Watchmakers And The Progress Of Time

The Tiny Tools Behind Monumental Shifts

When I walk home from the office, I pass two small shops. Inside each, a watchmaker is hunched over his desk, the space dimly lit. Their hands deftly maneuver gears no larger than a baby's small fingernail. In my own work, I spend my days immersed in the glowing screens and complex algorithms of artificial intelligence. It's a world of constant change and intangible outputs, a stark contrast to the tangible mechanisms of these watchmakers. But there's something deeper here, something about the intricacy, the precision, the dogged determination of these watchmakers that has shaped our world in more profound ways than we might realize.

Why did so many revolutionary inventors start as watchmakers? What is it about ticking clocks and fine-tuned mechanisms that propelled some of the greatest leaps in industrial progress?

We know James Watt for the steam engine, and perhaps we have heard the tale of the tea kettle that inspired him. Yet, what we often overlook is that Watt was trained as a watchmaker. The precise calibration required to repair the timepieces of Glasgow University led him to consider efficiency, to ponder how energy might be used, or wasted,in a system. When Watt set eyes on a model of a Newcomen engine, it wasn’t a grand flash of genius that led him to innovate, it was his methodical watchmaker’s eye, his penchant for small improvements that cumulate into revolutions. The separate condenser, which made his steam engine so much more effective, was an idea born out of a watchmaker’s obsession with removing inefficiencies.

Watt was not alone. George Stephenson, known as the father of railways, began by fixing watches. Stephenson honed his watchmaking skills to help invent the 'Locomotion,' the world’s first practical steam locomotive. His combination of precision craftsmanship and industrial experience laid the foundation for his pioneering work in rail transportation.

Engineering Time

The link between watchmaking and invention seems almost uncanny, but it begs a deeper question: why? Perhaps it lies in the way watchmakers think, or rather, how they must think. Crafting or repairing a watch isn't just about mechanics; it’s about creating something that harmonizes with the passage of time, something that converts the chaotic into something regular and predictable. That mindset, of taking disorder and crafting precision, is the very essence of innovation.

But it wasn’t just steam engines or locomotives; these watchmakers-turned-inventors did not stop at mere transportation. There was also Elias Howe. One day, as an apprentice to a Boston watchmaker, he overheard a customer bemoan the tedium of hand-stitching, a task demanding mind-numbing repetition. Howe took the repetitive motions he saw and turned them into a machine that stitched fabric, paving the way for the sewing machine, a cornerstone of modern industry. This watchmaker mindset of precision and problem-solving remains crucial today in fields like robotics, software development, and advanced manufacturing. Their careful observation and training in intricate, repetitive machinery let them see opportunity where others see only drudgery.

Matthias Baldwin, another notable figure, also began his journey as a jeweller and watchmaker. He was initially commissioned to create a working model of a locomotive for the Philadelphia Museum, which led him to develop 'Old Ironsides' in 1832, the first steam locomotive to operate in Pennsylvania. Baldwin went on to found the Baldwin Locomotive Works, which became one of the largest locomotive manufacturers in the United States, leaving a profound impact on railway technology.

John Fitch, an early American inventor, was apprenticed to a watchmaker before he made his mark by building one of the first American steamboats. His mechanical expertise, derived from his time as an apprentice, helped him innovate in new domains. Despite challenges, he succeeded in creating a steamboat that made regular trips along the Delaware River, proving the feasibility of steam-powered transportation.

Joseph Rogers Brown, a clockmaker from New England, also contributed significantly to industrial progress. He invented the vernier caliper in 1852, a tool that ensured precise measurement, which was essential in manufacturing. Brown also built the first universal grinding machine, setting new standards for precision and contributing greatly to the consistency and accuracy of industrial production.

Another notable watchmaker was Ottmar Mergenthaler. An immigrant from Germany, Mergenthaler arrived in America in 1872 with only his watchmaking skills and thirty dollars in cash. Twelve years later, he invented the linotype machine, allowing newspapers to set type mechanically, revolutionizing publishing. There’s a beauty in this evolution, from timekeepers to newsmakers. The watchmakers were, it seems, not merely counting hours but shaping the ages to come.

Questioning Inefficiency

The watchmakers-turned-inventors didn't simply build on existing technologies, they asked fundamental questions. Why does a steam engine waste energy? How could the back-and-forth of a seamstress’s needle be replicated mechanically? They weren't simply iterating; they were rethinking from the ground up, and the tools they used, tiny gears, springs, precise movements, were perfect metaphors for this kind of thinking. For instance, Watt's separate condenser was conceived by questioning the inherent inefficiency of condensing steam in the same cylinder. By breaking down the problem to its core elements, heat transfer and energy loss, he was able to devise a solution that minimized waste. Similarly, Elias Howe examined the simple back-and-forth motion of stitching and reimagined it with a mechanical eye, resulting in the sewing machine. Start with the smallest component, understand its function completely, and reimagine the system from there.

Progress and Precision

The curious thing about watchmakers is that they deal with both the mundane and the profound. A watch, after all, is a tool to measure the seconds of our life, those tiny, inconsequential moments. And yet, those seconds add up to the grand narrative of human achievement. Perhaps that’s what makes watchmakers such fertile minds for revolution, they understand that the smallest parts, when properly aligned, can drive an unstoppable machine. They take mechanisms that others see as isolated and unify them into something that ticks, moves, and ultimately, transforms.

This expertise also found its way into medical applications, like measuring pulse rates with precision devices. Early watchmakers adapted their understanding of small mechanical components to create accurate pulse meters, precursors to today's medical devices. Their detailed understanding of timing and measurement has influenced fields like healthcare, with innovations that paved the way for modern wearable health tech, think of early pulse watches as the ancestors of today’s heart rate monitors and smartwatches. The contributions of watchmaking thus extend into diverse industries, from precision navigation and industrial automation to healthcare technology, where timing, accuracy, and reliability remain paramount.

So, the next time we ponder how progress happens, let us think of the watchmakers. Let us remember that often, the grand ideas start not in grand places, but in workshops, at desks covered in gears and springs, in the hands of those who see potential in precision and small leaps. The industrial revolution may have brought massive steam engines and sprawling factories, but at its heart, some of it at least, was powered by the quiet rhythmic ticking of progress shaped by the deft hands of watchmakers, turning the gears of human potential, one tiny click at a time.

Stay curious

Dr Colin W.P. Lewis

Image from the Watchmaker’s Apprentice