Download or read book History of Clocks and Watches written by Eric Bruton and published by Chartwell Books. This book was released on 2004-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a lucid and authoritative catalog of man's obsession with time and timepieces. Hundreds of full-color and black-and-white illustrations compliment intricate line drawings that illuminate the inner workings of these devices.
Download or read book Marking Modern Times written by Alexis McCrossen and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-05 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Marking Modern Times, Alexis McCrossen relates how the American preoccupation with time led people from across social classes to acquire watches and clocks, and expands our understanding of the ways we have standardized time and have made timekeepers serve as political, social, and cultural tools in a society that not merely values time, but regards access to it as a natural-born right.
Download or read book History of the Hour written by Gerhard Dohrn-van Rossum and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text provides an overview of the history of the mechanical clock and its effects on European society from the late Middle Ages to the industrial revolution. The book provides a discussion of how mechanical clocks functioned in cities and dispels many
Download or read book The Mechanics of Mechanical Watches and Clocks written by Ruxu Du and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-09-21 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Mechanics of Mechanical Watches and Clocks" presents historical views and mathematical models of mechanical watches and clocks. Although now over six hundred years old, mechanical watches and clocks are still popular luxury items that fascinate many people around the world. However few have examined the theory of how they work as presented in this book. The illustrations and computer animations are unique and have never been published before. It will be of significant interest to researchers in mechanical engineering, watchmakers and clockmakers, as well as people who have an engineering background and are interested in mechanical watches and clocks. It will also inspire people in other fields of science and technology, such as mechanical engineering and electronics engineering, to advance their designs. Professor Ruxu Du works at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China. Assistant Professor Longhan Xie works at the South China University of Technology, China.
Download or read book About Time written by David Rooney and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2022-08-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of Smithsonian Magazine's Ten Best History Books of 2021 A captivating, surprising history of timekeeping and how it has shaped our world. For thousands of years, people of all cultures have made and used clocks, from the city sundials of ancient Rome to the medieval water clocks of imperial China, hourglasses fomenting revolution in the Middle Ages, the Stock Exchange clock of Amsterdam in 1611, Enlightenment observatories in India, and the high-precision clocks circling the Earth on a fleet of GPS satellites that have been launched since 1978. Clocks have helped us navigate the world and build empires, and have even taken us to the brink of destruction. Elites have used them to wield power, make money, govern citizens, and control lives—and sometimes the people have used them to fight back. Through the stories of twelve clocks, About Time brings pivotal moments from the past vividly to life. Historian and lifelong clock enthusiast David Rooney takes us from the unveiling of al-Jazari’s castle clock in 1206, in present-day Turkey; to the Cape of Good Hope observatory at the southern tip of Africa, where nineteenth-century British government astronomers moved the gears of empire with a time ball and a gun; to the burial of a plutonium clock now sealed beneath a public park in Osaka, where it will keep time for 5,000 years. Rooney shows, through these artifacts, how time has been imagined, politicized, and weaponized over the centuries—and how it might bring peace. Ultimately, he writes, the technical history of horology is only the start of the story. A history of clocks is a history of civilization.
Download or read book A Brief History of Timekeeping written by Chad Orzel and published by BenBella Books. This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2022 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNER — HISTORY: GENERAL ". . . inherently interesting, unique, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library Physics of Time & Scientific Measurement history collections, and supplemental curriculum studies lists.” —Midwest Book Review "A wonderful look into understanding and recording time, Orzel’s latest is appropriate for all readers who are curious about those ticks and tocks that mark nearly every aspect of our lives." —Booklist “A thorough, enjoyable exploration of the history and science behind measuring time.” —Foreword Reviews It’s all a matter of time—literally. From the movements of the spheres to the slipperiness of relativity, the story of science unfolds through the fascinating history of humanity’s efforts to keep time. Our modern lives are ruled by clocks and watches, smartphone apps and calendar programs. While our gadgets may be new, however, the drive to measure and master time is anything but—and in A Brief History of Timekeeping, Chad Orzel traces the path from Stonehenge to your smartphone. Predating written language and marching on through human history, the desire for ever-better timekeeping has spurred technological innovation and sparked theories that radically reshaped our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Orzel, a physicist and the bestselling author of Breakfast with Einstein and How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog continues his tradition of demystifying thorny scientific concepts by using the clocks and calendars central to our everyday activities as a jumping-off point to explore the science underlying the ways we keep track of our time. Ancient solstice markers (which still work perfectly 5,000 years later) depend on the basic astrophysics of our solar system; mechanical clocks owe their development to Newtonian physics; and the ultra-precise atomic timekeeping that enables GPS hinges on the predictable oddities of quantum mechanics. Along the way, Orzel visits the delicate negotiations involved in Gregorian calendar reform, the intricate and entirely unique system employed by the Maya, and how the problem of synchronizing clocks at different locations ultimately required us to abandon the idea of time as an absolute and universal quantity. Sharp and engaging, A Brief History of Timekeeping is a story not just about the science of sundials, sandglasses, and mechanical clocks, but also the politics of calendars and time zones, the philosophy of measurement, and the nature of space and time itself. For those interested in science, technology, or history, or anyone who’s ever wondered about the instruments that divide our days into moments: the time you spend reading this book may fly, and it is certain to be well spent.
Download or read book Pennsylvania Clocks and Watches written by James W. Gibbs and published by Penn State University Press. This book was released on 1984 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of timepieces made in Pennsylvania from William Penn's time to the present, this book is more than a compendium of clock and watchmakers and their work. With abundant illustrations and lore from historians in every part of the state, it recreates a time when clock and watchmaking was not a mere occupation: it was truly a craft. The author attributes this characteristic to the Keystone State's unusually varied population, and explores the various "old world" influences affecting the design and style of timepieces. The story of clock and watchmaking from colonial Philadelphia to Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle is a major chapter in the history of industry, trade, tastemaking, and craftsmanship. Clocks of finely carved wood decorated the homes of prosperous early settlers, and golden watchcases adorned their persons; meanwhile, clocks on Independence Hall and other public buildings measured the hours for the general citizenry. As time passed, more utilitarian clocks graced schools and factories, while Hamilton watches kept the trains running on time. Resisting the temptation to lower standards for the sake of mass production, Pennsylvania clock and watchmakers gained fame for their high-quality craftsmanship. The making of clocks and watches is detailed by Dr. Gibbs from its beginning in the southeastern counties of William Penn Country, through the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the center of the Commonwealth, and on to the state's northern and western frontiers. The craftsmen are presented in historical context, with emphasis on their social and educational backgrounds and the effect of these on their timepieces. Separate sections focus on illustrious clockmakers such as the Ellicott and Solliday families, Jacob Detweiler Custer, and the master of horology and astronomy, Dr. David Rittenhouse. Pennsylvania Clocks and Watches is an indispensable handbook for the experienced collector and a stimulating guide for the beginner. It is also a valuable reference for students of industrial and social history, design, and folkways.
Download or read book Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers written by Frederick James Britten and published by . This book was released on 1899 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Watches written by G. H. Baillie and published by N. A. G. Press. This book was released on 1979 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is widely acknowledged as being one of the most important and informative books ever to appear on the subject of horology. The present work is a facsimile, produced by the original printers of the original publication. For accurate factual information, Baillies' work is as fresh today as it was when first written. It is a proper history covering nearly four centuries, with emphasis on original developments.
Download or read book The Clocks Are Telling Lies written by Scott Alan Johnston and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2022-01-15 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until the nineteenth century all time was local time. On foot or on horseback, it was impossible to travel fast enough to care that noon was a few minutes earlier or later from one town to the next. The invention of railways and telegraphs, however, created a newly interconnected world where suddenly the time differences between cities mattered. The Clocks Are Telling Lies is an exploration of why we tell time the way we do, demonstrating that organizing a new global time system was no simple task. Standard time, envisioned by railway engineers such as Sandford Fleming, clashed with universal time, promoted by astronomers. When both sides met in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference in Washington, DC, to debate the best way to organize time, disagreement abounded. If scientific and engineering experts could not agree, how would the public? Following some of the key players in the debate, Scott Johnston reveals how people dealt with the contradictions in global timekeeping in surprising ways – from zealots like Charles Piazzi Smyth, who campaigned for the Great Pyramid to serve as the prime meridian, to Maria Belville, who sold the time door to door in Victorian London, to Moraviantown and other Indigenous communities that used timekeeping to fight for autonomy. Drawing from a wide range of primary sources, The Clocks Are Telling Lies offers a thought-provoking narrative that centres people and politics, rather than technology, in the vibrant story of global time telling.
Download or read book The Mastery of Time written by Dominique Flechon and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2012-01-10 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than a simple chronology, this volume explores the technical resources used to measure time—solar, hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical—just as it explains the key factors behind the major breakthroughs in the science of horology. From ancient astronomical observatories to atomic clocks, instruments for telling time have always been closely linked to the cutting-edge sciences of the day, ranging from medicine and navigation to aeronautics. Inventions in timekeeping have been crucial to the organization of human society and to activities such as farming, industry, and trade. Each new development was based on the needs and accomplishments of its day yet spurred further discoveries. Writing a history of time means viewing human genius through the prism of the steady mastery of a crucial technology. The patient, long-term conquest of accuracy has been the result of successive advances from sundial to wristwatch up to the recent exploits of the heirs to this age-old quest, namely master horologists of the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Precision Pendulum Clocks written by Derek Roberts and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 2004 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume chronicles the horological work carried out in France, Germany, and North America and completes the fascinating history of precision timekeeping in recent time. Over 500 beautiful color and black-and-white photographs illustrate the historical contributions of renowned clockmakers from France and Germany. America's contribution to precision timekeeping is chronicled along with recent advancements in precision pendulum timekeeping.
Download or read book Two Hundred Years of American Clocks Watches written by Chris H. Bailey and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the art of clockmaking from the era of handcrafting to present-day automation.
Download or read book Watches written by George Daniels and published by Philip Wilson Publishers. This book was released on 2022-05-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A long-awaited reprint of an important illustrated reference work on the general history of the watch from 1500 to 1980. When Watches was first published in 1965 it quickly gained for itself a reputation as the foremost general history of the subject and, following the expanded edition in 1979 which covered recent years past 1830, this has remained unchallenged in horological history. In this long-awaited reprinted edition, collectors and horological students can again make use of the reference illustrations and history in this work as approached by the leading horology historians and clockmakers of the twentieth century. Clutton and Daniels write expertly on the vast history of watches, through the changing tastes and styles of collectors and makers, as well as imparting their own knowledge on various technical aspects within the watches. The expansive historical section encompasses both decorative and mechanical aspects of mid-sixteenth to late twentieth century watches, including those by George Daniels himself, detailing the rich history behind more modern designs and fascinations. These later years include a variety of semi-experimental escapements, as well as covering the development of the precision watch and work leading to it by Ferdinand Berthoud and Pierre Le Roy, discussed alongside John Arnold in England, to satisfy the technical-minded collector. Horology and collecting have grown with the changing technologies, and watches continue to be produced to an exceptional technological standard. Precision watches from the 1730-1930 period are covered in detail, as well as high standard Swiss and American watches of the last hundred years; these highly complicated watches benefit greatly from having both colour and mono illustrations to clarify the details. For a truly comprehensive understanding of escapements, photographs of these have been included alongside a critical approach to this essential mechanism. Since its first publication, Watches has provided an essential work of reference and history behind some of the most renowned minds and creations. Now reprinted for a new generation of collectors and students, and featuring over 600 illustrations, the technical and decorative elements of historical watches can be studied and enjoyed once more.
Download or read book Telling Time written by Stuart Sherman and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Telling Time, Stuart Sherman argues that innovations in prose emerged with this technological breakthrough, enabling authors to recount the new kind of time by which England was learning to live and work.
Download or read book Air Time written by Mark Bernardo and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2021-07-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive reference for watch connoisseurs to explore a century of stylish timepieces inspired by and built for aviation, aeronautics and space exploration, and piloting. Air Time takes a keen look at more than ninety iconic timepieces that embody the spirit of flight, worn and made famous by the men and women who pioneered it, from daring balloonists and wartime jet pilots to jet-setters and astronauts. In a thoroughgoing look at nearly a century ofaviation-inspired timepieces--from 1904 to the present day-- WatchTime's Mark Bernardo interweaves history, technical insight, and the distinctive style of pilot watches into a first-of-its-kind comprehensive monograph. Chapters showcase historical milestones such as Cartier's development of the first men's wristwatch for Alberto Santos-Dumont; Charles Lindbergh's invention of the Longines Hour Angle; and the Omega Speedmaster, the first watch to land on the moon. Also featured are iconic timepieces, including the Breitling Navitimer, IWC Big Pilot's Watch, Breguet Type XX, and Rolex GMT-Master, up through current category timepieces such as in the collections of Bell & Ross, Longines, Bremont, Patek Philippe, Hamilton, and Zenith. Informative and compelling, this fascinating guide is the perfect gift for connoisseurs of timepieces, aviation, and globetrotting travel.
Download or read book Breguet written by Emmanuel Breguet and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2015-10-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dazzling exploration of the work of renowned horologist Breguet is also a fascinating look at what makes watches and other timepieces tick. Abraham-Louis Breguet invented many of the standard components of today’s most prestigious watches, earning the title "The Father of Modern Horology." The self-winding watch, the gong spring, the first shock-protection device, and the enameled dial—all were created by Breguet. In addition, he invented the first travel clock, sold to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798, and the first wristwatch, delivered to Caroline Murat, queen of Naples in 1812. Perhaps Breguet’s most famous timepiece is the "Marie-Antoinette" pocket watch, which took forty years to make and was the most complex watch of its time. This fascinating, elegantly designed volume features more than seventy watches and clocks that were constructed by the Breguet company, and it contains many insights into the inner workings that made these objects so innovative and valuable. Engaging essays explore Breguet’s personal history, the technologies he perfected, and his vast international reputation—which survives to this day. This beautiful overview of Breguet’s achievements will speak to anyone who treasures their watch—whether as an indispensable daily accessory, or as a prized piece of jewelry.
