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This page includes research papers on
clocks, watches, and wristwatches.
The History of Timekeeping:
Invention of Clocks and Calendars
A Brief History of American
Clock Making by Mo Klein
The History of Watches by Alan
Costa
The Brief History of Precision Timekeeping
by Dr. Christoph Ozdoba
American Clock
Appears on Postage Stamp
The United States Postal
Service today is reissuing the 10-cent American Clock stamp in a gummed coil
format. First issued in 2003, this definitive stamp--the second in the American
Design series--features an artistic rendering of the dial, or face, of a banjo
clock made circa 1805 by Simon Willard (1753-1848) of Roxbury, Massachusetts.
The four Willard brothers--Benjamin, Jr., Simon, Ephraim, and Aaron--were
well-known clockmakers in the Boston area during the first half of the 19th
century. In November 1801, while on a trip to Washington, D.C. to install a
gallery clock commissioned by the United States Senate, Simon Willard filed a
patent application for a new style of wall clock. As required by patent
regulations at the time, Willard submitted a model of the clock, which he called
an "improved timepiece," with his application. [In the 1930s, a fire at the U.S.
Patent Office destroyed the model.] A fourteen-year patent was granted on
February 8, 1802.
Willard's clock-often called a banjo clock because its shape was similar to an
inverted banjo-had a round head enclosing the clockworks, a long shaft
containing the pendulum, and a rectangular lower box. Its stylish shape,
polished metal fittings, and decorative glass panels appealed to consumers who
paid $25-$35 to purchase one. Its popularity made it one of the most famous
designs in American clock making.
The banjo clock depicted on the stamp is constructed of brass and steel and has
a painted iron dial and a mahogany case crowned by a brass eagle. It is part of
the J. Cheney Wells collection of New England clocks at Old Sturbridge Village,
Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
The American Design series began in May 2002 with the 5-cent American Toleware
stamp. Reflecting the rich diversity of American design, the series showcases
objects from various eras, regions, and ethnic cultures that combine utility
with beauty and function with form. The series replaces the long-running
Transportation series, which was issued from 1981 through 1995. The stamps in
the American Design series vary in denomination from one through ten cents.
The American Clock definitive stamp features artist Lou Nolan's rendering of
the dial, or face, of a banjo clock. This elegant timepiece was made circa 1805
by Simon Willard (1753-1848) of Roxbury, Massachusetts. American Clock is the
second stamp in the American Design series.
The stamp art depicts the clock's painted iron dial, which has simple scrolled
hands, Roman numerals, and a keyhole. The dial is crowned with the patriotic
symbol of an eagle.
Lou Nolan’s previous projects for the Postal Service include five stamps in the
Transportation series (School Bus, Dog Sled, Milk Wagon, Popcorn Wagon, and
Elevator), the Certified Public Accountants stamp (1987), the Bill of Rights
stamp (1989), and the first 5 stamps in the American Design series: American
Toleware (2002), American Clock (2003), Tiffany Lamp (2003), Navajo Jewelry
(2004), and Chippendale Chair (2004).
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