Who knows the history of Western watches?

In the 14th century, clocks appeared on tall buildings in Britain, France and other countries in Europe, and the power of the clock was to suspend a hammer with a rope and use the gravitational force generated by gravity. The appearance of iron clockwork at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century gave the clock a new impetus and created the conditions for the miniaturization of the clock. In 1583, the Italian Galileo Galilei established the famous theory of isochronism, the theoretical basis of the pendulum.

In 1656, the Dutch scientist Huygens applied Galileo's theory to design a pendulum, and the following year, under his guidance, a young clockmaker succeeded in making the first pendulum clock. In 1675, he replaced the original pendulum with a hairspring, which resulted in a small clock powered by a mainspring and a hairspring as a regulating mechanism, and also provided the conditions for the manufacture of pocket watches that were easy to carry.

During the 18th century, various escapements were invented, laying the foundation for the further creation and development of pocket watches. In 1726, the Englishman George Graham perfected the I-wheel escapement, which was different from the vertically positioned axle escapement that had been invented before, so that the pocket watch movement was relatively thinner. In addition, around 1757, the Englishman Thomas Mudge invented the fork escapement, which further improved the accuracy of the pocket watch timekeeping.

During this period, a large number of watch manufacturers were born in the 19th century, which contributed to the development of bag watches. In the second half of the 19th century, pouch watches were attached to some women's bracelets as decorations. At that time, people only saw it as a piece of jewelry, and their practical value was not fully recognized.

It was not until the beginning of human history in the 20th century, with the improvement of the level of watchmaking technology and the great changes in technology and civilization, that the establishment of the status of watches was possible.

The pendulum clock is a kind of clock that uses a swinging heavy pendulum to swing by the mutual conversion of energy. Invented by Huygens in 1656. From 1656 to the thirties of the 20th century, it was the most accurate chronograph clock in the world.

In 1567 Huygens invented a reliable clock: he added a gear to the pendulum, but such a clock was useless on a bumpy and rocking ship. After many trials, Huygens replaced the pendulum with a balance wheel propelled by two springs, thus creating a successful marine clock.

The history of clocks can be roughly divided into three phases, the first is the gradual detachment from the early astronomical timekeepers, the second is the transition from large mechanical chiming clocks to miniaturization, and the third is the application of electronic technology to clocks. Each stage is closely linked to the technological inventions of the time.

In 1088 A.D., scientists in the Song Dynasty in China made astronomical observation instruments, namely the water transport instrument elephant platform, which is a giant mechanical device that combines an armillary sphere, an armillary elephant and a mechanical timer, and an early escapement mechanism appeared, which is also the prototype of an early clock.

In the 13th century, the escapement was invented in Europe, and the first mechanical clock was created, at this time, the large mechanical clock used the axle escapement, and in the 17th century, the pendulum and clockwork gradually appeared, and the first pendulum clock was created.

In 1840, the British clockmaker Bain invented the electric clock, until the 19th century, the watch industry gradually implemented industrial production, and in the 21st century, the radio watch technology developed according to the principle of atomic clocks that can automatically synchronize the time gradually matured.

Between 140 and 100 BC, the ancient Greeks made timers for the Olympic Games with a system of 30 to 70 gears.

Eastern Han Dynasty 78 A.D. 139 years, Zhang Heng made a leaky armillary sphere, with a gear system to connect the armillary image and the timing leaky pot, the leaky pot dripping water to promote the armillary image to rotate evenly, a day just turned around a week, this is the earliest mechanical clock to appear.

In 1350, Dandi of Italy made the first mechanical time-beating tower clock with a simple structure, with a daily difference of 15 30 minutes, and the indicating mechanism was only the hour hand; 1500 In 1510, Henleith of Germany was the first to replace the heavy hammer with a steel mainspring and created a small mechanical clock with a corona-wheel escapement; Around 1582, Galileo Galilei of Italy invented the gravitational pendulum; In 1657, Huygens of the Netherlands introduced gravity pendulum into mechanical clocks and created pendulum clocks.

The evolution of the horological formThe evolution of clocks can be roughly divided into three evolutionary stages, namely:

Evolved from large bells to small bells.

Transition from a small clock to a pouch watch.

From pocket watches to wristwatches. Each stage of development is inseparable from the technological inventions of the time.

The clock was one of the first objects invented by mankind because of the need to measure time intervals continuously, some natural time intervals (such as days, leap months, and years) can be obtained by observation, and shorter time intervals require the use of clocks.

The principle of timekeeping devices has also changed dramatically over thousands of years, with sundials using the change of the shadow of an object on a plane to keep time, and many instruments for calculating time intervals, including the most well-known hourglass.

A water clock with a sundial may have been the earliest timekeeping instrument.

The escapement was invented in Europe in 1300, and later the first mechanical clocks were created that could make use of oscillating chronometric devices such as balance wheels.

Clockwork-driven clocks appeared around the 15th century, the watch industry began to develop around the 15th and 16th centuries, and the pendulum clock was invented in 1656.

Therefore, the accuracy of timing was further improved, and at that time, because of the accuracy requirements of navigation and navigation, the reliability and accuracy of the clock were also improved.

Electronic clocks were patented in 1840, and the development of electronics in the twentieth century resulted in clocks that could be completely free of mechanical movements.

The chronograph element in a clock today is a harmonic oscillator, an object that oscillates at a fixed and precise frequency, whether it is a pendulum, a tuning fork, a quartz crystal, or an electron oscillation when an atom emits a microwave.

An analogue clock will use hands and angles to represent the time, while a digital clock will represent it in a digital cavity mode, and there are two types of time representation: the 12-hour system and the 24-hour clock.

Most digital clocks use electronic devices and liquid crystals, LEDs, and vacuum fluorescent callers to display the time.

The clock function is also one of the standard functions of computers and mobile phones.

For convenience, distance, or the needs of the blind, there is an audible clock that tells the time with sound.

For the needs of the blind, there are also blind clocks that can sense their time by touch, some of which are similar to traditional time, but adjust their design to tell the time directly by touching the surface, but without affecting the timekeeping function.

Timekeeping technology is also constantly evolving.

1. Clocks and watches were invented by the Chinese during the Northern Song Dynasty more than 900 years ago.

2. Clocks and watches are the collective name of clocks and watches, clocks and watches are precision instruments that measure and indicate time, clocks and watches are usually distinguished by the size of the internal machine, and the watch is one of the smallest, strongest and most sophisticated machinery invented by human beings.

3. There are two types of motive power in modern clocks: mechanical force and electric power. A mechanical clock is a timer that uses the release energy of a hammer or spring as the power to drive a series of gears to indicate the time and measure the time with a hand. An electronic clock is a timer powered by electricity, with liquid crystal display digital and quartz hands.

China was the first country to invent the method of keeping time. As early as the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, China had a Kui watch, copper kettle dripping time, record.

More approach. For thousands of years, people have lived according to this method of keeping time.

In the seventeenth century, the Italian missionary Matteo Ricci brought chiming bells to China as a tribute to the Ming emperor, opening the prelude to the use of mechanical hour hands by the Chinese. During the reign of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, China became the world's largest importer of clocks and watches, and a large number of enamel clocks, toy clocks and various reed watches from the West poured into China. Emperor Kangxi himself also had a strong interest in Western clocks, and for this reason, he also issued a special edict to order the Manufacturing Bureau of the Imperial Ministry of the Interior to set up a clock and watch department and start producing mechanical hour hands by himself.

During the Xianfeng period, there were also mechanical watch workshops in Nanjing, Guangzhou and other places, such as Pan Hengxing and Wang Wanshun in Nanjing, which produced interstitial clocks and pendulum clocks by hand. Middle.

The country's long history of hour hand production and use has laid a good foundation for the collection of antique clocks.

During the Kangxi period, China established a clock-making bureau for the first time. At that time, all kinds of court gadget clocks were made for the rulers of the court to enjoy. During the Xianfeng period, there was a clock-making workshop in Nanjing.

At the beginning, there were only four small workshops of Pan Hengxing, Wang Wanshun, surnamed Chen and surnamed Yi. Then it gradually developed to more than 20 companies such as Wang Yixing and Zou Yanji. These workshops specialize in hand-crafting Nanjing clocks, also known as interstitial clocks.

These small father-son workshops, each with only 2-3 people, only produce one per month, and at most only two. Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Guangzhou and other places also produce the same interstitial clocks.

For more than 100 years, the well-preserved old clock is still in its usual state, and it is still a collector's item sought after by watch collectors from all over the world. Like all kinds of antique clocks and watches in the world, it has great cultural and artistic value with the growth of years, and thus has great potential for value-added.

1. The first clock appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty and was invented by Su Song. In 1092, Su Song, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, presided over the construction of a water transport instrument elephant platform, which can tell the time and strike the clock, and the structure is very similar to modern clocks. What's even more incredible is that the water transport instrument has an error of only 1 second per day, and it is also equipped with an escapement that can make a "tick, tick" sound when working.

2. A clock is a timekeeping device, and it is also a precision instrument for measuring and indicating time. Clocks are usually distinguished by the size of the internal machine. According to international practice, a clock is a movement with a diameter of more than 80 mm and a thickness of more than 30 mm; Those with a diameter of 37 50 mm and a thickness of 4 6 mm are called pocket watches; watches with a diameter of less than 37 mm; If the diameter is not more than 20 mm or the movement area is not more than 314 square mm, it is called a female watch.

Watches are one of the smallest, most robust, and most sophisticated pieces of machinery ever invented.

China's first two timekeeping tools, "Tugui" and "Sundial", which were carved from earth and stone, became one of the first countries in the world to invent timekeeping tools. By the Bronze Age, bronze "leaky pots" were used. In the first four years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Heng invented the world's first "water transport elephant".

At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Guo Shoujing, and at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhan Xiyuan created the "Daming Lantern Leak" and "Five Rounds Hourglass", to modern clocks and watches.

Clocks and watches have always been one of the favorite commodities of Chinese people. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the state has invested a lot of money in the development of the watch industry, so that the industry has developed rapidly, and since then, China's reform and opening up and the development of economic globalization have brought prosperity to China's watch industry. After decades of development, China's watch industry has experienced the development process of incoming assembly, appearance parts manufacturing, product development, and brand creation, and has now formed a complete watch manufacturing industry, except for high-end movements, all spare parts can be processed and produced.