wheels to make a tower clock that showed the daily movement of Saturn, the annual movement of the Sun, the movement of the Moon, as well as the direction of all planets in accordance with the Ptolemaic system of the universe, and the passage of time during the day.
All of the above clocks were invented relatively independently of each other and had a high error in time indicators.
The first touch on the subject of the invention of a clock with a spring motor appeared approximately in the second half of the 15th century. It was thanks to this invention that the next step was the discovery of the smaller variations of the watch.
First pocket watch
The next step in revolutionary instruments was the first pocket watch. The new development appeared approximately in 1510 thanks to a mechanic from the German city of Nürberg - Peter Henlein. The main feature of the device is the mainspring. The model showed the time with just one hand, showing the approximate time period. The case was made of gilded brass in the shape of an oval, resulting in the name "Nuremberg Egg". In the future, watchmakers sought to repeat and improve on the example and likeness of the first.
Who Invented the First Modern Mechanical Watch
If we talk about modern clocks, in 1657 the Dutch inventor Christian Huygens first used a pendulum as a clock regulator, and this was able to significantly reduce the error of indications in his invention. In the first hours of Huygens, the daily error did not exceed 10 seconds (for comparison, earlier the error ranged from 15 to 60 minutes). The watchmaker was able to offer a solution - new regulators for both kettlebell and spring watches. Now, from that moment on, the mechanisms have become much more perfect.
It should be noted that in all periods of the search for an ideal solution, they remained an irreplaceable subject of delight, surprise and admiration. Each new invention was striking in its beauty, laborious work and painstaking discoveries to improve the mechanism. And even today watchmakers do not cease to delight us with new solutions in the production of mechanical models, emphasizing the uniqueness and accuracy of each of their devices.
Nowadays wrist Watch viewed more as a status symbol than a timing device. Now almost any electronic device has a time display on the display. In the digital age, mechanical wristwatches are gradually evolving from a functional item to an object of modern culture.
If you walk into the meeting room of the board of directors of any of the companies included in the global top 100 Forbes or Fortune, then you will surely see a wristwatch for everyone present. Among them there will certainly be such well-known brands as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Frank Müller, Jaeger-lecoultre and Patek phillipe... However, this was not always the case. Exactly a hundred years ago, no self-respecting gentleman would have put a watch on his wrist for anything. In those days, a real man only wore a pocket watch. The preferred status symbol was a gold half-hunter on a gold chain.
(To clarify: a watch with a lid covering the glass was called a hunter. If there was a hole in the lid, in order to find out the time without opening it, then the watch was called a half-hunter..
Only women wore watches
The very first mention of a wristwatch refers to 1571 year... Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, presented as a gift to the Queen of England Elizabeth I watch bracelet richly decorated with diamonds and pearls. From that moment until the beginning of the 20th century, wristwatches were called bracelets ( wristlet) and were intended exclusively for women. They were considered more of an accessory, a tribute to fashion, than a serious watch. The attitude of men towards them is clearly demonstrated by the expression known at that time: "I'd rather wear a skirt than a wristwatch."
The watchmaking community also looked down on the first wristwatch. Due to their small size, few believed that perfect accuracy could be achieved from them. The cases and mechanisms of watches of that time required careful handling. It was believed that the watch on the wrist would not even withstand the usual rhythm of human life, not to mention such active male pursuits as hunting, sports or war. For this reason, wrist watches were produced by a small number of companies. Almost all of them were small ladies' models on a thin bracelet or chain.
The first men's wristwatch
Everything began to change in the late nineteenth century, when the military discovered that wearing a watch on the wrist in battle was much more convenient. The pocket watch was cumbersome and more difficult to use during battle. It was the military who invented primitive leather belts or cases for the arm, where they inserted a pocket watch, thereby freeing their hands for combat.
Now it is difficult to say which country's military was the first to use wristwatches. Most likely they were the British. In the 19th century, England led constant fighting in their many colonies in Asia and Africa. The British possessed the most modern weapons and used advanced battle tactics.
Military watches of the 19th century
One of the main theaters of constant battles was huge territory British India. Watch collector Richard Edwards ( Richard Edwards analyzed thousands of photographs from the second half of the 19th century from military archives. It turned out that watches on the hands of the British military in India began to appear starting from 1885 year... Most likely, this very date can be considered the time of the appearance of the first men's wrist watch. At the same time, in essence, it was still just a pocket watch that was inserted into special cases for wearing on the wrist.
Evidence points to the use of wristwatches during the Anglo-Sudanese conflicts, the main event of which was the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.
During the Boer War (1899-1902) in South Africa all the latest military achievements of that time were used: smokeless powder, rifles with magazines and machine guns. However, some believe that the victory was not brought to the British by new weapons, but by the first wrist watch.
British troops at the time were well trained and equipped, but they were at a disadvantage as they had to attack the fortified positions of the Boers. In addition, the enemy outnumbered them. New weapons have led to the emergence of an era of war, requiring special tactical precision. British officers have achieved significant success using homemade wristwatches to coordinate the simultaneous movement of units and synchronize flank attacks on enemy positions.
Obviously, by the end of the 19th century, the experience of wearing pocket watches on the wrist spread to the armies of other states.
Wrist watches in the early 20th century
There is no exact information about which watch company was the first to launch the production of wristwatches. Many companies declare their primacy, but it can only be argued that the first wristwatches were released at the beginning of the 20th century.
There is often information that the first men's wristwatch was released by the company Girard-perregaux in 1880 by order of Kaiser Wilhelm I for officers of the German Imperial Navy. It is claimed that a total of 2,000 watches were produced. However, there are some doubts about the veracity of this version. Not a single copy of this watch has survived to our time. In the photo (see left), which is Girard-Perregaux,other clocks are shown. In appearance, they are more reminiscent of specimens of the early 20th century. The company's documents were partially lost, so there is no real confirmation of the release of such a batch of watches yet.
In the first years of the 20th century, the first mentions of wristwatches for the general public began to appear.
In 1901, an interesting review was published in the watch catalog of the English company Goldsmith’s under one of the pocket watches: “I wore this watch on my wrist in South Africa for 3.5 months. They always showed the exact time and never let me down. Respectfully yours, Captain of the North Staffordshire Regiment. This review was posted to a watch that was described as "the world's most reliable timepiece for a gentleman on active duty or in harsh conditions."
In 1902, an advertisement for a watch was published by the company Omega... It also mentioned the experience of using watches in the Boer War. In 1904, the famous Louis Cartier ( Louis Cartier) creates a men's wristwatch of an unusual rectangular shape for that time, which was built into the bracelet. In 1905, the Wilsdorf & Davis company was formed, which was later renamed Rolex... Its founder, Hans Wisdorf, created a collection of wrist watches for men and women with leather straps that were popular. Hans Wilsdorf saw great prospects in wristwatches and made a lot of efforts to improve and popularize them.
First improvements to wristwatches
In 1906, flexible metal wristwatch bracelets were invented. Also, around this time, small strap ears appeared on pocket watches, allowing them to be quickly adapted for wearing on the hand.
One of the main problems when wearing a watch on the wrist was the fragility of the watch glass, so manufacturers offered various options for its protection. Usually these were various types of grills or lids with holes. This watch is called trench or trench hours. A less common way to protect glass was a top-down leather case.
Manufacturers have gradually improved the design of the watches themselves, making them more durable and reliable. There were even models with radium on the dial and hands that glowed in the dark. However, in spite of all efforts, wrist watches continued to remain in the shadow of pocket watches.
Historic victory of wristwatches
The turning point occurred during the First World War of 1914-1918. Almost all Western countries, as well as the USA, Canada and a number of countries from other continents, took part in it. The experience of the Anglo-Boer War was not in vain, and the demand for reliable, accurate and comfortable watches in combat conditions has grown significantly. The watch industry began to receive orders from the military departments for the manufacture of large quantities of wristwatches. IN last years During the war at the front, wristwatches with a dust- and waterproof case appeared.
After the end of the war, the soldiers returned home. Many of them continued to wear "trench" watches on their wrist, and the attitude towards them quickly changed. Since then, no one has called a wristwatch a woman's. In the 1920s, they were further improved. The fragile glass was replaced with plastic. The loops for fastening straps have turned into the familiar “horns” for fastening a bracelet. The thin enamel dial was replaced with a metal one. Rolex introduced a truly waterproof Oyster watch in 1926. Shock-resistant mechanisms and self-winding appeared. Manufacturers began to expand the range of models, experiment with the shape, materials and decoration of wristwatches. Around this time, wristwatches began to be denoted by the familiar word “ watch", Because before that they were called" wristlet", Which can be translated as" bracelet "or" wrist ".
Scientists found the first mention of the so-called mechanical clock in ancient Byzantine texts - it dates back to 578.
The design of the first mechanical watches was simple. Kettlebells on a rope wound on
a horizontal shaft, the arrows were lowered and moved with the help of gear wheels.
The mechanical watch revolutionized time. They have been refined over five centuries.
The clockwork itself was very large, so the first clocks were placed on the towers. In the XI century. in Western Europe there appeared a tower iron mechanical clock with one hand and a bell chime, set in motion by a massive weight. With the rising of the Sun they were put at 0 o'clock. In winter, a heavy weight was hung on a chain, and in summer a light weight. The heavier the weight, the faster, overcoming the friction of the wheels, this wind-up clock went without a pendulum. The watchman corrected them according to the sundial several times a day.
In 1288, the iron tower Westminster chimes were already in operation. On the dials of that period there was only one hand - the hour, this clock was ringing a bell every hour
The clock of Strasbourg Cathedral was a miracle of medieval technology. They were installed in 1354 and later connected to the bell that chimed every hour. On the clock, in addition to the dial with the arrow, there was also a whole planetarium: a creeping starry sky, a calendar and a zodiac with planets moving along it. The clocks did not yet have precise pendulum regulation of the course, and they had to be periodically adjusted according to the sundial.
In 1510, the German mechanic Henlein adapted a steel spring to the movement and made the first pocket watch. They had a rounded shape, the case was decorated with intricate ornamentation, which is why such watches were called "Nuremberg eggs". Wealthy people got such a small watch with many wheels, they could be carried in a wallet.
Spring Actuator Introduction to early XVI in. significantly expanded the possibilities of using mechanical watches. This type of drive is still prevalent in mass watches.
Then there was pendulum invented... The next step forward was the escapement mechanism. In 1657, the Dutch scientist Christian Huygens, having studied the properties of the pendulum, made a mechanical pendulum clock.
He suggested using a torsional pendulum - a balance beam with a spiral - as a regulator of oscillations. A pendulum, swinging to the right and left, not allowing the wheel to move more than one tooth with each swing. Later, watches with minute and second hands were invented. The accuracy of the watch has increased many times, but it was still impossible to transport such a watch.
A modern version of the clock with weights and a pendulum.
Unfortunately, the mechanical wheel clock worked properly only on land, and until then the navigators had been using the hourglass - "flasks". The marine clock was made in the 18th century by the Yorkshire carpenter J. Harrison. The chronometer was tested by Captain James Cook, who made a map of the Polynesian islands thanks to him.
The most complex and interesting movement created in the Middle Ages was a mechanical watch. Who Invented Mechanical Watches? There are sources claiming that such a watch first appeared in Western Europe. And yet the first mechanical watch was invented in China and was created by a monk, but now let's talk about everything in order.
In 723 buddhist monk and the mathematician Yi Xing designed a clock mechanism, which he called "a spherical map of the skies from a bird's eye view", set in motion by water. Water was a source of energy, but movement was regulated by mechanisms. These watches had a kind of release device that delayed the rotation of the water wheel until each of its buckets was filled to the top, and then allowed it to be rotated through a certain angle, and the history of mechanical watches began.
The invention of the mechanical watch in Europe
When the mechanical watch was invented in Europe, it is difficult to say. In the XIII century. they, in any case, they already existed. Dante, for example, mentions a chiming wheel clock. It is known that in 1288 a tower clock was installed in London's Westminster. They had one hand that marked only the hours (minutes were not measured then). There was no pendulum in them, and the move was not precise.
Tower wheel clocks were not only time meters, but were often a true work of art, being the pride of cathedrals and cities. For example, the tower clock of the Strasbourg Cathedral (1354) showed the moon, sun, parts of the day and hours, celebrated holidays church calendar, Easter and related days. At noon, the three wise men bowed before the figurine of the Mother of God, and the rooster crowed and beat its wings. A special mechanism set in motion small cymbals that beat off time. From the Strasbourg hours to the present day, only a rooster has remained.
Mechanical clocks in the middle ages
In the Middle Ages, in practice, time was not accurately measured. It was divided into approximate periods - morning, noon, evening - without clear boundaries between them. French king Louis IX (1214-1270) measured the elapsed time at night by the length of a constantly shortening candle.
The only place where they tried to organize time was the church. She divided the day not according to natural phenomena (morning, evening, etc.), but in accordance with the cycle of worship, repeated daily. The countdown began with matins (towards the end of the night), and with dawn the first hour was marked and then sequentially: the third hour (in the morning), the sixth (at noon), the ninth (afternoon) in the evening and the so-called "final hour" - the time when the daily worship. But the names of the services marked not only time intervals, but the beginning of certain stages of the daily service, which fell on different "physical" times in different seasons.
The church countdown was supplanted in the XIV century, when the chiming tower clock began to be erected on city buildings. Interestingly, in 1355, the inhabitants of a French town were given permission to build a city bell tower, so that its bells would not sound the church clock, but the time of commercial transactions and the work of cloth makers.
In the XIV century. people start to count the time diligently. Mechanical watches with striking became widespread, and together with them the idea of \u200b\u200bdividing the day into 24 equal hours became firmly established in the mind. Later, in the 15th century, a new concept was introduced - the minute.
In 1450 a spring clock was invented, and by the end of the 15th century. portable watches came into use, but still too large to be called pocket or wrist watches. In Russia, tower clocks appeared in 1404 and in the XV-XVI centuries. spread throughout the country.