How to tell the time in the dark... in the 17th century | The Night Clock | Curator's Corner S2 Ep 6

[@britishmuseum]

Hey there new comer! If you've just come from Tom Scott's video about Ogham script, we think you might like our latest video about Bitcoin and its 17th century 'counterpart'. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqS9c4yBabmChrs

[@hamletfisherman5740]

How did you know, this is sorcery

[@uruiamnot]

What time is it there?

[@sirwilliam51]

That's got to be the most ingenious clock mechanism ever made. Some clockmaker must have stayed up for days to come up with that hour on a chain idea.

[@purefoldnz3070]

'You can't switch on a light like we do now.' You mean like a candle or a gas lamp? lol

[@springinfialta106]

Urwerk has watches based on a similar principle. But they're almost as expensive as that clock would be if you put it up for sale!

[@FoxDren]

I was curious how it was changing the numerals, and that was an amazing solution that would never have occurred to me

[@nigellovatt9982]

It never occurred to me until the clock was turned round. An incredible piece of engineering.

[@rickc2102]

Ditto!

[@uts4448]

Ascdren yes and also the fact that it says it was made around 1675 amazes me too. This genius invention was made waaaaay back then?

[@yushatak]

That's my favorite thing about old tech, especially mechanical stuff - they had to come up with all kinds of clever ways to do things which we'd use a chip or a computer for now in almost every instance.

[@nicksGLI]

All analog clocks should show time like that! It's so much easier. Only displays needed information.

[@kme]

My daughter is obsessed with watches and clocks, stopped playing when she heard the subject matter, and was glued to my phone screen for almost the entire video. Quite a task for a(n almost) 5 year old. 👍😊 Well done.

[@britishmuseum]

Just in case you need some more clock-based entertainment for you daughter, we've put together a playlist of all our films about clocks kzbin.info/aero/PL0LQM0SAx600xVMIZO9L6zXTP_-K8rcDC There will be more in the future!

[@kme]

@@britishmuseum she's absolutely thrilled! Thank you so much. 😀

[@maunster3414]

KM E, that's lovely to hear about your daughter. An inquisitive mind is something to grow upon.

[@The_Gallowglass]

Maybe she'll make custom time pieces and stuff.

[@yordlejay6820]

Should get her a busted one and see if she can't learn to repair it

[@monkeyboy4746]

I like the way the numbers remind me of the Moon rising, getting brighter, and then setting growing dimmer.

[@brucewilliams6292]

I have many a happy memory of the British Museum! When you go to a museum and ask for the short tour and the staff tell you go to the Rosetta Stone and turn right ... you know that you are in a special place. Also, the food is fantastic.

[@betsybarnicle8016]

@Whited Out The Rosetta Stone. Also, a HUGE collection of Egyptian artifacts amd mummies.

[@GrimBirthday]

Thank you so much for opening it up and showing how the mechanism worked. I was very curious about that, and it's such a simple but elegant solution. I love it.

[@buddyboy4x44]

The simplicity of the hour change is absolutely brilliant.

[@censusgary]

This clock is very cool, except for its tendency to, you know, burn down the house. I’ll bet wristwatches with tiny oil lamps in them were even more problematic.

[@D-Vinko]

Hahaha. You joke, but maybe we just haven't found the example in archeology yet? With what people create, id not be surprised at this point.

[@kzookid2051]

Not really. You just turn your head and spit on the flame.

[@clickrick]

Wristwatches would have been fine, because they were out in the open air, so the fumes would be able to dissipate. The problem with them was more to do with how to get that lump of lead to hang nicely without continually bashing the wearer's leg. Pocket watches, on the other hand, would have built up uncomfortable heat close against the person, and the fumes would have built up to the point that the flame would have gone out. ;-)

[@abaidullah9104]

there werent any wistwatches back in that age

[@lindac6919]

Exactly. The housewife in those days spent a LOT of time making sure no candles or flames were burning, before they went to bed.

[@scrubJabroni]

The Night Clock: Now you'll know the exact time your house burns down in the middle of the night!

[@monkeygraborange]

HAHAHAHAHA... I thought the same thing!

[@kat369-mine]

Except the clock is the first thing burning, so all that soft brass will melt long before the house burns down.

[@Madfattdeeb]

It's a new Stephen King book. 😂

[@Broockle]

I recommend LEDs

[@trojanette8345]

I was thinking the same thing. See my comment above. One can only truly understand this video by reading both (your and my) comment. My thoughts EXACTLY. Your comment is definitely worth an Emmy!!

[@Gkuljian]

I wanted to know how they displayed the hours. Utterly genius. I'd have never guessed, and I'm a mechanical engineer.

[@Hoggaforfan]

I love how he looks so excited, a true geek!

[@HellHammerOfDoom]

Same here, it's good to see such passion.

[@Madfattdeeb]

He was so adorably geeky my wife found it cute. No wonder she likes me... mystery solved.😂

[@ChavvyChannel]

his looks and personality stikes me as a nick frost character

[@asdf9890]

Do they call themselves horologists? If so, that would raise some eyebrows of those who are ignorant of it.

[@SudhirRaja23]

What an amazing piece of original tech. It's refreshing to think about how someone arrived at the design and finally put it together all those years ago. Gone are the days. Thanks for sharing.

[@ulalaFrugilega]

Just yesterday I was asking myself why I love clocks so much. I have several, some working, most broken, and those are right twice a day. Anyway, the answer I came up with was this: we don't even rightly know what time is, and how it works. It goes slow if you are bored or near a huge gravitational object. It makes all things soft, and without time, there'd be no movement. In short, it's one of the great mysteries and it's everywhere and it's hard if at all possible to imagine. And yet, here are machines that can measure it! As complicated and ingenious as befits the matter, as beautiful as machines can be. This one glows as well. Love it!

[@New_Wave_Nancy]

This was even more fascinating than I expected it to be. Thank you.

[@lilitharam44]

That's amazing! I love things that light up. My favourite clock I own is a Westclox Moon Beam reproduction. It has a lit up dial face, and a light along the side that begins flashing ten minutes before the alarm goes off, for a "gentle wake up." I didn't think it would really work, but it does. The flashes wake you up long before the alarm goes off.

[@mikewazowski350]

I'm weird. I found this video more enjoyable than any show that is currently on the tube. Mr Cooke is awesome.

[@lithostheory]

Such a clever mechanism, people were absolutely not supid back then!

[@curbmassa]

No, not like they are now. Amazing how much was figured out hundreds of years ago allowing modern "marvels" to even exist.

[@topramenraymond7005]

Exactly and everything LASTED a very long time. Now and days a lot of things we buy (cheap ass China made) break down easily or does not last very long to get us to buy and buy again.

[@rayminazzi2065]

@@topramenraymond7005 survivorship bias, if everything made back "when everything was made better" we'd still have most of it around today and it wouldn't be rare, some things made today will be in perfect working order hundreds of years from now. Things made poorly today and of yesteryear won't last.

[@topramenraymond7005]

@@rayminazzi2065 just like a cure for cancer we've always had and people who have cured themselves and others but FDA didnt approve.....wonder why

[@rayminazzi2065]

@@topramenraymond7005 I don't think I understand what you mean by that.

[@justingould2020]

I love the changing numeral mechanism! I had a much more complicated theory, but the cleverness of the reality amazed me.

[@britishmuseum]

If you'd like to find out more about Edward East's Night Clock, Oliver has written a blog that goes into a lot more detail. Find it here: blog.britishmuseum.org/time-to-shine-a-17th-century-night-clock/

[@davidconnell1959]

I worked in London for a week and only had one free day. I spent all of it at the British Museum, and a third of that time was in Clocks and Watches. A wonderful department full of beautiful and intriguing things.

[@cratecruncher6687]

What a neat clock. I would have loved to see the movement too. Hard to believe people were making such precision timepieces 400 years ago.

[@dick7540]

A number of years ago I visited the British Museum and saw a unique clock on display. The clock had a rectangular metal plate with a serpentine groove cut into it. The plate was capable of tilting around an axis orthogonal to the serpentine groove. A steel ball ran along the serpentine groove until it hit a trigger at the end of the groove . Striking the trigger caused the plate to tilt in the opposite direction and the ball traversed the serpentine until it struck a similar trigger at the other end and the plate tilted again. What a marvel ! I saw this timepiece about fifty years ago. Other than the person who took me to the Museum, It is my sole recollection of my visit to the United Kingdom. If you are contemplating other You Tube videos, I would most enthusiastically propose this as the subject.

[@CricketsBay]

There's amateur video of that clock (somebody recorded their trip to the museum). m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/paS6lp6Djd-XidU

[@roboftherock]

That was short and fascinating. I had never heard of 'night clocks' before, so hadn't considered your first question before. The mechanism shown is nothing short of genius.

[@chap666ish]

How very, very, very clever they were in the 17th century. Thanks for the fascinating (and illuminating!) video.

[@nigelcarren]

Thank you for this. From one 17th century metal-botherer to another, I loved this. A truly wonderful clockwork contrivance. Compliments of the season from me (and all the mice in the workshop) 🔨🐭🐭🐭

[@geoculus5606]

Have you been annoying the metals again? ;)

[@stephenrice4554]

Ah , the British museum , I've spent days wandering around that magnificent building. Great video 👍🇬🇧

[@ruckboger]

Hopefully, you had a place to sleep.

[@kleinjahr]

Oh, the horology, the horology!

[@PseudoEmpathy]

The solution to the changing numerals blew by mind. True ingenuity, makes me wonder out of what necessity it was created.

[@CaptainGlack]

I have to say, the way it changes the number IS ingenius.

[@calrob300]

I've repaired and collected various clocks with brass works, 8 day, mantle, cuckoo etc but I've never heard of nor seen one of these! Wonderful, fascinating video subject.

[@gorp27]

I love seeing how mechanical things operate and I could not conceive of how this was done till you took the face off. Utterly ingenious solution.

[@KanalFrump]

I want to make a modern replica of this ingenious design. Gorgeous!

[@markfrellips5633]

Clocks hold a special place in mechanical engineering hearts, ever interesting and certainly symbolic devices. Small innovations in every iteration taking advantage of physics, gearing, and, of course, timing. The switching of the digits of it was particularly interesting if only briefly highlighted here.

[@juslitor]

I can´t believe I haven´t noticed this channel until now. Fascinating stuff.

[@bruce-le-smith]

Fantastic thank you! So happy to find this on KZbin, I lived in London for a year and miss all the museums dearly. I'd even watch a video of you walking through the galleries talking about this and that! Subscribed immediately.

[@d.aardent9382]

I am an USA horologist, very interesting videos. That is a unique night clock dial. The "wandering number" design I think you said? That mechanism design is really ingenious to have the staggered numeral indicators that are synchronized just right to follow one another properly. I'm always amazed at some of the impressive mechanisms inventions that clockmakers came up with in the old days. I was designing a clock to build that a feature was that it would have a nighttime lighting ability, but was going to have my entire clock dial backlit with LED lighting, and solar powered battery cell to power it. But now I have gotten some other ideas for interesting designs after seeing this old one. I've worked on some "blindman's clock"'s which functions differently but still resolves the night presentation issue. The clock has a gong for the hour strike and a bell for the quarterly marks, and it rings one bell at first quarter and two at half hour and three at three-quarter hour and then repeats the hour gong number after each quarterly bell. I don't see too many of these very often anymore,they tend to be made around late 1800s into early 1900s.

[@otakubancho6655]

It's truly amazing how they created that mechanism,kudos to the creator!👏👏👏

[@RoelfvanderMerwe]

This is absolutely breathtaking! More of these please!

[@theurbangentry]

Fancy seeing you here! I hope this finds you well, Best regards, TGV

[@RoelfvanderMerwe]

The Urban Gentry Hey buddy! You should make a video about this!

[@TheWaxworker]

I'm curious as to how they secured the oil lamp in the mechanism.

[@reachandler3655]

I was wondering that too.

[@macnutz4206]

I love the human genius demonstrated in the complex workings of so many of these old clocks, including ones too large for a museum collection. Unless there is a direct escape for the heat produced by the lamp, one can imagine many unhappy accidents.

[@who-gives-a-toss_Bear]

The first digital clock. Yes, I did think they were a reflectively recent development. I'm in Australia and this is brilliant. To see this stuff close up is just great. Thanks for the channel and all the submissions.

[@atlantic_love]

My now deceased papaw owned and operated a jewelry store for 50-60 years. He mostly built and repaired watches, but he also did engraving and made jewelry such as rings and necklaces.

[@trojanette8345]

Yes....quite right you are on this one (about the nighttime illuminated) clock. I have had not 1 but 2 centenarians in my family during my lifetime. I distinctly remember asking one of them about knowing the time at night. To which the response was, "Well we use a light". My former 8 yr old self then said: "Oh you mean like a flashlight". My relative then said: "Flashlight......what do you mean a flashlight.? No those weren't invented, yet. We didn't use a flashlight. We used a candle". I didn't know what to say. However, trust me. My 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression would have been brown box (early Kodak) camera worthy. LoL everybody !!

[@coreygrua3271]

I enjoy the delightful enthusiasm of Mr Cooke with his clocks. Should I ever get back to London, his gallery 39 is on my list. Night clocks…will we ever stop innovating?

[@7ajhubbell]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful piece of history and ingenuity with us!

[@Darth_Chicken]

We have 3 grandfarther, one vienna, one grandmother, one westminster mantle and one servent clock. But I've never seen a Night Clock before - fascinating!

[@faithlesshound5621]

This Night Clock was cutting-edge technology in its day (1675): the pendulum clock had only been invented in 1656, and the long case (grandfather) clock in 1670.

[@Outfrost]

I often have problems with realising how late or early it is, or how quickly an hour passes by. You could say, I haven't internalised timekeeping very well. I also don't like traditional analogue clocks (with the most common 360-degree 12-hour/60-minute dial). All this _time_, THIS has been the clock face that I've been looking for. That's it. Next clock I'll put up for myself will be displaying a fancy, wonderfully lit night clock face like this one, and if there isn't one out there, I'll make one. Thank you, Mr. East!

[@SicariiD]

I will give you a non sarcastic "cool story bro" for that. I hope you find your clock, or even better, post videos of your build process :)

[@plinkbottle]

An interesting device for its vintage. The genius of the individual came out in those times. Books, observations and practical skills and off you went to make something.

[@IstasPumaNevada]

That really is an ingenious and elegant solution to that requirement. I'm not sure I would have ever thought of it. Very neat.

[@dancoulson6579]

What a clever idea. I especially love the idea of the oil lamp being used for illumination. Here's a tip - Don't use a battery operated LED device, they give off a very artificial looking light, even with the orange visor, and red diffuser. Instead, a 7w incandescent night-light bulb (or a couple in series for an even more warm light) would look miles better.

[@frithbarbat]

I would have been broken hearted if he hadn't explained how the numbers changed. Brilliant genius inventor.

[@CaliMeatWagon]

I love that Clock! The Wondering Dial is amazing!

[@aeromodeller1]

Wandering Hour. watchismo.blogspot.com/2007/07/watchismo-times_20.html

[@drohegda]

Thank you Ollie great information,pure genius.from the USA. 😁

[@nicholas3354]

That is a really cool clock. Thanks for sharing.

[@jaceware8808]

I think that is the coolest thing I have ever seen. So intricate for its times. Wow. Just amazing. Beautiful clock.

[@JonatasAdoM]

I can only imagine the marketing "You can tell the time all night long now!"

[@therealzilch]

Brilliant. Except for, as you say, the inimical relation of oil lamps to wooden boxes. Thanks for another fascinating look at human ingenuity. Cheers from sunny Vienna, Scott

[@jenniferk9242]

So many beautiful old clocks! Fascinating system in that one.

[@reachandler3655]

What a wonderful clock, love the mechanism!

[@r0bw00d]

The changing of the numbers really got me. I figured the exposing plate was a slip disc on top of a second plate with the numbers on them. I also figured that the slip disc would rotate with the number plate remaining stationary briefly in order to change the exposed numbers.

[@JoelFriedline]

That is the most frustrating display and it's gorgeous.

[@douro20]

C. Paillard & Co., the Swiss company famous for the quality of its music boxes, and later known for their 16mm cameras, once made a Stirling engine powered gramophone. Its construction made it very unlikely that the wooden enclosure would catch fire, but I would imagine some people were rather wary of leaving one going unattended.

[@andyvictory950]

I must admit that i misread the titles and got excited for a second

[@rabooey]

What a great invention. My absolute favorite thing about it is the numerals on the chain. Genius.

[@all3ykat79]

I'm glad this came up as a suggestion... I love seeing how things work and that definitely is, like you said, ingenious.

[@tinkmarshino]

very interesting.. I thought it was going to be how they could tell the time at night without a clock.. this was more amazing..

[@thehellezell]

I love wandering hour movements, this one is so cool! Thanks

[@eulcedes]

This was fascinating, thank you for sharing it!!!

[@svsproductions1]

I miss the days when things were mechanical. Everything being digital make it feel less there. I wish my phone for example had actual buttons to text with and no a flat screen

[@mace8873]

I agree, my first phone was powered by a steam engine, you only had to feed it every 15-20 minutes, a little more if you wanted to send a MCM (morse code message), the best thing is that if you wanted to hack it, you'd better bring an axe - the cover was made in cast iron and weighed 44 lbs.

[@musicstewart9744]

And these days there are otherwise smart and educated 20 year olds who don't know how to read a clock dial.

[@electrohoard]

Wow ingenious indeed! What an interesting clock! Thanks for going through the trouble of taking it apart and sharing!

[@badatpseudoscience]

I love the chain. Brilliant design. I think modern technology has actually dumbed us down. When before you had to come up with a creative design to do something, now you just use a processor.

[@lynnblack6493]

Gallery 39. I am determined to get there next UK visit! What great mechanisms- all of them!

[@ABCA773]

this is the video I watch when I'm in soothing mode. I'm telling you this so you can try and ruin it. I get to play with sothing sounds after biting enough. I have to add that, being me, I have no idea what context it has in other universes.

[@geneladner8123]

Wow. Steampunk at its finest! Great speaker who is apparently quite knowledgeable, and who has a great speaking voice as well! Love this information, along with the fantastic gears in motion!

[@MelliaBoomBot]

very interesting, had never heard of this type of clock before..super

[@dahveed284]

That's amazing. Thanks for showing us how it worked!

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

That is some clever stuff and some very pretty craftsmanship, also the replacement diffuser might be fairly simplistic but it's a pretty inspired solution, I love out of the box thinking.

[@jamesnicholson3313]

Many many thanks for the wonderful video. Jim from AUSTRALIA.

[@formalpainter6598]

Anybody here from Tom Scott's video on Ogham?

[@r0bw00d]

No.

[@josiahhaifley2839]

Yes

[@SebineLifeWind]

People like homeboy are some of the most interesting, if awkward, motherfuckers on the planet. Cool stuff man.

[@martinstrength8532]

Interesting, thank you. The bit about the numbers changing was wonderful.

[@daleanderson1727]

What a beautiful piece. Thank you for sharing it.

[@LectronCircuits]

Night Clock production must be resumed at all costs. Cheers!

[@JimmyBagOfDonuts]

Amazing! I love these types of innovations

[@FizbanJH]

That looks useful, to make sure people of that period could get up in time for their WoW raids with other time zone players.

[@georgeblair5172]

Wonderful programme. Great way to spread knowledge.

[@largeproblem]

This dude’s just so fucking hyped about clocks, and that makes me so fucking hyped about clocks. Tick on, you fantastic being.

[@jds9559]

perfect craftmanship

[@NathanChisholm041]

Very interesting! I've recently inherited a long case clock from my father which has got me interested in them! Cheers....

[@inisipisTV]

Great work of art and a mechanical marvel.

[@600322]

That is one of the most amazing newa on youtube among other rubbish which in a condensed manner explains something valuable.Only 5 minutes long.

[@Testacabeza]

So cleverly designed. What an amazing job that of a clock curator.

[@tunokies]

Fantastic. Came to this via 'The Urban Gentry'. More short videos of your clocks and watches please.

[@aonghusofaolain8686]

Wow that is so simple and yet i would never in a million years think of it.

[@tedf1471]

Fascinating clock! ( I haven't seen cork rings like the one its sitting on since the sixties, working in a laboratory...)

[@recklessroges]

Genius movement. I guessed that it might be like the disks of a combination lock.

[@MrBobWareham]

How wonderful to see a clock that is so old very interesting thank you

[@monkeyman8393]

Absolutely fascinating

[@psammiad]

Beautiful! Never seen the wandering hour mechanism, it's lovely!

[@sillynacannada6718]

psammiad Oh “Hour”, I thought he said “Owl”, as in night owl! 😆 I do marvel at the beauty and ingenuity. It’s amazing the accomplishments before the industrial revolution.

[@mlr8650]

It is so interesting i want to know all about it! It is simple if you think about it but tricky. I love this guy 🕰🕰