The history of timekeeping is as old as the history of mankind. We offer you a brief insight into the origins of the clock and show you what secrets are hidden in this everyday object that sets the pace of our lives.
What is the significance of the clock?
The clock is a time-measuring device: it shows what hour, minute and second of the day we are in; as a stopwatch, it can measure periods of time and as an alarm clock it can bring people out of sleep. Archaeological finds suggest that people have been striving to measure time since time itself began. In the early days of mankind, people used astronomical phenomena as a guide, read the time of day with the help of simple shadow clocks and used the first calendars for religious purposes. What is particularly interesting, however, is the fact that time measurement developed independently in all cultures. It seems to be an indispensable basic need for human existence to determine the current time and to measure time intervals.
Life without time measurement has become unimaginable in our society. And even if the smartphone is gradually replacing the wristwatch, timepieces of all kinds are everyday companions that we cannot and do not want to do without. In the world of work, production processes, leisure time – without time measurement, we would not be able to show up on time for meetings, engage in global trade or make appointments. But since time reminds people of its transience, we have an ambivalent relationship with it and would like to use the time available to us as “profitably” as possible.
From wristwatches and hourglasses to wall clocks or handmade cuckoo clocks, timepieces have also become collectors’ items; ultimately, there’s no escaping the magic and aesthetics of this mysterious everyday object.
From its beginnings to the present day: the development of the clock
Ancient time measurement
The sky has always been an important timekeeper: the sun and the moon divided the day into two parts. It is known from ancient Egypt that people set up shadow clocks on which the days were divided into hours. However, these shadow clocks suffered from the disadvantage of the varying lengths of shadow lines over the course of the year. Diagonal star clocks, which made use of the movements of the constellations, had a religious function: with their help, the deceased should be able to ascend to heaven more easily.
The water clock was developed in the 16th century BC: water draining from a vessel showed the time – a method that works completely independently of the season or light. Similar water clocks were also used in Babylonia. In ancient Greece, water clocks were used in court to limit speaking time. “Time has run out” – this phrase, still in use today, refers to the water clock.
The Romans adopted the principles of water clocks and sundials from other cultures. The Moors and Arabs also used this technique but continued to develop it.
Time measurement in the middle ages
With the Roman Empire, the knowledge of ancient timekeeping perished. But even in the Middle Ages, scientists worked on the further development of sundials and water clocks and invented new time-measuring instruments. Easily available, relatively reliable and independent of daylight, for example, was the candle clock, which was developed around 900 AD. Candles of the same length and in certain shapes were provided with markings that showed the elapsed time as they burned.
The most important time indicators in the Middle Ages were bells on the town and church towers. We can well imagine how loud bell ringing announced the opening of a market, court times and of course prayer times in monasteries or masses in cathedrals. The invention of the escapement made it possible to announce these events, which were essential for medieval life, at the right time, and with it, the development of the wheel clock first mentioned in a document in 1335.
It was the clocks in the doormen’s rooms that synchronised medieval society with their alarm and the striking of the hours. With the later emergence of tower clocks, the general public was finally able to tell the time. Only a few monarchs and wealthy citizens owned a domestic clock – mostly complicated astronomical clocks that were popular for representative reasons. From the 15th century onwards, clockmakers organised themselves into independent guilds.
It was not until the 14th century that the hourglass was also developed, which served to measure shorter intervals of time.
The further development of timekeeping in modern times
Even during the Renaissance, timepieces were continually being developed. The fact that the sensitive movement was now hidden in a case to protect it from dirt resulted in watches becoming more and more of a fashion accessory. Thanks to new materials, finer tools and the invention of the spring drive, watches could also be made much smaller.
As the first pocket watches were developed, international competition arose among clockmakers, who outdid each other in the production of technical and artistic masterpieces. Even minute and second hands were now built into the timepieces and made it possible to measure time more precisely.
Watchmaking took a different turn in America: from the beginning of the 19th century, the industrial production of pocket watches began here. The clock became a mass article and was available to more and more people from different social classes.
In the 16th century, none other than Galileo Galilei described the laws of pendulum motion and developed a mechanism with a pendulum and free escapement – an idea pursued at the same time by Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch scientist whose design eventually gave rise to the first pendulum clock. This development made extremely precise timekeeping possible. The Netherlands and England were now the most important centres of clockmaking.
In the 18th century, watches were no longer only in demand as objects of art. The colonial powers actively traded in goods that they imported from overseas to Europe. As such, Maritime shipping required precise timekeeping, which was finally provided by the marine chronometer developed in 1759.
Time Measurement in the Modern Age
In the age of industrialisation, clocks also became an object of mass production. In Germany, the Black Forest became the manufacturing centre for clocks and watches.
To make a clock run, it needs a source of energy. Since industrialisation also led to the implementation of a nationwide power supply, the idea of using an electric motor to drive clock movements was obvious. Motors were used to wind movements in tower clocks, to drive escapements with electromagnetic pulses or to synchronise clock systems used in railway traffic.
But when did wristwatches become fashionable? The first jewellery watches, which resemble today’s wristwatches, were already made in the early 19th century. In the navy, in the military in general, among aviators and athletes, the advantages of the compact wristwatch were quickly recognised. When John Harwood invented the automatic watch in 1923 and the Rolex company launched the legendary Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, the triumph of the wristwatch was unstoppable. As early as the 1930s, two-thirds of all timepieces sold were wristwatches.
Other milestones in the development of modern timekeeping were the invention of the quartz clock in 1921 and the atomic clock, first used in 1949, which set the standard with its impressive accuracy. Since the 1960s, radio-controlled clocks have also enjoyed great popularity.
The construction of a clock: an overview of the most important components
Clocks are usually driven either by weights, a mainspring or electrically with the help of a direct power supply from the electricity grid or a battery. Weight drives are easy to construct and are consequently considered the simplest form of energy supply. However, their running time is limited depending on the mass. Wheel clocks driven by weights must be wound either manually or electrically. The development of steel watch springs made it possible to reduce the size of the movement. To ensure that the timepiece runs smoothly, it is necessary to install an escapement. Modern wristwatches are powered by replaceable button cells. Solar cells can be used to recharge a battery regularly.
The gear train of a clock is the totality of the gears and pinions in the movement. The individual parts of the gear train can be made of wood, metal, plastic or ceramic.
The gear train transmits the energy from the drive via the escapement to the regulator of the watch. The various gear wheels rotate at different speeds. Mechanical watches usually have a striking mechanism that triggers an acoustic signal such as a chime or a gong. Calendar movements, chronograph movements or moon phase movements are additional movements that are used in more complicated timepieces.
In mechanical clocks, the escapement ensures even timekeeping. The escapement ranges from the verge and foliot mechanism to the pendulum. The quality of the escapement often reflects the skills of a watchmaker. Many clockmakers devised complicated constructions to protect the sensitive escapement from external influences.
What could be more beautiful than a well-designed display on which the elegant hands move to tell the observer the current time at first glance? Conventional time is displayed on a dial. Most wristwatches have at least an hour and a minute hand, but many also have a second hand and additional time displays for determining the date, the moon phase or other parameters. Dials are usually round or square, and the dial ring makes it easier to read the time. The design of dials is subject to fashion and often plays a major role in the decision to buy a watch. In addition to dials and hands, there are of course also digital time displays and other artistic-creative solutions that allow the viewer to see the time.
Special Clocks and Fixtures
Over the centuries, clockmakers and inventors have come up with numerous additional devices to complement the classic clock. During the Renaissance, for example, automata were in vogue – figurative representations that were triggered and driven using clockwork. The automata usually fulfilled an artistic function and enjoyed great popularity.
The musical chime is also regarded as a secondary feature, which today can be seen as a gimmick, but at the time of its creation was a source of great fascination.
Even today, chimes in church tower and town hall clocks remain popular tourist attractions in some cities. The hourly chimes of large tower clocks are produced by striking mechanisms.
A special clock that fascinates a large number of collectors worldwide because of its striking mechanism is the cuckoo clock. The Black Forest is the traditional manufacturing region for cuckoo clocks. The elaborately decorated clocks are usually available as wall clocks. The clock is named after a small wooden cuckoo figure that peeks out of a window or door every hour on the hour and emits a cuckoo call that is triggered by small organ pipes or whistles inside the clock. Another characteristic feature of the cuckoo clock is the pendulum movement with a chain hoist.
Traditionally, hand-carved wooden figures from Val Gardena are used for Black Forest cuckoo clocks, which are popular for their high quality and artistic appeal.
Historia ya kuweka saa ni ya kale kama historia ya wanadamu. Tunakupa ufahamu mfupi juu ya asili ya saa na kukuonyesha siri gani zimefichwa katika kitu hiki cha kila siku ambacho huweka mwendo wa maisha yetu. Saa hiyo ina maana gani? Saa ni kifaa cha kupima wakati: inaonyesha ni saa ngapi, dakika ngapi na sekunde ngapi za siku; kama saa ya kusimama, inaweza kupima vipindi vya wakati, na kama saa ya kuamsha inaweza kuwaamsha watu kutoka usingizi. Ugunduzi wa kiakiolojia unaonyesha kwamba watu wamekuwa wakijitahidi kupima wakati tangu mwanzo wa wakati. Katika siku za mwanzo za ubinadamu, watu walitumia matukio ya nyota kama mwongozo, kusoma wakati wa siku kwa msaada wa saa za kivuli rahisi na kutumia kalenda za kwanza kwa madhumuni ya kidini. Hata hivyo, jambo lenye kupendeza hasa ni kwamba kipimo cha wakati kilitengenezwa kwa kujitegemea katika tamaduni zote. Inaonekana kuwa haja ya msingi ya kuwepo kwa binadamu kuamua wakati wa sasa na kupima vipindi vya wakati. Maisha bila kipimo cha wakati yamekuwa yasiyoweza kuwaziwa katika jamii yetu. Hata kama simu za mkononi zinachukua nafasi ya saa za mkono, saa za kila aina ni rafiki za kila siku ambazo hatuwezi na hatutaki kutokuwa nazo. Katika ulimwengu wa kazi, michakato ya uzalishaji, wakati wa burudani <unk> bila kipimo cha wakati, hatungeweza kuonekana kwa wakati kwa mikutano, kushiriki katika biashara ya kimataifa au kufanya miadi. Lakini kwa kuwa wakati unakumbusha watu juu ya upitio wake, tuna uhusiano wa kutatanisha nao na tungependa kutumia wakati uliopo kwetu kwa "faida" iwezekanavyo. Kutoka saa za mkono na saa za mchanga hadi saa za ukuta au saa za kuku zilizotengenezwa kwa mikono, saa pia zimekuwa vitu vya kukusanya; mwishowe, hakuna kutoroka uchawi na urembo wa kitu hiki cha kila siku cha siri. Tangu mwanzo hadi leo: maendeleo ya saa ya kale ya muda: anga daima imekuwa muhimu timekeeper: jua na mwezi kugawanywa siku katika sehemu mbili. Katika Misri ya kale, watu waliweka saa za kivuli ambazo zilikuwa na vipindi vya saa. Hata hivyo, saa hizo za kivuli zilikuwa na hasara kwa sababu ya urefu tofauti-tofauti wa mistari ya kivuli katika mwaka mzima. Saa za nyota za mstatili, ambazo zilitumia mwendo wa nyota, zilikuwa na kusudi la kidini: kwa msaada wao, wafu wangeweza kupanda mbinguni kwa urahisi zaidi. Saa ya maji ilianzishwa katika karne ya 16 KK, wakati maji yaliyotoka kwenye chupa ya maji yalipoonyesha wakati, na kwa njia hiyo, saa hiyo ilifanya kazi bila kujali majira au mwangaza. Saa za maji kama hizo zilitumiwa pia huko Babeli. Katika Ugiriki ya kale, saa za maji zilitumiwa mahakamani ili kupunguza muda wa kusema. "Wakati umekwisha" - usemi huu, ambao bado unatumiwa leo, unarejelea saa ya maji. Waroma walichukua kanuni za saa za maji na saa za jua kutoka tamaduni nyinginezo. Waarabu na Waarabu pia walitumia mbinu hiyo lakini waliendelea kuendeleza mbinu hiyo. Kupima wakati katika Enzi za Kati Pamoja na Milki ya Roma, ujuzi wa nyakati za kale ulipotea. Hata katika enzi za kati, wanasayansi walifanya kazi ya kuboresha saa za jua na za maji na kutengeneza vifaa vipya vya kupima wakati. Kwa mfano, saa ya mshumaa, ambayo ilikuwa rahisi kupata, yenye kutegemeka kwa kiasi fulani, na isiyotegemea nuru ya mchana, ilitengenezwa karibu mwaka 900 W.K. Mishumaa yenye urefu uleule na yenye umbo fulani ilipewa alama zilizoonya muda uliopita ilipokuwa ikiwaka. Vifaa muhimu zaidi vya kuonyesha wakati katika Enzi za Kati vilikuwa kengele zilizokuwa kwenye minara ya mji na ya kanisa. Tunaweza kuwazia jinsi kengele zilivyopiga kwa sauti kubwa ili kutangaza kufunguliwa kwa soko, nyakati za mahakama na bila shaka nyakati za sala katika makao ya watawa au misa katika makanisa makuu. Kutokezwa kwa saa ya kuokoa ilifanya iwezekane kutangaza matukio haya, ambayo yalikuwa muhimu kwa maisha ya enzi za kati, kwa wakati unaofaa, na pamoja nayo, maendeleo ya saa ya gurudumu, iliyotajwa kwa mara ya kwanza katika hati mnamo 1335. Ni saa katika vyumba vya walinzi wa mlango ambazo ziliunganisha jamii ya enzi za kati na kengele zao na kupiga saa. Baadaye, saa za mnara zilipotokea, hatimaye watu wengi waliweza kujua wakati. Ni watawala wachache tu na raia matajiri waliomiliki saa ya nyumbani - hasa saa za nyota zenye kutatanisha ambazo zilikuwa maarufu kwa sababu za uwakilishi. Kuanzia karne ya 15 na kuendelea, watengenezaji wa saa walijipanga wenyewe katika mashirika huru. Katika karne ya 14 na 15 waandishi wa vitabu walianza kutumia saa za mchanga, ambazo zilikuwa na uwezo wa kupima vipindi vya muda. Maendeleo zaidi ya urekebishaji wa wakati katika nyakati za kisasa Hata wakati wa Enzi ya Renaissance, saa ziliendelea kutengenezwa. Kwa kuwa saa hizo zilikuwa zimefichwa ndani ya kisanduku ili ziwe salama, saa hizo zilikuwa zinatumiwa sana. Kwa sababu ya vifaa vipya, vifaa bora zaidi, na uvumbuzi wa mashine ya kuendesha saa kwa msumari, saa zingeweza kutengenezwa kuwa ndogo zaidi. Wakati saa za kwanza za mfukoni zilipotengenezwa, ushindani wa kimataifa ulitokea miongoni mwa watengenezaji wa saa, ambao walifanikiwa zaidi kuliko wengine katika utengenezaji wa kazi bora za kiufundi na za kisanii. Hata saa za dakika na za sekunde ziliunganishwa katika saa hizo na hivyo ikawa rahisi kupima wakati kwa usahihi zaidi. Kwa mfano, katika Amerika, wakati wa karne ya 19, watengenezaji wa saa walianza kutengeneza saa za mfukoni. Saa hiyo ikawa bidhaa ya watu wengi na ikawa inapatikana kwa watu wengi zaidi na zaidi kutoka tabaka tofauti-tofauti za kijamii. Galileo Galilei alianzisha saa ya penduli na kutengeneza mashine ya kuteleza kwa uhuru, na wakati huohuo Christiaan Huygens, mwanasayansi wa Uholanzi, alianzisha saa ya penduli. Maendeleo hayo yalifanya iwezekane kuweka saa kwa usahihi sana. Sasa Uholanzi na Uingereza zilikuwa vituo muhimu zaidi vya utengenezaji wa saa. Katika karne ya 18, saa za kipekee zilikuwa zinatumiwa sana katika sanaa. Mataifa ya kikoloni yalifanya biashara kwa bidii ya bidhaa ambazo yaliingiza Ulaya kutoka ng'ambo ya bahari. Kwa hiyo, meli za baharini zilihitaji kuweka wakati kwa usahihi, jambo ambalo hatimaye lilitolewa na chronometer ya baharini iliyobuniwa mwaka wa 1759. Kupima Wakati Katika Enzi ya Kisasa Katika enzi ya viwanda, saa pia ikawa kitu cha uzalishaji wa wingi. Huko Ujerumani, Msitu wa Black Forest ukawa kituo cha utengenezaji wa saa na saa. Ili saa ifanye kazi, inahitaji chanzo cha nishati. Kwa kuwa viwanda viliongoza pia kwenye utekelezaji wa usambazaji wa umeme wa kitaifa, wazo la kutumia injini ya umeme kuendesha harakati za saa lilikuwa dhahiri. Injini zilitumiwa kugeuza miendo katika saa za mnara, kuendesha escape na pulsi za umeme au kusawazisha mifumo ya saa inayotumiwa katika trafiki ya reli. Lakini ni lini saa za mkono zikawa za mtindo? Saa za kwanza za vito, ambazo zinafanana na saa za mkono za leo, zilitengenezwa mapema karne ya 19. Katika jeshi la wanamaji, katika jeshi kwa ujumla, miongoni mwa marubani na wanariadha, faida za saa ndogo ya mkono zilitambuliwa haraka. Wakati John Harwood alianzisha saa ya moja kwa moja mnamo 1923, kampuni ya Rolex ilianzisha Oyster, saa ya kwanza ya mkono isiyoweza kuvunjika. Katika miaka ya 1930, thuluthi mbili ya saa zote zilizouzwa zilikuwa saa za mkono. Katika miaka ya nyuma, saa za kiatomiki zilitumiwa kwa kasi sana, na saa za quartz zilitengenezwa mwaka wa 1921 na saa za atomiki mwaka wa 1949. Tangu miaka ya 1960, saa za kuongoza kwa redio zimekuwa maarufu sana. Wakati wa saa: muhtasari wa vipengele muhimu zaidi Saa kwa kawaida huendeshwa ama kwa uzito, spring kuu au umeme kwa msaada wa usambazaji wa moja kwa moja kutoka kwa mtandao wa umeme au betri. Vipimo vya uzito ni rahisi kutengeneza na kwa hiyo huonwa kuwa aina rahisi zaidi ya usambazaji wa nishati. Hata hivyo, muda wao wa kuendesha ni mdogo kulingana na wingi. Saa zenye magurudumu zinazoendeshwa na mizigo lazima ziendeshwe kwa mkono au kwa umeme. Maendeleo ya chemchemi za chuma za saa yalifanya iwezekane kupunguza ukubwa wa harakati hiyo. Ili kuhakikisha kwamba saa hiyo inafanya kazi kwa utaratibu, ni lazima ufunge kifaa cha kuondoa hewa. Saa za kisasa za mkono huendeshwa na seli za kifungo zinazoweza kubadilishwa. Chembe za jua zaweza kutumiwa kuchaji betri kwa ukawaida. Gari-moshi la saa ni jumla ya magurudumu na pinions katika harakati. Sehemu za kibinafsi za gari la gia zinaweza kutengenezwa kwa mbao, chuma, plastiki au kauri. gear treni inatoa nishati kutoka drive kupitia escapement kwa mdhibiti wa saa. Magurudumu mbalimbali ya gia huzunguka kwa mwendo tofauti. Kwa kawaida saa za mitambo huwa na kifaa cha kupiga ambacho husababisha sauti kama vile kengele au gong. Mabadiliko ya kalenda, mabadiliko ya chronograph au mabadiliko ya awamu ya mwezi ni mabadiliko ya ziada ambayo hutumiwa katika saa ngumu zaidi. Katika saa za mitambo, kifaa hicho huandaa wakati unaofaa. Kutoroka huanzia kwenye ukingo na utaratibu wa foliot hadi penduli. Mara nyingi ubora wa mashine hiyo huonyesha ustadi wa mtengenezaji wa saa. Watengenezaji wengi wa saa walitengeneza vifaa tata ili kulinda sehemu hiyo nyeti ya kutoroka kutoka kwa uvutano wa nje. Ni nini kinachoweza kuwa kizuri zaidi kuliko kioo kilichoundwa vizuri ambacho vidole vyenye kupendeza hujipiga ili kumwambia mtazamaji wakati wa sasa kwa mtazamo wa kwanza? Wakati wa kawaida huonyeshwa kwenye dawati. Saa nyingi za mkono zina angalau saa na dakika, lakini nyingi pia zina mkono wa pili na kuonyesha wakati wa ziada kwa kuamua tarehe, awamu ya mwezi au vigezo vingine. Kwa kawaida dials ni za mviringo au za mraba, na pete ya dials hufanya iwe rahisi kusoma wakati. Muundo wa dials ni chini ya mtindo na mara nyingi ina jukumu kubwa katika uamuzi wa kununua saa. Kwa kuongezea dials na mikono, kuna pia maonyesho ya wakati wa dijiti na suluhisho zingine za kisanii na ubunifu ambazo huruhusu mtazamaji kuona wakati. Kwa karne nyingi, watengenezaji wa saa na wavumbuzi wamebuni vifaa vingi vya ziada ili kukamilisha saa ya kawaida. Kwa mfano, wakati wa Enzi ya Renaissance, mashine za kiotomatiki zilikuwa za kawaida - michoro ya mfano ambayo ilianzishwa na kuendeshwa kwa kutumia saa. Kwa kawaida mashine hizo zilitumiwa kwa kusudi la kisanii na zilipendwa sana. Muziki wa chime pia huonwa kama kipengele cha pili, ambacho leo kinaweza kuonekana kama ujanja, lakini wakati wa uundaji wake ilikuwa chanzo cha kuvutia sana. Hata leo, kengele za mnara wa kanisa na saa za ukumbi wa jiji bado ni vivutio maarufu vya watalii katika majiji fulani. Sauti za saa za mnara mkubwa huchezwa kwa kutumia vifaa vya kupiga. Saa ya kipekee ambayo huvutia idadi kubwa ya wakusanyaji ulimwenguni pote kwa sababu ya utaratibu wake wa kupiga ni saa ya kuku. Msitu wa Black Forest ni eneo la kitamaduni la utengenezaji wa saa za kuku. Kwa kawaida saa hizo zilizopambwa kwa ustadi hupatikana kama saa za ukuta. Saa hiyo inaitwa kwa jina la kiumbe kidogo cha mbao kinachoonekana kama kuku, ambacho hutoka nje ya dirisha au mlango kila saa na hutoa sauti ya kuku inayotokezwa na mabomba madogo ya ala au filimbi ndani ya saa. Jambo jingine la pekee la saa ya kuku ni mwendo wa penduli wenye kifaa cha kuinua mnyororo. Kwa kawaida, sanamu za mbao zilizochongwa kwa mkono kutoka Val Gardena hutumiwa kutengeneza saa za Black Forest, ambazo ni maarufu kwa ubora wao wa juu na urembo wao.