clock summary

Big Ben, tower clock, famous for its accuracy and for its massive bell. Strictly speaking, the name refers to only the great hour bell, which weighs 15.1 tons (13.7 metric tons), but it is commonly associated with the whole clock tower at the northern end of the Houses of Parliament, in the London

Thomas Tompion was an English maker of clocks, watches, and scientific instruments who was a pioneer of improvements in timekeeping mechanisms that set new standards for the quality of their workmanship. Nothing is known of Tompion’s formative years, and his father’s blacksmithing is the only known

Watch, portable timepiece that has a movement driven either by spring or by electricity and that is designed to be worn or carried in the pocket. The first watches appeared shortly after 1500, early examples being made by Peter Henlein, a locksmith in Nürnberg, Ger. The escapement used in the early