Peter Henlein

Peter Henlein
Peter Henlein
Peter Henlein
Born23 August 1485
Nuremberg
Died1542 (aged 56–57)
Nuremberg
MonumentsHefnersplatz (Nuremberg), by Max Meißner (1905)
NationalityGerman
Other namesPeter Hele, Peter Henle
Occupation(s)master locksmith, clockmaker, watchmaker
EraGerman Renaissance
Known forInventor of the watch
Spouse(s)Kundigunde Ernst, (first wife) Maragarete (second wife) Walburga Schreyer (Third wife)
Parents
  • Peter Henlein (father)
  • Barbara Henlein (mother)
FamilyHerman Henlein (older brother)

Peter Henlein (also spelled Henle or Hele)[1] (1485 - August 1542), a locksmith, clockmaker, and watchmaker of Nuremberg, Germany, is often considered the inventor of the watch.[2][3] He was one of the first craftsmen to make small ornamental portable clocks which were often worn as pendants or attached to clothing,[4] and which are regarded as the first watches. Many sources also erroneously[5][6][7] credit him as the inventor of the mainspring.[1][8][9][10]

  1. ^ a b Milham, Willis I. (1946). Time and Timekeepers. New York: MacMillan. p. 121. ISBN 0-7808-0008-7.
  2. ^ Dohrn-van Rossum, Gerhard; Thomas Dunlap (1996). History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders. USA: Univ. of Chicago Press. p. 122. ISBN 0-226-15510-2.
  3. ^ Cipolla, Carlo M. (2004). Clocks and Culture, 1300 to 1700. W.W. Norton & Co. p. 61. ISBN 0-393-32443-5., p.31
  4. ^ Carlisle, Rodney P. (2004). Scientific American Inventions and Discoveries. USA: John Wiley & Sons. p. 143. ISBN 0471244104.
  5. ^ White, Lynn Jr. (1966). Medieval Technology and Social Change. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 0-19-500266-0., p.126-127
  6. ^ "There are at least two spring driven clocks extant which predate Henlein's work" Usher, Abbot Payson (1988). A History of Mechanical Inventions. Courier Dover. ISBN 0-486-25593-X., p.305
  7. ^ Dohrn-van Rossum, Gerhard (1997). History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders. Univ. of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-15510-2., p.121
  8. ^ Levy, Joel (2003). Really Useful: The Origins of Everyday Things. Firefly Books. p. 101. ISBN 155297622X.
  9. ^ "Clock". The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4. Univ. of Chicago. 1974. p. 747. ISBN 0-85229-290-2.
  10. ^ Anzovin, Steve; Podell, Janet (2000). Famous First Facts: A record of first happenings, discoveries, and inventions in world history. H.W. Wilson. ISBN 0-8242-0958-3., p.440