Watch GlossaryHorology
The field of horology involves the scientific study of measuring time and making of mechanical instruments to record time
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What Is The Meaning Of Horology?
In both Latin and Ancient Greek, the term horology is the portmanteau of hṓra (‘period of time, hour’) and ‘ology’ (‘study or proper knowledge of’). Horology is the scientific study of measuring time and making of instruments to keep time. It involves the design, construction, repairing and maintaining of wall clocks, table clocks, alarm clocks, wristwatches, pocket watches, sundials, hourglasses, timers, time recorders, marine chronometers, and atomic clocks. People working in the field of horology, like watchmakers and clockmakers, are called horologists.
Horology can be traced to 1450 BCE, when Egyptians devised large obelisks to divide the day into two 12-hour periods to track the sun’s movement, and water clocks that the ancient Greeks called clepsydrae. Other timekeeping instruments were the candle clock in China, Japan, England, and Mesopotamia, the timestick in India and Tibet, the stone Chichen Itza in Mexico, along with the hourglass—sand running through its glass bulbs—and sundial—that records time according to the shadow casts by the sun. Europe invented the first mechanical clocks in the 14th century before the pendulum clock was innovated in 1656. This instrument stayed the most accurate timekeeping fixture till the 1930s, before quartz oscillators took over, and later atomic clocks on the heels of World War II. At present, Switzerland leads the mechanical watchmaking industry for its production of reliable, attractive timepieces, and for having survived the quartz crisis, digital and smart watches.
Studying horology can lead to a variety of career opportunities, including watchmaking, clockmaking, restoration, and museum work. The most popular career choice is watchmaking, which involves designing, constructing, and repairing watches, requiring superior technical skill and precision. Clockmaking involves studying mechanical principles and the skill of restoration. Restoration involves the repair and conservation of antique watches and clocks, often exhibited in museums.
