European mechanical clock

Timeline

1. c. 1270–1320England · EnglandMechanical clocks centered on weights and the verge-foliot escapement appeared in English and French monasteries, mainly to regulate hours of prayer; the technology was still experimental.
2. 1381–1390Salisbury · EnglandIn 1386 Salisbury Cathedral installed a large mechanical clock that struck the hours for the parish and town; similar public timekeeping devices were also advanced in Wells, Milan, and elsewhere at the same time.
3. c. 1400–1500Europe · EuropeTown halls and guild towers commonly installed mechanical clocks, and striking the hour became the rhythmic standard of urban public life; clockmakers' guilds in Germany and the Low Countries formed specialized craft traditions.
4. c. 1500Europe · EuropeImprovements such as spring drive and pendulum escapements made mechanical clocks portable and highly accurate, paving the way for modern marine chronometers and precision timekeeping.