Timepieces - Masterpieces of Chronometry

Author: David Christianson


176 pages, illustrated.

From the early Greek and Chinese waterclocks to the modern day atomic clocks, this is a compelling story, sympathetic to the amateur clock enthusiast. Showcasing the eminent movers and shakers, from Galileo's first attempts at devising a pendulum, Leonardo's early ideas for clock mechanisms, Fromanteel's grandfather clocks, Thomas Tompion, Berthoud, and Le Roy to Harrison's Longitude Prize, that gave rise to some of the most fascinating stories in horology.

Featuring the early tower clocks of the monasteries, the exuberantly ornate French designs of the 15th century, the miniaturization of the mechanism that led to the first watches, the influence of the Swiss timepieces, and the importance of the American wooden clocks, Timepieces tell the fascinating story of 800 years of innovation and design.