How clocks work (in 5 easy steps) with Oliver Cooke I Curator's Corner S3 Ep3

British Museum horologist, Oliver Cooke, explains step by step how a clock works in 5 easy steps.
#CuratorsCorner #Clocks #time

[@cvpathinstitute2238]

Not being a horologist myself, I'd say this is the finest explanation of the basic function of a mechanical clock I've ever seen in my life. Thank you.

[@cvpathinstitute2238]

Right off the top. Going Train and Striking Train. I've seen them my entire life, but I hadn't a clue they had names!

[@MrGyges]

Undoubtedly an horological genius and probably, therefore, an international criminal mastermind.

[@jo-vf8jx]

Lol!

[@usquanigo]

He counts thumb, which is 5, as 1. Clearly he's not right. Definitely someone to watch. (see what I did there? "watch"? hah!)

[@beth12svist]

@@usquanigo Is it really 5 in Britain? It's 1 in Czechia...

[@usquanigo]

The pointer finger is the index finger, it is therefore the first finger, thus, it only makes sense for it to be 1 (and not for it to be 2 or anything else). I believe that medically it is the forefinger, which means 1 or first. Not to mention that signaling 3 and 4 is much easier this way too. So it also has a practicality.

[@beth12svist]

@@usquanigo I can't help noticing you didn't answer my actual question, you know.

[@Omnihil777]

I'd love to see an episode about all the Oopsies in the history of the museum, things people (especially curators) broke or almost broke. These things happen even the best, I'm sure...

[@eedwardgrey2]

I once ran an internship at a museum. They showed me an ancient bronze "dagger" somebody brought from a local in Luristan, with a rather unusual guard. It was probably part of an old metal garden fence

[@user-ez3iv6ji5c]

A sure fire way to root out someone to fire

[@michaellavery4899]

​@@eedwardgrey2 Excuse me if I appear stupid. Do you mean it was a relatively modern fence that someone had mistaken for an ancient dagger?

[@eedwardgrey2]

@@michaellavery4899 It was most likely the spike from one of those "old fashioned" looking metal fences

[@michaellavery4899]

@@eedwardgrey2 👍

[@Phlebas]

Just have to say, this is really fascinating. I think I have a newfound respect for the people who designed these clocks.

[@grahamnichols1416]

Museums are not musty dusty places full of static 'stuff'. They are libraries of fascinating knowledge, and a team of enthusiastic experts like Oliver who make the whole subject come alive. Stuff your iphones. Give me a wheatabix ignited wooden clock any day of the week. Cheers Oliver.

[@daisyrushton1574]

The clock gallery in the British Museum is my all-time favourite!

[@cholulahotsauce6166]

I see what you did there...

[@theishaanandankitashow]

Haha!

[@DarkLord-mf7oi]

Wow, that man, I respect you!! not only him all of you in the British museum, respect all each of you!! and to the channel!

[@AndyCutright]

The invention of the escapement is one of humanity's signal achievements. Up there with taming fire, and space flight.

[@alainlai3179]

Keep up the good work, British Museum. Fantastic videos.

[@DysnomiaATX]

Really looking forward to the next video. I love seeing how different clock mechanisms are constructed, especially older ones

[@coreygrua3271]

Positively delightful. I will appreciate my own antique clock more fully. Thank you, Mr Cooke.

[@TheZyanas]

Fascinating video! :) I’m excited to see you rebuild it!

[@obnoxiouspriest]

Horologist is my new favourite word! Snappy coat and glasses fella! I'm envious!

[@davidfish591]

This was very fine. Thank you for making everything so clear. The museum looks so cool, maybe someday. Cheers from Washington State.

[@carolynsaffoe8718]

Didn’t think I’d fine this as interesting as I did. Informative and well delivered.

[@Mandragara]

This guy sure looks the part!

[@ingeborg-anne]

That was lovely. Thank you as always!

[@museosdelaatalayaPALACIOTIEMPO]

It is such a clear explanation! Congrats!

[@adamselene5957]

Absolutely - WONDERFUL!! THANK YOU!!

[@dixonhill7526]

Fascinating! I really liked this video.😀

[@Lusheeta_Toel_Ul_Laputa]

really really good video projects ! thanks you

[@billyhendrix5544]

I love the hypnotic sound of that clock

[@xXEverymanXx]

great video, great curator!

[@otakuribo]

_This is good... This is really good..._ 🕰️💕

[@alger8181]

Clocks and locks... Good goodness i love them both! Sadly, i've not the readies to add watch/clock restoration to my list of hobbies. Still, love to see these old clocks.

[@Bippy55]

CAPITAL!! Excellent video led by a Horology expert! Q: regarding mechanical clocks, what makes one mechanical movement more accurate than another? Is it because one is in better working order or lubricated than the other? Is it a design thing? Or maybe is it where it was made; such as Switzerland or Japan?

[@h7opolo]

fascinating, thanks.

[@nintendy]

It needs to be said; not all Clocks with loud ticks are necessarily losing power - it depends much on the design.

[@kevinsnow8922]

Really interesting

[@DevonHyland]

Thank you!

[@redrock1963]

Every Witch Eats Crunchy Insects.............I love it. Great vid thanks.

[@okancanarslan3730]

good explanation

[@mr.context3872]

I never realized how intricate these were

[@grassyclimer6853]

Good video

[@madmelon9993]

Very nice

[@michaelmcchesney6645]

I was taught how to tell time in the 1st Grade in 1974 or 1975. But my sister is an elementary school teacher today. She told me that they don't teach kids how to tell time on an analog clock/watch face anymore. For kids today, everything is digital. They have apparently removed all of the analog clocks on classroom walls and replaced them with digital clocks. I think kids should still learn how to tell analog time. There are still many analog clocks out there. I actually prefer an analog watch face on my smart watch. When I moved into my present apartment 3 years ago, I installed an analog clock in my kitchen. But in those 3 years, I have never looked at that clock to tell the time. Like almost everyone else, my first instinct is to look at the digital clock under my TV or at my phone. I don't actually have cable TV anymore, but I really missed that clock, so I bought a digital clock to put under my TV where a cable box would be. But even with all that, I prefer an analog watch face.

[@RealUlrichLeland]

Interesting how it shows no one was ever in much of a hurry if the smallest unit it showed was a quarter of an hour lol. They probably hardly even thought about seconds

[@brianfuller7691]

Hi, horology rocks.

[@Dunewarrior00]

This guy is exactly what I imagined Jeremy Clockson from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series looks like.

[@highspeedgaz]

Only a Fool would call him a Fool . Respect!!

[@ryanspiers7491]

Now this guy is super fucking cool.

[@bikejoede]

If this clock has ticked all along it's lifetime once per second, it has ticked about 10.406.880.000 times. That is flabbergasting!

[@phillipcollins3416]

Crazy

[@kink_]

Hello sir, I like your work very much and I want to learn how to create works like it. Can you help me and teach me how to do the same? Thank you

[@lynnblack6493]

Okay. I would like to know if those wooden cogs are original. Next week...

[@mfadls]

Can anyone suggest some good books to learn about the history and engineering of old clocks?

[@martinwalters1954]

Given gravity is different at the top of Mt. Everest than at sea level, it would seem a clock using a weight would indicate time differently at a higher location than sea level.... no?

[@phillipcollins3416]

Good point

[@melmo5218]

Any relation to "Beaker"? Seriously, very interesting.

[@arianefr78]

I bet the guy who invented the first clock never thought it would be such a success...

[@eurikwonobi1130]

Does the size of the gears affect the clock?

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Due to friction losses, I am assuming a clock with a fewer number of larger wheels with more teeth per wheel, has fewer friction losses than one with more smaller wheels with fewer teeth per wheel. BUT, the larger the diameter wheel, the greater force the wheel’s driving force (pinion, spring at hub/arbor or weight barrel attached to hub/arbor) must overcome, due to the larger wheel acting like a longer lever when comparing the radial distance of the teeth with the distance of the driving point. So those decorative skeleton wall clocks with one giant minute wheel and escapement geared directly off of it (like some of the make-it-yourself wooden clocks) have fewer wheels in the train not just for decoration but for necessity, since the larger diameter wheels make for a mechanical disadvantage for anything needing many wheels to run (such as clocks running longer than about 8 days, like month clocks or year clocks, which only need winding once a month or once a year).

[@phillipcollins3416]

@@andrewbarrett1537 wow.. I can tell that you are very well educated mate, the way you explained that was impressive 👍

[@degariuslozak2169]

What's a Swiss clock doing in a British museum?

[@catspaw3815]

What a lovely gentleman. But I do believe Sue Brunning has slashed at the tip of the lad's nose with the Sutton Hoo sword! He said, 'Horology' Sue...nothing insulting, like you thought you heard. lol. Sorry. Thank you, TBM and all curators!

[@BeckVMH]

Clocks with wooden components, interesting. These were used in lieu of metal parts due to lack of availability or heavily taxed on import according to other sources.

[@conkerlive101]

Uh ohhh making it big on the internet. I guess you're my father now.

[@k-ebb1308]

we have an old clock more than 50 yeras old watching from philippine.

[@_f355]

as a hobby watchmaker, I got really surprised when tugging on the weight sped up the clock. In "modern" pocket- and wristwatches that is impossible just because of the physics as described by Huygens, the balance oscillation frequency is determined strictly by the combination of the balance weight and the strength/length of the balance spring. the power only affects the balance amplitude. I wonder, what's different with the clock in the video?

[@_f355]

answering myself after watching the next video in the series: this clock doesn't have a balance spring, the balance gets an impulse from the escape wheel through one of the pallets and spins until it is stopped and launched the opposite direction by the second pallet, so the rate is determined by how fast the balance is spinning.

[@robertlozyniak3661]

I wonder if they know what kind of bell the clock would have had, so they can make a replacement.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Some of the early Black Forest clocks (early 1800s) had bells made out of glass, and perhaps so did this one. Other clocks had bells made from brass, or cast iron.

[@alexmarshall4331]

I used to live in Greenwich...if you stand on the meridian @ the Greenwich Observatory and follow it down to the river it dissects the house I lived in (Eastney Street)...I often wonder why it is not mentioned that "time" was invented in south east London LALALA...ask Harrison 👉🇬🇧👈👉💎👈⚠️

[@zook420000]

i love how tik tok is an actual technical term lol edit: or at least i think it was

[@Takkization]

This dude could be a bad guy on The Blacklist.

[@jestempies]

Please make it tick more rhythmically in the next video :)

[@seenulaxmi]

1:11

[@Itsmekimmyjo]

Did you just say 1688?? Wow!

[@trublgrl]

I find it hard to believe that there was not a better clock available to demonstrate the workings of a timepiece. From the side, we can't see the relative movements of anything in there.

[@mlr8650]

That is so cool 🕰🕰

[@jokesterthemighty227]

I'm baffled at the inconsistency of the volume in all your videos :S

[@millie960]

POV: your dt teacher told you to watch this...

[@chrisg3030]

Let's go to the indicator and let me try out on the British Museum my theory why it's conventionally divided into twelve. One first "natural" clock could have been a tidal lagoon or basin emptying and refilling in a regular pattern. This wouldn't have necessarily been in phase with daylight hours, but I think high and low water are the same amount of time apart throughout the year, and through neap and spring tides as well. A practical time keeping device used for keeping track of the daily tides would naturally be divided into 12 with the 1st hour after low water defined as the time by which 1/12 of the tidal range has been reached, by 2 another 2/12, by 3 another 3/12, by 4 another 3/12, by 5 another 2/12, by 6 another 1/12. so by tide-turn all 12 12ths have been added, because 1+2+3+3+2+1 = 12. At 7 of course we're back down 11/12 of the height and so on. As far as I can see the only number you can do this and get whole numbers is 12 or multiples thereof. A face or scale divided into 10 for example would have to log a tide turn at 5 and log the 5 water height increments 1/10 2/10 3/10 2/10 1/10, but here the numerators don't sum to 10. That could be why 12 came to rule on clocks including maybe even sundials.

[@Martin1911A1]

I had no interest in clocks. I do now.

[@copernicus6420]

Good old fashioned colonial style propaganda. I like it. So nostalgic

[@patstokes7040]

Well he kind of breezed over some of the information. Pointing to the Balance wheel and not saying what it does isn't helpful.

[@Rushan2112]

Did John Candy have a son? Was he into clocks?

[@millie960]

He's still alive

[@Testacabeza]

Oliver should change his surname to Clock.

[@usquanigo]

People who count 5 (thumb), 1 (index), 2, 3, 4 are a bit unsettling.

[@wijpke]

There is no such thing as perpetual energy.....lol 😂 what makes the earth spin perpetually???

[@cakecinema9385]

Getting serious thief of time vibes from this guy... Don't break time ok.

[@anabelcamacho6584]

There is no such a think as "gravity" weight falls down because some one lifted up cost energy(!) to force move bit of matter from natural level of density to less or more dense environment . Bubbles go up, because something get them down in the first place . Yes by compeering matter with different density we measure weight. 'Gravity' is a word that, has no discovery or invention behind it . Gravity = abracadabra You have to understand, that if we can totally live functioning technically and do engineering with out word 'Gravity' , it means that word 'gravity' has no functional usage. 'Gravity' is a "wholly caw" word, on which hanging all balls flying in imaginary space. The only thing what is flying for real, is tax money from our pockets. If I pure bocked of Ice cold water over your dreamy head, would you wake up and understand that in order for water to refresh you, some one, needs to feel it up with water and lifting above your head ? In case you get angry at me , think about 'Gravity' and balls in imaginary space as real reason why you accidentally get whet it is because of 'Gravity' . Space is not that big just between peoples ears and real 'Gravity' power has ((( Money ))) mark of the Devil ... idea is create for you imaginary world in witch man made God, great designer of bull shit, Lucifer himself. Free masons build pyramid of bricks of bull shit in our imagination . On the top of the pyramid, there is all seeing ass hole , brain farting everyone below. That's why what ever ((( money ))) touches turns in to shit