Tickipedia: 1600AD-1700AD
Time, one of the seven fundamental physical quantities in the International System of Units, is a dimension in which we all exist. It marches on as certain as the sun rises and sets, and its behaviour has fascinated scientists as far back as history recalls. In this edition of Tickipedia, we discover how the work of Christiaan Huygens revolutionised horology.
By the end of the 16th century, with mechanical clocks well established, horologists were investigating ways to increase the accuracy of timekeeping. Although Galileo Galilei had begun to theorise about how a pendulum could be used to regulate a clock as early as 1582, it wasn’t until 1656 that Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens, inspired by Galileo’s work, designed the first pendulum clock in history.
Christiaan Huygens, Dutch polymath, who invented the first pendulum clock
Huygens was one of the most prominent scientists of his time, specialising in a wide array of subjects, from astronomy and physics to mathematics and mechanics. The pendulum clock was not his only discovery: he also performed in-depth studies of the rings of Saturn, and detected its moon, Titan, for the first time. When he applied himself to horology, his contributions changed the face of timekeeping.
Huygens’ groundbreaking new clock made use of the pendulum, acting as a harmonic oscillator. Its back and forth swing was a precise and measurable time interval that could be used to regulate the timekeeping of the clock, and therefore make it much more accurate than any other timepiece of the period. Where previous clocks could be inaccurate by up to 15 minutes per day, later versions of the pendulum clocks only had a daily error of 15 seconds.
Huygens' pendulum clock dramatically increased the accuracy of timekeeping in the mid-17th century
Soon enough the manufacture of these extremely precise clocks had spread across the globe. English clockmaker William Clement created his own version, the longcase or grandfather clock, which made use of a new invention: the anchor escapement. It maintained the swing of the pendulum by giving it a small push with each swing. Where the verge escapement that had been used previously required very wide swings of a short pendulum, the anchor escapement required a much shorter swing, allowing for longer pendulums and slower beats.
But Huygens wasn’t quite done with clockmaking, and in 1675 he went on to invent the balance spring, which controlled the speed of the balance wheel. This invention was crucial in making accurate pocket watches possible—the only problem was that fellow polymath Robert Hooke had also invented the balance spring, during the same period, entirely independently of Huygens. The dispute over who invented the spring first would continue for centuries, and was proof of the hot competition to create ever more innovative and precise means of timekeeping during this period.
Next time, we’ll take a look at the equation clocks and chronometers of the 17th and 18th centuries.
