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I find it fascinating how early clockwork mechanisms, rudimentary as they might appear now, demonstrate such ingenuity with seemingly simple gears. Thinking about the societal impact—how these early clocks shifted our perception of time adn schedule—is pretty amazing. It's easy to forget that before precision manufacturing, these gears were largely hand-crafted.
did specific gear ratios in, say, some early astronomical clocks, demand especially clever solutions? I'm curious if anyone has insight into the specific challenges faced by early clockmakers in achieving accurate timekeeping using only the materials and techniques available at the time.were certain materials preferred, and what were the limitations they continuously tried to overcome? I'm thinking especially about the transition from water clocks, where the time was continuous, to mechanical clocks that had discrete movements. That needed some serious engineering!