Gear clocks history

Gear clocks date back to fragments of complex gear systems used in ancient times. Their purpose was to describe the movement of the sun and moon and eclipses. The device had no mechanical transmission and had to be manually driven. Until the late Middle Ages, the only way to determine time was by observing the position of the sun.

700 AD Gravity-driven clocks with gears were invented. Clocks at that time were made of wrought iron. It was not until the 14th century that large and beautiful clocks were installed in Catholic cathedrals in Strasbourg and other cities. These devices not only showed the time, but also had astronomical indicators, lunar calendars and moving figures. It was the close cooperation of locksmiths, astronomers and craftsmen at that time that allowed the design and manufacture of such precise and beautiful mechanical devices.