On display
Time and Society
This gallery examines the role of timekeeping in our everyday lives.
At home and at work, in our personal lives and across societies, we have made timekeepers to coordinate and make sense of our world – from sundials and wristwatches to calendars and clocks.
Location: Meridian building
Key objects in this gallery
Scaphe dial
One of the oldest forms of sundial, scaphe dials have a concave shape that mirrors the curvature of the Earth. This example can be adjusted for use at any latitude north of the equator.
It was part of the collection of instruments owned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini.
Cole compendium
Humphrey Cole (about 1520–91) was one of the finest makers of scientific instruments in England in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.
This compendium is made up of a number of different scientific instruments and has many uses, including a compass, a calendar and a geometric square.
The instruments make it possible to calculate anything from high and low tides and the phases of the moon to the height of buildings.
Tavern clock
Tavern clocks such as this, with their large dials, were commonly installed in taverns, coaching inns and other publicly accessible places, giving travellers access to the right time or allowing them to set their watches. They were also often seen 'below stairs' in great houses.
Early wristwatch
The real beginnings of the wristwatch occurred in the late 19th century. In the mid-1880s, leather 'watch wristlets' such as this one were made as an accessory for ladies. Small watches fitted to metal bracelets followed.
By 1910, the wristwatch was commonplace, though chiefly used by women. The First World War highlighted the practicality of the wristwatch, which then began to be used by men.
Atmos clock
'Atmos' clocks were first developed in 1928 by Neuchâtel engineer Jean-Léon Reutter. Changes in air temperature and pressure cause a liquid- and vapour-filled chamber at the back of the movement to expand and contract, winding the clock's mainspring. The movement is so slow and the parts so finely finished that no oil is needed.
Atmos clocks are frequently given as official gifts by the Swiss Government to famous and important visitors, including John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Charlie Chaplin and Pope John-Paul II.
Acknowledgements
The Time galleries are supported by:
- Millennium Commission
- Wolfson Foundation
- Accurist Watches
- National Physical Laboratory
