Explore the World of Horology

01 · Before 500 BCE

Shadow clocks, sundials and outflow water clocks in Egypt, Mesopotamia and China divide day and night into hours.

02 · 500 BCE – 500 CE

Greek and Roman engineers refine the clepsydra; Ctesibius adds float regulation; the Antikythera mechanism models the heavens.

03 · 500 – 1400

Su Song's astronomical tower in Song China, al-Jazari's automata, and the first European weight-driven verge clocks.

04 · 1400 – 1600

Spring power makes clocks portable; Nuremberg and Augsburg produce the first watches; the Prague Orloj is built.

05 · 1600 – 1750

Huygens' pendulum and balance spring transform accuracy; English makers develop the anchor and deadbeat escapements.

06 · 1750 – 1850

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

07 · 1850 – 1900

American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.

08 · 1900 – 1945

The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.

09 · 1945 – 1969

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

10 · 1969 – 1990

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

11 · 1990 – 2010

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

12 · 2010 – Present

Silicon components, connected watches, optical-lattice research clocks and a thriving independent scene.