In the first decade of the 16th century, a German locksmith from Nuremberg named Peter Henlein began using springs to power clock mechanisms. Winding the “mainspring” stored energy, which was slowly released over time, turning the hand of the timepiece. Because spring could be made much smaller and stiffer than a traditional verge escapement mechanism, the weight and size of Henlein’s timepieces were significantly reduced. This breakthrough led the clock from being a tower-sized mechanism in the center of town to a small pocket- or wall-sized device that wealthy gentlemen could carry around with them throughout the day. However, these early mainspring watches still had their faults. Naturally, the clock would run faster initially, when the spring was tightly wound, and slow down as the spring became loose. Later, a solution to this problem, the “fusee” was developed to release the tension of the spring over time more evenly. The ability of an individual to have access to a relatively accurate timepiece anywhere they went had a significant impact on the daily lives of people in 16th century Europe, allowing activities throughout the day to be recorded with more precision than ever before.

Sources: “Spring Driven Clocks.” 2018. https://www.merritts.com/merritts/library/spring_driven_clocks.aspx. Accessed 8 Mar 2018.

Bellis, Mary. “Spring-Powered Clocks.” The History of Mechanical Pendulum Clocks and Quartz Clocks. 7 April 2017. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-mechanical-pendulum-clocks-4078405. Accessed 8 Mar 2018.

Image: Wikipedia Commons, Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alarm_clock_mainspring.JPG.