From Prehistoric Times to Clock Time

A clock is a timekeeping device that can be used to measure the duration between two events and that displays the exact time. Since when exactly has this timekeeping device existed, who invented it, and what exactly does "exact" mean? Let's go back a few years, roughly 3500. We are now with the ancient Egyptians. An interesting time, not only because of the pharaohs, but also because of sundials, which were also called shadow clocks because of how they worked. This achievement, which can be traced back to the painstaking work of many scientists, can be seen as the beginning of modern timekeeping. A few hundred years later, around the 16th century BC, the sundial was followed by a revolutionary mechanical clock - the water clock. The special feature: measuring and displaying time independently of day and night. At first, the dial and the water basin were connected by a fairly simple mechanism of float and counterweight. Over time, the mechanisms became increasingly complicated and elaborate. Clock design also became significantly more sophisticated. The most famous water clock is the Elephant Clock by Al-Jazari, featuring a life-size replica of an elephant carrying a sedan chair on its back. On it are all kinds of figures that move and make sounds after a certain amount of time has passed. There were not many such clocks, as they were complicated, time-consuming, and expensive to build, but they prove that even back then people were concerned not only with measuring and displaying time, but also with presenting a decorative object. The pocket watch was the predecessor of today's wristwatch
Up until the modern era, there were several other inventions used to tell time; one of them, the hourglass, still accompanies us today in a similar form when brushing our teeth. It was not until the 15th century that clocks became small enough to fit easily into the living room. A casing now protected the movement from dust and other influences. Until then, clocks had existed only in public squares or in town halls. In that sense, the domestication of the clock was similar to that of the telephone, even if it happened more quickly. From then on, two goals were pursued: first, making clocks smaller, and second, improving the stability and accuracy of timekeeping. The first goal was already within reach and was put into practice around 1504 with the installation of a new balance spring in the construction of the "Nuremberg Egg." This pocket watch was not only an innovation because of its small size and interesting design, but it could also be carried around without the timekeeping losing its rhythm. In America in particular, pocket watches were subsequently mass-produced very cheaply. Over time, many country-specific types of clocks emerged, based on different mechanical principles. What the pocket watch was in America, the grandfather clock was in England - a large, heavy pendulum clock - or the cuckoo clock in Germany. The first wristwatch, by the way, did not appear until the beginning of the 19th century. Until then, clocks were reasonably accurate in their timekeeping. With the discovery of quartz oscillators at the beginning of the 20th century, accuracy improved significantly. From today's perspective, this development still deserves a respectful mention, but no more than that. Because even then, the introduction of GPS and PTP was still a long way off. The desire for more precise time grew. With the construction of the atomic clock and the associated introduction of the radio-controlled clock, that desire was fulfilled for the general public. But not for scientists. Alongside atomic clocks, they developed several other timekeeping devices. These are based on complex measurements of atoms. The most accurate clock in the world is currently in the USA, with an accuracy of 1 second in 13.8 million years.