watches

[Laura Dickerson]

 From about.com.  I will do some more looking eventually - I'm going to 
be late for service ringing!  Clearly not Chaucer's time, but early 
"watches."
"Another advance was the invention of spring-powered clocks between 1500 
and 1510 by Peter Henlein, a German locksmith from Nuremberg. Replacing 
the heavy drive weights permitted smaller (and portable) clocks and 
watches. Henlein nicknamed his clocks "Nuremberg Eggs". Although they 
slowed down as the mainspring unwound, they were popular among wealthy 
individuals due to their size and the fact that they could be put on a 
shelf or table instead of hanging from the wall. They were the first 
portable timepieces. However, they only had an hour hand, minute hands 
did not appear until 1670, and there was no glass protection. Glass over 
the face of the watch did not come about until the 17th century. Still, 
Henlein's advances in design were precursors to truly accurate 
timekeeping. "


Laura Dickerson