Surprisingly, no one even knows the approximate date of creation of the first in the world wrist watch. Many experts and researchers believe that the debut watch movement, designed to be worn on the wrist, was invented famous master Breguet.

Such an accessory was ordered to him by the sister of the great French commander Napoleon Bonaparte. In terms of accuracy, these watches were simply terrifying, so they were used only as an adornment by noble ladies. The watch mechanism of this accessory required colossal improvements to be perceived as a means of displaying time. A radical change in the production of wristwatches occurred during the First World War. In difficult field conditions, soldiers needed to constantly keep track of time. Pocket watches were not a very suitable solution for this purpose. As a result, wristwatches began to be mass-produced for military needs.

In the 1930s, watch mechanisms became much more perfect. Wristwatches have become an accessory that shows the status of a man, his social position. There are many on the market different models varying in price and quality. But I must say that not everyone could afford to wear a small clockwork hidden in a precious case.

The "ancestor" of modern wristwatches

And after the end of the Second World War, wristwatches became available to a wide range of people with different income levels. Back then, this accessory was as much a necessity as a mobile phone is today.

And in 1969, the first quartz watch movement was invented in Japan. Wristwatches equipped with it had a high accuracy of movement and a relatively low price. That is why they have gained such popularity.

The improvement of the watch mechanism has led to the fact that today not only ordinary mechanical and quartz accessories are available to us, but also multifunctional electronic watches.

men's fashion coming winter season places the highest demands on watch design. Models should be bright, charismatic and a little bit pretentious. Do you like sporty style, prefer underlined luxury or stay true to the timeless classics - choosing the perfect watch will not cause any difficulties.

Modern clock. Season 2015.

The watch of the modern man promotes the absolute triumph of versatility. If you are interested in changes in the field of men's fashion, then you should definitely get a watch equipped with many options. It can be moisture protection, a compass, a stopwatch. The more features, the more actual model. The design of such watches can be defiantly bright or concise and "laconic".

Sports watch highly acclaimed men's fashion upcoming season, easily tolerate low temperatures and heavy loads, they are not afraid of scratches and moisture. The original shape of the dial and bright colors are welcome. With this watch, you can easily engage in extreme sports and lead an active lifestyle.

Men's fashion in the winter of 2014-2015 approves the triumph of colors and expensive materials. Image successful man will look complete if you complement it with a clock decorated precious stones performed in bright colors. This accessory will not let you get lost at the party.

Men's fashion for the coming winter does not mind classic trends. Fashion watches can have simple shapes, calm colors. A touch that emphasizes the respectability and sophistication of the model is a strap made of exotic leather. This accessory will be the perfect choice for a business meeting.

Many probably do not know when the first wristwatches were made. Today, a watch is more of an accessory, a symbol of the status of its owner, than a device for determining the time. Such a rarity as a wristwatch, the photo captured.

Surprisingly, even a century ago, a decent gentleman would never have put a chronometer on his hand. In those days, men only wore pocket watches. Products with a lid are "Hunter", and watches with a "window" in order to see the hands without opening the lid are "Poluhunter". About who and when created the first wristwatch is still arguing.

When were the first watches made?

According to some sources, the first report about them appeared in 1571. The English Earl of Leicester presented a rare gift to Elizabeth I, namely a bracelet (from English - a wristlet) with a watch studded with pearls and diamonds. Since then and until the 20th century, wristwatches were called bracelets and were intended only for ladies. True, they were more fashionable decoration than a useful tool.

An antique ladies watch from 1813 is in the Musée d'Horlogerie du Locie, Switzerland

And the manufacturers of massive floor and wall chronometers, which were then in use, did not believe that such miniature products could show the exact time. The fact is that the first wrist versions of the devices were really imperfect. Especially vulnerable were fragile mechanisms that required careful handling.

According to other sources, the watch was made in 1790. But most experts still believe that the date of their birth should be considered 1812. They were created for the Queen of Naples by watchmaker Abraham Louis Breguet, the founder of the world-famous Breguet company. ). According to an archival document, it was a unique item with a silver dial, Arabic numerals and a thermometer.

The first men's watch

In the 90s of the XIX century, the British army drew attention to the fact that it is much more convenient to use chronometers in battles if they are on the wrist. So the idea of ​​putting a leather case on your hand and inserting bulky pocket items into it belongs to the military.

Confirmation of this is the conclusion of the collector R. Edwards, who analyzed archival photographs of that era. It turned out that on the wrists of the army men who fought with the Indians, chronometers have been adorned since 1885. This is the date of birth of wristwatches. Although they were all the same pocket options in cases.

Later, during the war with the Boers in Africa (1899-1902), the British began to use the latest weapons of that time: carbines and machine guns. But it is believed that they managed to win thanks to ... wristwatches. They were well equipped, but new types of weapons required special coordination in battle tactics. And the conquerors began to win victory after victory, armed with homemade wrist devices.

British military watches during the Boer War (1899-1902) in South Africa

The coordination of the actions of military units improved dramatically, and synchronized attacks by soldiers on the fortifications of the Boers became possible. The experience of the British was quickly adopted by other armies.

Wristwatches in the 20th century

No original documents have been preserved confirming which of the firms was the first to start producing truly wristwatches. Many claim the palm, although there is no convincing evidence for this.

Girard-Perregaux clock around 1880

For example, it is often stated that the first batch of 2000 such items was created for German naval officers by Girard-Perregaux in 1880. But this is only a version, since not a single copy of these chronometers has survived anywhere. However, you can be sure for sure: the first wristwatch appeared at the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1901, in the catalog of the English company Goldsmith’s, under the photo, a laudatory review was placed by a certain captain, who claimed that he wore such a watch for 3.5 months. They showed the time exactly and never let him down. The review was openly promotional and presented the watch as the best chronometer in the world. And yet it was a pocket option.

Louis Cartier 1910 creates the Santos Dumont men's wristwatch with an unusual rectangular shape for that time

But in 1902, an advertisement for Omega finally appeared for a real watch: a photo from the newspaper testifies to this. One of the first was the products of Longines. And in 1904, Louis Cartier created a device built not in a case, but in a bracelet. And a year later, Wilsdorf & Davis was established, later the famous Rolex. Its owner G. Wilsdorf passionately believed in the future of such watches and showed extraordinary energy in their popularization.

Modernization of watches

In 1906, a novelty appeared, namely flexible metal bracelets for such chronometers. And around the same time, they began to make ears, that is, fastenings for a strap, which made it easy to put the product on the hand. The disadvantage was a very fragile watch glass, which had to be protected by various gratings and lids with "windows". Such chronometers were quickly dubbed trench (trench) chronometers.

At the beginning of the 20th century, small lugs for attaching a strap appeared on pocket watches, allowing them to be quickly adapted to be worn on the hand.

Over time, instruments became more reliable and accurate. Even then, watches appeared that glowed in the dark thanks to radium microparticles. Wristwatches did not begin to compete with pocket chronometers until the First World War.

The main problems when wearing a watch on the hand was the fragility of the watch glass, so the manufacturers offered various options his protection. Usually these were different kind grates or lids with holes

In those years, watch companies began to receive orders from the military departments for huge batches of just such watches, especially with a dust- and moisture-proof case. Fragile glass was replaced by durable plastic. At the same time, they were no longer called bracelets, the word wristlet was replaced with watch (watch). Wristwatches finally won worldwide recognition, almost completely replacing pocket chronometers, in the mid-30s of the twentieth century.

The first science of time is astronomy. The results of observations in ancient observatories were used for agriculture and religious rites. However, with the development of crafts, it became necessary to measure short periods of time. Thus, mankind came to the invention of the clock. The process was long, filled with the hard work of the best minds.

The history of watches goes back many centuries; this is the oldest invention of mankind. From a stick stuck in the ground to an ultra-precise chronometer - a journey of hundreds of generations. If we make a rating of the achievements of human civilization, then in the nomination "great inventions" the clock will be in second place after the wheel.

There was a time when a calendar was enough for people. But crafts appeared, there was a need to fix the duration of technological processes. It took hours, the purpose of which is to measure time intervals shorter than a day. For this, man has used various physical processes for centuries. The constructions realizing them were also corresponding.

The history of watches is divided into two major periods. The first is several millennia long, the second is less than one.

1. The history of the clock, called the simplest. This category includes solar, water, fire and sand appliances. The period ends with the study of the mechanical clocks of the pendulum period. These were medieval chimes.

2. New story clock, starting with the invention of the pendulum and balance, which marked the beginning of the development of classical oscillatory chronometry. This period is so far

Sundial

The most ancient ones that have come down to us. Therefore, it is the history of the sundial that opens the parade of great inventions in the field of chronometry. Despite their apparent simplicity, they were distinguished by a wide variety of designs.

It is based on the apparent movement of the Sun throughout the day. The countdown is based on the shadow cast by the axis. Their use is possible only on a sunny day. Ancient Egypt had favorable climatic conditions for this. The greatest distribution on the banks of the Nile received a sundial, which had the form of obelisks. They were installed at the entrance to the temples. A gnomon in the form of a vertical obelisk and a scale marked on the ground - this is what the ancient sundial looked like. The photo below shows one of them. One of the Egyptian obelisks transported to Europe has survived to this day. A gnomon 34 meters high currently stands in one of the squares in Rome.

Conventional sundial had a significant drawback. They knew about him, but put up with him for a long time. In different seasons, that is, in summer and winter, the duration of the hour was not the same. But in the period when the agrarian system and handicraft relations dominated, there was no need for an accurate measurement of time. Therefore, the sundial successfully existed until the late Middle Ages.

The gnomon was replaced by more progressive designs. Improved sundials, in which this shortcoming was eliminated, had curved scales. In addition to this improvement, various versions were used. So, in Europe, wall and window sundials were common.

Further improvement took place in 1431. It consisted in orienting the shadow arrow parallel to the earth's axis. Such an arrow was called a semiaxis. Now the shadow, rotating around the half-axis, moved uniformly, turning 15° per hour. Such a design made it possible to produce a sundial that was accurate enough for its time. The photo shows one of these devices, preserved in China.

For proper installation, they began to supply the structure with a compass. It became possible to use the clock everywhere. It was possible to make even portable models. Since 1445, the sundial began to be built in the form of a hollow hemisphere, equipped with an arrow, the shadow of which fell on the inner surface.

Looking for an alternative

Although the sundials were convenient and accurate, they had serious objective flaws. They were completely dependent on the weather, and their functioning was limited to the part of the day between sunrise and sunset. In search of an alternative, scientists sought to find other ways to measure time intervals. It was required that they not be associated with the observation of the movement of stars and planets.

The search led to the creation of artificial time standards. For example, it was the interval necessary for the flow or combustion of a certain amount of a substance.

The simplest watches created on this basis have come a long way in the development and improvement of designs, thereby paving the way for the creation of not only mechanical watches, but also automation devices.

Clepsydra

The name “clepsydra” has been attached to the water clock, so there is a misconception that they were first invented in Greece. In reality it was not so. The oldest, very primitive clepsydra was found in the temple of Amun in Phoebe and is kept in the museum of Cairo.

When creating a water clock, it is necessary to ensure a uniform decrease in the water level in the vessel when it flows through the bottom calibrated hole. This was achieved by giving the vessel the shape of a cone, tapering closer to the bottom. It was only in the Middle Ages that a regularity describing the rate of fluid outflow depending on its level and the shape of the container was obtained. Prior to this, the shape of the vessel for the water clock was selected empirically. For example, the Egyptian clepsydra, discussed above, gave a uniform decrease in level. Albeit with some error.

Since clepsydra did not depend on the time of day and weather, it met the requirements of continuous measurement of time to the maximum. In addition, the need for further improvement of the device, the addition of various functions, provided space for designers to fly their imaginations. Thus, clepsydras of Arab origin were works of art combined with high functionality. They were equipped with additional hydraulic and pneumatic mechanisms: an audible timer, a night lighting system.

Not many names of the creators of the water clock have been preserved in history. They were made not only in Europe, but also in China and India. We have received information about a Greek mechanic named Ctesibius of Alexandria, who lived 150 years before the new era. In clepsydra, Ctesibius used gears, the theoretical development of which was carried out by Aristotle.

fire watch

This group appeared at the beginning of the 13th century. The first firing clocks were thin candles up to 1 meter high with marks applied to them. Sometimes certain divisions were equipped with metal pins, which, falling on a metal stand when the wax burned around them, made a distinct sound. Such devices served as a prototype of the alarm clock.

With the advent of transparent glass, fire clocks are transformed into icon lamps. A scale was applied on the wall, according to which, as the oil burned out, the time was determined.

Such devices are most widely used in China. Along with the icon lamps, another type of fire clock was common in this country - wick clocks. We can say that it was a dead end branch.

Hourglass

When they were born is not exactly known. We can only say with certainty that they could not have appeared before the invention of glass.

Hourglass are two transparent glass flasks. Through the connecting neck, the contents are poured from the upper flask into the lower one. And in our time, you can still meet the hourglass. The photo depicts one of the models, stylized antique.

Medieval craftsmen in the manufacture of instruments decorated the hourglass with exquisite decor. They were used not only to measure periods of time, but also as interior decoration. In the houses of many nobles and dignitaries one could see luxurious hourglasses. The photo shows one of these models.

Hourglasses came to Europe quite late - at the end of the Middle Ages, but their distribution was rapid. Due to their simplicity, the ability to use at any time, they quickly became very popular.

One of the disadvantages hourglass- a fairly short period of time, measured without turning them over. Cassettes made up of them did not take root. The distribution of such models was slowed down by their low accuracy, as well as wear during long-term operation. It happened in the following way. The calibrated hole in the diaphragm between the flasks was worn out, increasing in diameter, sand particles, on the contrary, were crushed, decreasing in size. The speed of the expiration increased, the time decreased.

Mechanical watch: the prerequisites for the appearance

The need for a more accurate measurement of periods of time with the development of production and social relations has steadily increased. The best minds have worked to solve this problem.

The invention of the mechanical watch is an epochal event that took place in the Middle Ages, because they are the most complex device created in those years. In turn, this served as an impetus for the further development of science and technology.

The invention of watches and their improvement required more advanced, precise and high-performance technological equipment, new methods of calculation and design. This was the beginning of a new era.

The creation of mechanical watches became possible with the invention of the spindle escapement. This device converted the translational movement of a weight hanging on a rope into an oscillatory movement back and forth of an hour wheel. Continuity is clearly seen here - after all, complex models of clepsydra already had a dial, a gear train, and a battle. It was only necessary to change the driving force: replace the jet of water with a heavy weight that was easier to handle, and add an escapement device and a speed controller.

On this basis, mechanisms for tower clocks were created. Spindle-operated chimes came into use around 1340 and became the pride of many cities and cathedrals.

The rise of classical oscillatory chronometry

The history of watches has preserved for posterity the names of scientists and inventors who made their creation possible. The theoretical basis was the discovery made by Galileo Galilei, who voiced the laws describing the oscillations of the pendulum. He is also the author of the idea of ​​mechanical pendulum clocks.

Galileo's idea was realized in 1658 by the talented Dutchman Christian Huygens. He is also the author of the invention of the balance regulator, which made it possible to create a pocket watch, and then a wrist watch. In 1674, Huygens developed an improved regulator by attaching a spiral spring in the form of a hair to the flywheel.

Another landmark invention belongs to a watchmaker from Nuremberg named Peter Henlein. He invented the mainspring, and in 1500 he created a pocket watch based on it.

At the same time there were changes appearance. At first, one arrow was enough. But as clocks became very accurate, they required a corresponding indication. In 1680, a minute hand was added, and the dial took on the form familiar to us. In the eighteenth century, they began to install a second hand. Initially lateral, and later it became central.

In the seventeenth century, the creation of watches was transferred to the category of art. Exquisitely decorated cases, enameled dials, which by that time were covered with glass - all this turned the mechanisms into a luxury item.

Work on the improvement and complication of instruments continued uninterrupted. Increased running accuracy. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, ruby ​​and sapphire stones began to be used as supports for the balance wheel and gears. This reduced friction, improved accuracy and increased power reserve. Interesting complications appeared - a perpetual calendar, automatic winding, a power reserve indicator.

The impetus for the development of pendulum clocks was the invention of the English watchmaker Clement. Around 1676 he developed the anchor escapement. This device was well suited to pendulum clocks, which had a small amplitude of oscillation.

Quartz watch

Further improvement of instruments for measuring time proceeded like an avalanche. The development of electronics and radio engineering paved the way for the emergence of quartz watches. Their work is based on the piezoelectric effect. It was discovered in 1880, but the quartz clock was not made until 1937. The newly created quartz models differed from classical mechanical ones in amazing accuracy. The era of electronic watches has begun. What is their feature?

Quartz watches have a mechanism consisting of an electronic unit and a so-called stepper motor. How it works? The engine, receiving a signal from the electronic unit, moves the arrows. Instead of the usual dial in a quartz watch, a digital display can be used. We call them electronic. In the West - quartz with digital indication. It doesn't change the essence.

In fact, a quartz watch is a mini computer. Additional functions are added very easily: stopwatch, moon phase indicator, calendar, alarm clock. At the same time, the price of watches, unlike mechanics, does not increase so much. This makes them more accessible.

Quartz watches are very accurate. Their error is ±15 seconds/month. It is enough to correct the instrument readings twice a year.

Wall clock

Digital indication and compactness - here distinguishing feature these kinds of mechanisms. widely used as integrated. They can be seen on the dashboard of a car, in mobile phone, microwave and TV.

As an interior element, you can often find a more popular classic design, that is, with an arrow indication.

Electronic wall clock organically fit into the interior in the style of hi-tech, modern, techno. They attract primarily with their functionality.

According to the type of display, electronic watches are liquid crystal and LED. The latter are more functional, as they have a backlight.

According to the type of power source, electronic clocks (wall and desktop) are divided into mains, powered by 220V, and battery. Devices of the second type are more convenient, since they do not require an outlet nearby.

Cuckoo wall clock

German craftsmen began to make them from the beginning of the eighteenth century. Traditionally, cuckoo wall clocks were made from wood. Richly decorated with carvings, made in the form of a birdhouse, they were the decoration of rich mansions.

At one time, inexpensive models were popular in the USSR and in the post-Soviet space. For many years, the Mayak cuckoo wall clock was produced by a factory in the Russian city of Serdobsk. Weights in the form fir cones, a house decorated with uncomplicated carvings, paper furs of a sound mechanism - this is how they were remembered by representatives of the older generation.

Now the classic cuckoo wall clock is a rarity. This is due to the high price of quality models. If you do not take into account the quartz crafts of Asian craftsmen made of plastic, fabulous cuckoos cuckoo only in the homes of true connoisseurs of exotic watches. Precise, complex mechanism, leather bellows, exquisite carving on the body - all this requires a large amount of highly skilled manual labor. Only the most reputable manufacturers can produce such models.

alarm clock

These are the most common "walkers" in the interior.

The alarm clock is the first additional feature that was implemented in the watch. Patented in 1847 by the Frenchman Antoine Redier.

In a classic mechanical desktop alarm clock, the sound is produced by hitting metal plates with a hammer. Electronic models are more melodic.

By design, alarm clocks are divided into small-sized and large-sized, desktop and travel.

Table alarm clocks are made with separate motors for and signal. They run separately.

With the advent of quartz watches, the popularity of mechanical alarm clocks has fallen. There are several reasons for this. with a quartz movement have a number of advantages over classic mechanical devices: they are more accurate, do not require daily winding, they are easy to match to the design of the room. In addition, they are light, not so afraid of bumps and falls.

Wrist mechanical alarm clocks are commonly referred to as "signals". Few companies produce such models. So, collectors know a model called "presidential cricket"

"Cricket" (according to English cricket) - under this name, the Swiss company Vulcain produced watches with an alarm function. They are known for having been owned by American presidents: Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.

History of watches for children

Time is a complex philosophical category and at the same time a physical quantity that needs to be measured. Man lives in time. Already with kindergarten the training and education program provides for the development of time orientation skills in children.

You can teach a child to use a clock as soon as he has mastered the account. Layouts will help with this. You can combine a cardboard clock with the daily routine by placing all this for greater clarity on a piece of drawing paper. You can organize classes with elements of the game, using puzzles with pictures for this.

History at the age of 6-7 years is studied at thematic sessions. The material must be presented in such a way as to arouse interest in the topic. Children in an accessible form are introduced to the history of watches, their types in the past and present. Then the acquired knowledge is consolidated. To do this, they demonstrate the principle of operation of the simplest clocks - solar, water and fire. These activities awaken children's interest in research, develop creative imagination and curiosity. They cultivate respect for time.

At school, in grades 5-7, the history of the invention of watches is studied. It is based on the knowledge gained by the child in the lessons of astronomy, history, geography, physics. In this way, the acquired material is consolidated. Watches, their invention and improvement are considered as part of the history of material culture, the achievements of which are aimed at meeting the needs of society. The topic of the lesson can be formulated as follows: "Inventions that have changed the history of mankind."

In high school, it is advisable to continue the study of watches as an accessory in terms of fashion and interior aesthetics. It is important to introduce children to watch etiquette, to talk about the basic principles of selection. One of the classes can be devoted to time management.

The history of the invention of watches clearly shows the continuity of generations, its study - effective remedy formation of a young person's worldview.

Mechanical clocks, reminiscent of modern ones, appeared in the 14th century in Europe. These are watches using a weight or spring energy source, and as an oscillatory system they use a pendulum or balance regulator. There are six main components of a watch mechanism:
1) engine;
2) transmission mechanism of gears;
3) a regulator that creates a uniform movement;
4) trigger distributor;
5) pointer mechanism;
6) the mechanism of translation and winding hours.

The first mechanical clocks were called tower wheel clocks, they were set in motion by a falling weight. The drive mechanism was a smooth wooden shaft with a rope to which a stone was wound, acting as a weight. Under the action of the gravity of the weight, the rope began to unwind and rotate the shaft. If this shaft is connected through intermediate wheels to the main ratchet wheel connected to pointer arrows, then this whole system will somehow indicate the time. The problems of such a mechanism are in the enormous heaviness and the need for the weight to fall somewhere and in not uniform, but accelerated rotation of the shaft. To meet all the necessary conditions, huge structures were built for the operation of the mechanism, as a rule, in the form of a tower, the height of which was not less than 10 meters, and the weight of the weight reached 200 kg, naturally, all the details of the mechanism were of impressive size. Faced with the problem of uneven rotation of the shaft, medieval mechanics realized that the course of the clock could not depend only on the movement of the load.

The mechanism must be supplemented with a device that would control the movement of the entire mechanism. So there was a device restraining the rotation of the wheel, it was called "Bilyanets" - the regulator.

Bilyanec was a metal rod located parallel to the surface of the ratchet wheel. Two blades are attached to the bilyants axis at right angles to each other. As the wheel turns, the tooth pushes the paddle until it slips off and releases the wheel. At this time, another blade on the opposite side of the wheel enters the recess between the teeth and restrains its movement. While working, the Bilyanian sways. With each full swing, the ratchet wheel moves one tooth. The swing speed of the bilyantse is interconnected with the speed of the ratchet wheel. Weights are hung on the bilyants' rod, usually in the form of balls. By adjusting the size of these weights and their distance from the axle, it is possible to make the ratchet wheel move at different speeds. Of course, this oscillatory system is inferior to the pendulum in many respects, but it can be used in clocks. However, any regulator will stop if you do not constantly keep it oscillating. For the clock to work, it is necessary that part of the motive energy from the main wheel is constantly supplied to the pendulum or bilyants. This task in the clock is performed by a device called a trigger distributor.

Different types of bilyants

The escapement is the most complex assembly in a mechanical watch. Through it, a connection is made between the regulator and the transmission mechanism. On the one hand, the escapement transmits the jolts from the engine to the governor that are necessary to maintain the governor oscillation. On the other hand, it subordinates the movement of the transmission mechanism to the laws of the movement of the regulator. The exact running of the clock depends mainly on the escapement, the design of which puzzled the inventors.

The very first trigger was a spindle. The regulator of this watch was the so-called spindle, which is a yoke with heavy loads, mounted on a vertical axis and driven alternately to the right, then to the left rotation. The inertia of the weights had a braking effect on the clock mechanism, slowing down the rotation of its wheels. The accuracy of such watches with a spindle regulator was low, and the daily error exceeded 60 minutes.

Since the first watches did not have a special winding mechanism, preparing the watch for work required a lot of effort. Several times a day, it was necessary to lift a heavy weight to a great height and overcome the enormous resistance of all the gear wheels of the transmission mechanism. Therefore, already in the second half of the XIV century, the main wheel began to be fixed in such a way that during the reverse rotation of the shaft (counterclockwise), it remained motionless. Over time, the design of mechanical watches became more complex. The number of wheels of the transmission mechanism has increased. the mechanism experienced a heavy load and quickly wore out, and the load fell very quickly and had to be raised several times a day. In addition, to create large gear ratios, wheels of too large diameter were required, which increased the dimensions of the watch. Therefore, they began to introduce intermediate additional wheels, the task of which was to smoothly increase the gear ratios.

Tower clock mechanisms

The tower clock was a capricious mechanism and required constant monitoring (due to the friction force, it needed constant lubrication) and the participation of maintenance personnel (lifting the load). Despite the large error in the diurnal variation, for a long time this clock remained the most accurate and widespread instrument for measuring time. The mechanism of the clock became more complicated, other devices that perform various functions began to be associated with the clock. Eventually, the tower clock evolved into a complex device with many hands, automatic moving figures, a varied chiming system, and magnificent decorations. They were masterpieces of art and technology at the same time.

For example, the Prague Clock Tower, built in 1402, was equipped with automatic movable figures, which during the battle played out a real theatrical performance. Above the dial, before the battle, two windows were opened from which 12 apostles emerged. The figurine of Death stood on the right side of the dial and turned its scythe with each chime, and the man standing nearby nodded his head, emphasizing the fatal inevitability, and the hourglass reminded of the end of life. On the left side of the dial there were 2 more figures, one depicted a man with a wallet in his hands, who every hour rang with the coins lying there, showing that time is money. Another figure depicted a traveler who measuredly struck the ground with his staff, showing the vanity of life. After the chiming of the clock, a figurine of a rooster appeared, which crowed three times. Christ was the last to appear in the window and blessed all the spectators standing below.

Another example of a tower clock was the construction of the master Giunello Turriano, who needed 1800 wheels to create a tower clock. This watch reproduced the daily movement of Saturn, the hours of the day, the annual movement of the Sun, the movement of the Moon, as well as all the planets in accordance with the Ptolemaic system of the universe. To create such automata, special software devices were required, which were set in motion by a large disk controlled by a clockwork. All the moving parts of the figures had levers that either rose or fell under the action of the rotation of the circle, when the levers fell into special cutouts and teeth of the rotating disk. Also, the tower clock had a separate mechanism for the fight, which was set in motion by its own weight, and many clocks differently beat noon, midnight, an hour, a quarter of an hour.

After wheel clocks, more advanced spring clocks appeared. The first references to the manufacture of clocks with a spring engine date back to the second half of the 15th century. The manufacture of spring-powered clocks paved the way for the creation of miniature clocks. The source of driving energy in a spring watch was a wound and tending to unfold spring. It consisted of a flexible, hardened steel band wound around a shaft inside a drum. The outer end of the spring was attached to a hook in the wall of the drum, while the inner end was connected to the drum shaft. The spring sought to turn around and set the drum and the gear wheel associated with it in rotation. The gear wheel in turn transmitted this movement to the gear system up to and including the governor. The masters faced a number of complex technical tasks. The main one concerned the operation of the engine itself. Since for the correct running of the watch, the spring must act on the wheel mechanism with the same force for a long time. For what it is necessary to force it to unfold evenly and slowly.

The invention of constipation was the impetus for the creation of spring watches. It was a small latch that fit into the teeth of the wheels and allowed the spring to unwind only so that its entire body turned at the same time, and with it the wheels of the clock mechanism.

Since the spring has an unequal force of elasticity at different stages of its deployment, the first watchmakers had to resort to various tricks to make its course more uniform. Later, when they learned how to make high-quality steel for watch springs, they were no longer needed. In modern inexpensive watches, the spring is simply made long enough, designed for about 30-36 hours of operation, but it is recommended to start the watch once a day at the same time. A special device prevents the spring from rolling up to the end during the plant. As a result, the spring stroke is used only in the middle part, when the spring force is more uniform.

The next step towards the improvement of mechanical clocks was the discovery of the laws of pendulum oscillation made by Galileo. The creation of pendulum clocks consisted in connecting a pendulum to a device for maintaining its oscillations and counting them. In fact, pendulum clocks are advanced spring clocks.

At the end of his life, Galileo began to design such watches, but things did not go further than developments. And after the death of the great scientist, the first pendulum clock was created by his son. The design of these watches was kept in strict confidence, so they did not have any influence on the development of technology.

Independently of Galileo, Huygens assembled a mechanical pendulum clock in 1657.

When replacing the rocker arm with a pendulum, the first designers encountered a problem. It consisted in the fact that the pendulum creates isochronous oscillations only at a small amplitude, while the spindle escapement required a large swing. In the first hours of Huygens, the swing of the pendulum reached 40-50 degrees, which violated the accuracy of the movement. To compensate for this shortcoming, Huygens had to show ingenuity and create a special pendulum, which, during the swing, changed its length and oscillated along a cycloid curve. Huygens's clock was incomparably more accurate than a rocker clock. Their daily error did not exceed 10 seconds (in watches with a yoke regulator, the error ranged from 15 to 60 minutes). Huygens invented new regulators for both spring and weight clocks. The mechanism became much more perfect when a pendulum was used as a regulator.

In 1676, Clement, an English watchmaker, invented the anchor escapement, which was ideally suited to pendulum clocks that had a small oscillation amplitude. This design of the descent was the axis of the pendulum on which the anchor with pallets was mounted. Swinging along with the pendulum, the pallets were alternately introduced into the running wheel, subordinating its rotation to the period of the pendulum's oscillation. The wheel had time to turn one tooth with each oscillation. Such a trigger mechanism allowed the pendulum to receive periodic shocks that did not allow it to stop. The push occurred when the running wheel, freed from one of the anchor teeth, hit the other tooth with a certain force. This push was transmitted from the anchor to the pendulum.

The invention of the Huygens pendulum regulator revolutionized the art of watchmaking. Huygens spent a lot of effort on improving pocket spring watches. The main problem of which was in the spindle regulator, as they were constantly in motion, shaking and swaying. All these fluctuations negative impact on running accuracy. In the 16th century, watchmakers began to replace the two-arm bilyany in the form of a rocker arm with a round flywheel. This replacement greatly improved the performance of the clock, but remained unsatisfactory.

An important improvement in the regulator occurred in 1674, when Huygens attached a spiral spring - a hair - to the flywheel.

Now, when the wheel deviated from the neutral position, the hair acted on it and tried to return it to its place. However, the massive wheel slipped through the point of balance and spun in the other direction until the hair pulled it back again. Thus, the first balance regulator or balancer was created, the properties of which were similar to those of a pendulum. Displaced from the state of equilibrium, the wheel of the balance wheel began to make oscillatory movements around its axis. The balancer had a constant period of oscillation, but could work in any position, which is very important for pocket and wrist watches. Huygens' improvement made the same revolution among spring clocks as the introduction of a pendulum into stationary wall clocks.

The Englishman Robert Hooke, independently of the Dutchman Christian Huygens, also developed an oscillatory mechanism based on the vibrations of a spring-loaded body - a balancing mechanism. The balancing mechanism is used, as a rule, in portable clocks, as it can be operated in different positions, which cannot be said about the pendulum mechanism, which is used in wall and grandfather clocks, since immobility is important for it.

The balancing mechanism includes:
balance wheel;
Spiral;
Fork;
Thermometer - accuracy adjustment lever;
Ratchet.
To regulate the accuracy of the stroke, a thermometer is used - a lever that takes some part of the spiral out of work. The wheel and spiral are made of alloys with a small coefficient of thermal expansion due to sensitivity to temperature fluctuations. It is also possible to make a wheel from two different metals so that it flexes when heated (bimetal balance). To improve the accuracy of the balance, the balance was supplied with screws, they allow you to accurately balance the wheel. The appearance of precision automatic machines saved watchmakers from balancing, the screws on the balance became a purely decorative element.

The invention of the new regulator required a new escapement design. Over the next decades, different watchmakers developed different variants descenders. In 1695, Thomas Tompion invented the most simple cylindrical escapement. Tompion's escape wheel was equipped with 15, specially shaped, "legged" teeth. The cylinder itself was a hollow tube, the upper and lower ends of which were tightly packed with two tampons. On the lower tampon, a balancer with a hair was planted. When the balancer oscillated in the corresponding direction, the cylinder also rotated. There was a 150-degree cutout on the cylinder, passing at the level of the teeth of the escapement wheel. When the wheel moved, its teeth alternately entered the cylinder cutout one after the other. Thanks to this, the isochronous movement of the cylinder was transmitted to the escape wheel and through it to the entire mechanism, and the balancer received impulses that supported it.

With the development of science, the clock mechanism became more complicated, and the accuracy of the movement increased. Thus, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, ruby ​​and sapphire bearings were first used for the balance wheel and gears, which made it possible to increase accuracy and power reserve and reduce friction. Gradually, pocket watches were supplemented with more and more complex devices and some samples had a perpetual calendar, automatic winding, an independent stopwatch, a thermometer, a power reserve indicator, a minute repeater, and the work of the mechanism made it possible to see the back cover made of rock crystal.

The invention of the tourbillon in 1801 by Abraham Louis Breguet is still considered the greatest achievement in the watch industry. Breguet succeeded in solving one of the biggest watchmaking problems of his time, he found a way to overcome gravity and the associated errors of movement. The tourbillon is a mechanical device designed to improve the accuracy of the watch by compensating for the effect of gravity on the anchor fork, and evenly distributing lubricant on the rubbing surfaces of the mechanism when changing the vertical and horizontal positions of the mechanism.

The tourbillon is one of the most impressive movements in modern watches. Such a movement can only be produced by skilled craftsmen, and the company's ability to produce a tourbillon is a sign of its belonging to the watchmaking elite.

Mechanical watches at all times have been the subject of admiration and surprise, they fascinated by the beauty of execution and the difficulty of the mechanism. They also always pleased their owners with unique functions and original design. Even today, mechanical watches are a matter of prestige and pride, they are able to emphasize the status and will always show the exact time.

The first hours were… stellar. According to observations of the movement of the Moon and the Sun in Mesopotamia and Egypt, about 4,000 years ago, the methods of the sexagesimal time reference system arose.


A little later, the same system independently arose in Mesoamerica - the cultural region of North and South America, stretching from the center of modern Mexico to Belize. Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica.

All these ancient clocks, in which the "hands" were the rays of the Sun or shadows, are now called solar. Some scientists refer to the sundial stone structures-circles like Stonehenge, found in different parts of the world.

But megalithic civilizations (ancient ones, those that made structures from large stones without using a binding solution) did not leave behind written evidence of time accounting, therefore scientists have to build and prove very complex hypotheses of understanding time as a matter and the actual origin of watches.

The inventors of the sundial are called the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, or Mesopotamians. However, they were the first to count the time: they divided the year into 12 months, day and night - into 12 hours, an hour - into 60 minutes, a minute - into 60 seconds - after all, in Mesopotamia, the kingdom of Babylonia.


This was done by the Babylonian priests using a sundial. At first, their instrument was the simplest watch with a flat dial and a central shaft that cast a shadow. But during the year the sun set and rose differently, and the clock began to "lie".

The priest Beroz improved the ancient sundial. He made the clock face in the form of a bowl, exactly repeating the visible shape of the sky. At the end of the needle-rod, Beroz fixed a ball, whose shadow measured the hours. The path of the sun in the sky was accurately reflected in the bowl, and on its edges the priest made markings so cunningly that at any time of the year his clock showed the correct time. They had only one drawback: the watch was useless in cloudy weather and at night.

Beroz's watch served for many centuries. They were used by Cicero, they were found on the ruins of Pompeii.

The origin of the hourglass has not yet been clarified. They were preceded by water clocks - clepsydras and fire clocks. Sandboxes, according to the American Institute (New York), could have been invented in Alexandria in 150 BC. e.


Then their trace in history disappears and appears already in the early Middle Ages. The first mention of an hourglass at this time is associated with a monk who served in the Cathedral of Chartres (France) using an hourglass.

Frequent references to the hourglass begin around the 14th century. Most of them are about the use of clocks on ships, where it is simply impossible to use either fire as time meters. The movement of the vessel does not affect the movement of sand between the two vessels, nor does the change in temperature, because the hourglass - for sailors: bottles - showed more accurate time in any conditions.

There were many models of hourglasses - huge and tiny, which served for various household needs: from performing a church service to measuring the time needed for baking.

The use of hourglasses began to decline after 1500, when mechanical clocks began to be actively used.

Information on this issue is contradictory. But most scientists are inclined to believe that the first mechanical clock was created in 725 AD. e. Chinese masters Liang Lingzan and Yi Xing, who lived during the reign of the Tang Dynasty.


They used a liquid anchor (trigger) mechanism in the watch. Their invention was perfected by masters Zhang Xixun and Su Song of the Song Empire (late 10th - early 11th century).

However, later in China, the technology fell into decay, but was mastered by the Arabs. Apparently, it was from them that the liquid (mercury) anchor mechanism became known to Europeans, who from the 12th century began to install tower clocks with a water / mercury escapement.

The weights on the chains become the next clock mechanism: the wheel gear is driven by the chain, and the spindle travel and the folio balancer in the form of a rocker with moving weights are regulated. The mechanism was highly inaccurate.

In the 15th century, spring-loaded devices appeared, which made it possible to make the watch small and use it not only on towers, but also in houses, carry it in your pocket and even on your hand.

There is no exact information about the invention. Some sources call the year 1504 and a resident of Nuremberg, Peter Henlein. Others attribute the introduction of the wristwatch to the name of Blaise Pascal, who simply tied a pocket watch to his wrist with a thin rope.


Their appearance is also attributed to 1571, when the Earl of Leicester presented Queen Elizabeth I with a bracelet with a watch. Since then, wristwatches have become a women's accessory, and English men have a saying that it's better to wear a skirt than a watch on your hand.

There is another date - 1790. It is believed that it was then that the Swiss company "Jacquet Droz and Lesho" released the first wrist watch.

It seems that everything connected with the clock is somehow mysteriously hidden either by time or by history. This is also true for electronic watches, for the invention of which there are several contenders at once.


The “Bulgarian version” seems to be the most probable. In 1944, the Bulgarian Petyr Dimitrov Petrov left to study in Germany, and in 1951 - in Toronto. A talented engineer becomes a member of NASA programs, and in 1969, using his knowledge of space technology, he creates the filling for the first Pulsar electronic watch.

The watch is produced by the Hamilton Watch Company, and the most authoritative watch expert G. Fried calls their appearance “the most significant leap forward since the hairspring was invented in 1675”.