The Worlds Great Clocks & Watches

Fülszöveg

The Worlds Great
CLOCKS
WATCHES
For the last 700 years clocks and watches have been in the forefront of technological discovery and invention. The great iron clocks of the late 13th century may seem primitive to our eyes, but in fact they were, at the time, far and away the most sophisticated pieces of machinery that had ever been made.
From those first horological dinosaurs, 'accurate' to within a few hours a day, to the latest mechanical movements, whose accuracy can be counted in fractions of a second, was a long uphill road. Along the way there were considerable periods of little or no progress punctuated by a few sudden advances contributed by a handful of geniuses from several countries including Francé, Germany, Italy, America and Japan, as well as Britain.
Cedric Jagger traces this road with infectious enthusiasm combined with a rare gift for explaining subtle technical matters in everyday language. After a chapter on sundials and other non-mechanical 'clocks', he... Tovább

Fülszöveg

The Worlds Great
CLOCKS
WATCHES
For the last 700 years clocks and watches have been in the forefront of technological discovery and invention. The great iron clocks of the late 13th century may seem primitive to our eyes, but in fact they were, at the time, far and away the most sophisticated pieces of machinery that had ever been made.
From those first horological dinosaurs, 'accurate' to within a few hours a day, to the latest mechanical movements, whose accuracy can be counted in fractions of a second, was a long uphill road. Along the way there were considerable periods of little or no progress punctuated by a few sudden advances contributed by a handful of geniuses from several countries including Francé, Germany, Italy, America and Japan, as well as Britain.
Cedric Jagger traces this road with infectious enthusiasm combined with a rare gift for explaining subtle technical matters in everyday language. After a chapter on sundials and other non-mechanical 'clocks', he takes the reader through the basic ingredients of a clock or watch, dealing with the various types of escapement, striking and chiming mechanisms, calendarwork, etc.
The author follows this with a chapter on each of the great periods of clock and watchmaking, explaining the significance of the mechanical advances and describing the evolution of styles to be seen in dials and cases. Ali the great makers and innovators are here - Huygens, Tompion, Mudge, the Harrisons, Le Roy, Breguet, and many others. A fascinating history of the contrasting technologies of America and Japan is followed by a final chapter on collectors and collecting.
The 370 illustrations, ofwhich 120 are in colour, include many photographs specially taken for this book of little-known examples of the clock and watchmakers craft, and a particular feature is the use of engravings from early horological books to illustrate technical points. These illustrations combine with the expert text to make this book probably the most profusely illustrated and comprehensive introduction to the subject ever published. Vissza