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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Portable spring-driven clock · Germany (Nuremberg)

Early German Portable Clocks (Henlein attribution)

Historical attribution

Henlein is often called the inventor of the watch; this rests on a short contemporary mention and later tradition. Objects attributed to him are disputed and some have been challenged on technical grounds.

Technical facts

Attribution
Contested

Historical significance

  • Henlein is often called the inventor of the watch; this rests on a short contemporary mention and later tradition. Objects attributed to him are disputed and some have been challenged on technical grounds.

Diagram

coiled mainspring inside the barrelbarrel teeth driving the trainarbor and hook
Schematic: mainspring and barrel. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Germanisches Nationalmuseum publications
  2. Cardinal, C., The Watch

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.