Antique Alarm Clocks

Antique Alarm ClockAlarm clocks are ancient devices, their history stretching back to ancient Greece. Plato (428 – 348 BC) was said to own a water clock with an alarm signal similar to the sound of a water organ. Ctesibius (285 – 222BC) fitted elaborate alarm systems to his water clock would sound at pre-set times, including pebbles dropping on a gong and trumpets blowing.

Mechanical alarm clocks that could be set by users data back to at least 15th century Europe, although they were developed in other regions as well, including the Ottoman Empire. Traditionally, alarm clocks would have one or two bells that ring when the designated time was reached. Early clocks would be displayed in public to notify residents of the time, with chimes sounding every hour. Household alarm clocks became popular in the early 1600s. These early clocks are still in existence today and highly sought after as very rare and valuable items.

Old Atmos Clocks

Rare Atmos ClockCornelis Drebbel invented the first atmospheric powered clock in the early seventeenth century. Increases in atmospheric pressure and temperature causes the ethyl chloride hermetically sealed in a capsule to expand, compressing a spiral spring. Decreases in pressure and temperature allows the gas to condense and the spring to slacken. These changes create motion that constantly winds the mainspring, meaning it can be powered for long periods of time without being wound by human intervention.

Atmospheric clocks continued to be experimented with during the Enlightenment. The Beverly Clock, developed in 1864, is still running today!  These antique clocks are highly sought after as limited numbers were produced, making them quite rare. Drebbel  built only around 18 clocks, one being for King James VI of Britain and another for Rudolf II of Bohemia. Then there is the fact that these unusual clocks do not need to be wound and so can run for years.